Harvard History

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

Wadsworth House with green shutters and red brick chimneys, surrounded by trees and other buildings.

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.

by Primus VI

Kay Ryan and Derek Bok

Derek Bok, Kay Ryan at the 2012 Harvard Phi Beta Kappa exercises

Derek Bok and Kay Ryan featured at the 2012 Phi Beta Kappa exercises

The 1946 team: Coach Stahl stands at left in back; Don Swegan wears #14, third from left. [Jack Clark apparently missed the photo.]

Harvard basketballers recall 1946 NCAA tournament game at Madison Square Garden

Reminiscences from the Crimson's last NCAA tournament turn

1946 Harvard basketball team

Harvard men's basketball's last NCAA appearance: looking back to 1946

The basketball team’s brief NCAA appearance in 1946

Led by professor of history Maya Jasanoff (from left), Harvard faculty Martin Puchner, Ann Pearson, Hopi Hoekstra, and David Charbonneau participate in Conversations @ FAS, a panel discussion that imagines how current trends may transform the way Harvard faculty teach and carry out their research in the future. The discussion was held in the Tsai Auditorium of CGIS South at Harvard University.

Jasanoff, Charbonneau, Pearson, Puchner, Hoekstra imagine Harvard in 2036

"Young superstars" from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences speculate about Harvard circa 2036

Kahlil Gibran's likeness of Harvard president Charles William Eliot, drawn in 1910

Kahlil Gibran draws Harvard's Charles William Eliot, plus Arnoldia's centennial

The prophet (Gibran) and the president (Eliot), plus Arnoldia turns 100.

Headlines from Harvard's history

Headlines from Harvard's history

Harvard’s 1912 baseball team. Wingate (front at left, holding cap) was Fenway’s first batter.

Fenway Park's first pitch: 1912 Harvard vs. Red Sox game

Account of the first game at Fenway Park in 1912, Harvard vs. Red Sox

by Christopher Klein

Peter Sellars

Peter Sellars at Adams House, and an Upstairs at the Pudding restaurant girlhood

An Upstairs at the Pudding girlhood, and undergraduate impresario Peter Sellars at Adams House

Quarterback Collier Winters dove for Harvard’s third touchdown in a 37-20 defeat of Penn.

Harvard football's record-setting season

The Crimson football team won the Ivy trophy, and records fell.

by Bethell, John T

Yesterday's News

Headlines from Harvard's history