Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Illustration depicting a summer-school student sunbathing on the steps of Widener Library

Illustration by Mark Steele

1913

The Alumni Bulletin reports the laying of the cornerstone of the Harvard Club of Boston. A spokesman says the club will be “characterized by academic simplicity. We desire to be famous, not for our canvas-backs, but for our glorified corn-beef hash.”

1938

“A new function is developing” for the Harvard Summer School, state the Bulletin’s editors. “Thoughtful adults are discovering that the rapidly changing life of this dynamic world makes education a continuous process which can never be completed at any specified age or date. Many are turning to the summer school for opportunities to continue their intellectual growth, to increase their athletic enjoyment, and to gain new vitality for the obligations of modern life.”

1943

The Fogg Museum rearranges its storage areas to protect works of art in the event of an enemy bombardment of Cambridge.

1963

On the Peace Corps’ second anniversary, the 43 College alumni serving abroad place Harvard second only to Berkeley as a source of A.B.s in the Corps.

1978

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences discusses the proposed “Core Program,” described by its chief proponent, Dean Henry Rosovsky, as “not [going] back to basics—I detest that phrase—but forward to modern liberal education.”

2003 

President Lawrence H. Summers unveils a “down payment” on financial aid, focusing on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the public-service-related professional schools, including a package of grants and no-fee, below-market-rate loans.

Related topics

You might also like

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Derek Bok donated his car for a good cause.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

Most popular

President Alan M. Garber used traditional Memorial Church address to consider the unique qualities of human intelligence and learning.

Radcliffe Medalist Gloria Steinem speaks on gender, violence, social justice

Accepting the Radcliffe Medal, the activist and writer spoke about gender, violence, and social justice—with a dose of humor. [video/audio]

Due to rain, the University held dual Convocation ceremonies for the Class of 2030 in Sanders Theatre.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

A glowing bulb shape surrounded by colorful, swirling energy lines against a blue background.

Harvard researchers achieve medical breakthroughs in cancer therapy and infection control.

A flooded office scene with computers, a woman working, and a pink sunset backdrop.

A College student’s attempt to recapture the romanticism of the workplace.