In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Nassau Hall is almost totally destroyed, undergraduates rescue stranded train passengers, and more.
March 9, 1770—The Providence Gazette reports that James Caldwell (Class of 1759) is on his way back to Princeton from Charleston, South Carolina with ₤700 he has raised for the College of New Jersey.
March 10, 1855—Students, staff, faculty, and local townspeople struggle to save Nassau Hall as the building burns nearly completely to the ground. By a striking coincidence, the fire occurs on the 53rd anniversary of the Nassau Hall fire of 1802.
March 12, 1888—Students dig the “Dinky” out of several feet of snow to rescue stranded passengers during the Great Blizzard of 1888.
March 13, 1971—Approximately 150 minority students occupy Firestone Library after its normal closing time to protest a proposed financial aid policy that would cap “disadvantaged” student admissions to 10% of the whole. The sit in lasts only a few hours.
For last week’s installment in this series, click here.
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