Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history

A drawing showing a large crossbar being hauled into place between two tall smokestacks to make a giant "H" for "Harvard"

Illustration by Mark Steele

1921

In a story that catches national attention, two freshmen propose inserting a huge crossbar between the two chimneys of the Boston Elevated Railway’s powerhouse, near the freshman dorms, forming a giant H—thus transforming an unattractive spot into a beautiful yet effective advertisement for Harvard. “Sweet are the uses of advertisement,” quips the Bulletin.

1936

The heaviest double-eclipsing star and the heaviest star ever accurately measured to date—29 Canis Majoris, 23 million times the weight of Earth—has been discovered by Sergei I. Gaposchkin of the Harvard Observatory staff through the study of photos taken at the observatory.

1941

President Roosevelt sends President Conant and two other scientists to England to observe recent scientific research there as a means ofimproving American research on national-defense problems.

1961

Noting that the College’s Central Kitchen has installed automatic milk-pouring machines in four House dining halls, the Bulletin’s Undergraduate reports seeing one fail to turn itself off—and expresses hope that the dining-hall staff “will never be replaceable by machines.”

The Bulletin estimates that 30 to 40 alumni or faculty members have already been named to high-level jobs in the new Kennedy administration.

1966

Male undergraduates debate the wisdom of allowing Radcliffe students to use Lamont Library, but vote to give voting rights to three Radcliffe representatives on the Harvard Policy Committee, the student government organization.

1981

After more than a year in captivity, the American embassy hostages in Tehran are freed, among them Elizabeth Ann Swift ’62, John W. Limbert ’64, Ph.D. ’74, and Moorhead C. Kennedy, J.D. ’58.

1996

Refurbished, rechristened Annenberg Hall opens to student diners for spring semester, as major renovations begin turning the Harvard Union into a humanities complex, the Barker Center.

2006

A January posting on the University’s employment website reveals that the College seeks a “Director of Internal Communications,” a new position, “to assume leadership of branding efforts” to further a strategic priority: “building a Harvard College community” by creating a “unified brand” for publications and web-based media.

You might also like

Harvard Football: Harvard 31, Merrimack 7

The Crimson stay unbeaten and uncover a new star.

Harvard Football: Harvard 34, Cornell 10

The Crimson stays unbeaten following a hard fight with the Big Red

Most popular

Harvard’s Class of 2029 Reflects Shifts in Racial Makeup After Affirmative Action Ends

International students continue to enroll amid political uncertainty; mandatory SATs lead to a drop in applications.

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Harvard Alum Wins Economics Nobel Prize

Philippe Aghion helped show how “creative destruction” drives growth.

Explore More From Current Issue

People gather near the John Harvard Statue in front of University Hall surrounded by autumn trees.

A Changed Harvard Faces the Future

After a tense summer—and with no Trump settlement in sight—the University continues to adapt. 

Three book covers arranged in a row on a beige background with a red border.

Must-Read Harvard Books Winter 2025

From aphorisms to art heists to democracy’s necessary conditions 

A person walks across a street lined with historic buildings and a clock tower in the background.

Harvard In the News

A legal victory against Trump, hazing in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, and kicking off a Crimson football season with style