Harvard History & Traditions
Stories that explore the institution’s rich history, from archival moments to evolving traditions.
An Original Magna Carta, Hidden in Plain Sight
A rare original surfaces at Harvard at an “almost providential” moment.
by Nina Pasquini
How to Become Harvard’s Commencement Speaker
It helps to be a high official of a powerful European nation—and to have resonant things to say about your American allies.
by John S. Rosenberg
Yesterday’s News
Demonstrating for equality…and other headlines from Harvard’s history
America’s Great Modern Justice
A new biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. illuminates the Supreme Court during the centennial of his most momentous dissent.
by Lincoln Caplan
Paper Persists
Resesarchers’ lengthy labors, “Diploma Riots,” supporting young scholars
by Primus VI
Lowell, Not Coming to Dinner
A meaningful change in the images on display in the renewed Lowell House
by John S. Rosenberg
Excavating 1968
The premiere of an alumnus’s film about a seminal year at Harvard and beyond
by Lydialyle Gibson
Princeton Preps
Harvard’s Tiger deans, the prophetic Richard Pipes, and a high-tech egg
by Primus VI
Jewel Box and Jewels
A tribute to the art museums’ Calderwood Courtyard
by John S. Rosenberg
Yesterday’s News
Cooking for the culinarily challenged…and other headlines from Harvard’s history
Echoes of 1969
Recalling a time of trial, and its continuing resonances