Harvard History

Stories that explore the institution’s rich history, from archival moments to evolving traditions.

A man with a long beard and formal attire stands next to a chalkboard with an equation.

They Might Be (Harvard) Giants

Two tales of University greats—and an encounter with a Tiger

Alumnus Paul Lee ’46 carries the (replica) Little Red Flag at the 2012 Harvard-Yale game. Steve Goodhue ’51 is beside him; Spencer Ervin ’54 and Jeff Lee ’74 stand behind.

Who next will carry the (replica) Little Red Flag?

Are you eligible to carry the (replica) Little Red Flag?

Cartoon shows an audience viewing a 3D rendering of the Holland Tunnel, with a ship floating above it and a car emerging from one end

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Photograph of Samuel Eliot Morison

Morison, Handlin, and a new view of the Mem Hall fire

Morison, Handlin, and a new view of the Mem Hall fire

by Primus VI

Vegan muffins, hash, bacon, and other plant-based options are served at a cafeteria counter

While You Were Away

End-of-semester news and fun from around campus

by John S. Rosenberg

Drawing of Harvard and Oregon football players at the Rose Bowl, with the goalposts depicted at two long-stemmed red roses with a bar between them

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Photograph of Peter Ashton and field team in Borneo

Dipterocarp and shuttle derring-do, and more

Trekking, shuttling, and semi-friending

by Primus VI

A Hasty Pudding Theatricals poster from 1910 showing a debutante curtseying

Harvard Treasure: Hasty Pudding Posters

“Shingles” and other art of the Hasty Pudding from the Harvard Theatre Collection.

by Jonathan Shaw

Paul Lee (left) holds the Little Red Flag replica in 2012. Also shown (clockwise from top left) are Spencer Ervin, Jeffrey Lee, and Stephen Goodhue.

Who has attended the most Harvard-Yale Games?

Who’ll carry the traditionalists’ Little Red Flag?

An early group photo of Band members wearing bowler hats

The Harvard Band: a celebratory centennial history in brief

The Harvard Band celebrates a century.

by Sol Hurwitz

Unhappy bell-ringer replaced by an automated bell switch sits high in the steeple looking out over part of the Harvard campus below

Headlines from Harvard’s history

Headlines from Harvard’s history