Harvard History

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

Harvard Releases Database of 1,613 People Enslaved by University Affiliates

Research continues to track down living descendants.

by Lydialyle Gibson

“Fair Harvard,” Soviet-style liberal arts, campus oases

“Fair Harvard,” liberal arts Soviet-style, campus oases, and more

by Primus VI

Harvard Commencement Regalia New 2017

Updates for the engineers and the honorands: Harvard regalia sightings, for connoisseurs

by John S. Rosenberg

Marshall Plan Debuts at 1947 Harvard Commencement

When Secretary of State George C. Marshall received a degree—and established the standard for U.S. engagement with the world 

by John T. Bethell

A celebration of computer science at Harvard in honor of Harry Lewis

Former students, friends, family, and colleagues gather to celebrate Harry Lewis on the occasion of his seventieth birthday.

by Jonathan Shaw

We Remember World War I

Firsthand accounts of Harvard men and women who lived through it, 100 years after the United States entered the Great War

by Adam Goodheart

The Discovery of a Lost Harvard Museum

Recreating the Philosophy Chamber

by Jonathan Shaw , Jennifer Carling

Roger Angell golfing, David Halberstam rowing, arachnologist Herbert Walter Levi

Roger Angell tees off, David Halberstam survives the Charles, and more

by Primus VI

Headlines from Harvard history

An elephant race, and more from the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

Harvard and the working class

The chasm between elite academia and working-class Americans—and how to bridge it

by Richard D. Kahl...

Harvard President Drew Faust Vietnam

Drew Faust, in Ho Chi Minh City, on the Civil War and the Vietnam War

by John S. Rosenberg