University Archives

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Author: April C. Armstrong *14

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 25-31

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a dissertation defense occurs 46 years late, Robert Frost gives a poetry reading, and more. January 25, 1992—75-year-old professor emeritus Milton Babbitt earns his Ph.D. in musicology 46 years after he initially submitted his…

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 4-10

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the school’s president petitions Bill Clinton for an end to a “discriminatory policy,” Nassau Hall gets new tigers, and more. January 4, 1836—Two students “having been detected in having ardent spirits in their rooms”…

  • This Week in Princeton History for December 21-27

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a veteran-athlete is killed, Abraham Lincoln writes a thank you note, and more. December 21, 1918—With orders home in his pocket, celebrated athlete Hobey Baker  ’14 crashes in France while testing a repaired plane,…

  • Study of Education at Princeton and the 1954 Advisee Project

    By Madeline Lea ’16 The Study of Education at Princeton was a unique project that evolved during post-World War II discussions of education at the University led by economics professor Frank W. Notestein. Professor Samuel S. Wilks of the mathematics department and Dean of the Faculty J. Douglas Brown ’19 were also involved. They asserted…

  • Imaginary Princetonians

    There have been many famous Princetonians, but there have also been a number of famous—or perhaps infamous—imaginary members of the Princeton community. Here we take a look at the nonexistent people who became legends on campus. Adelbert L’Hommedieu X (Bert Hormone), Class of 1917 The Class of 1917 invented an imaginary member and provided regular…

  • This Week in Princeton History for December 7-13

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a history professor gets national attention, undergraduates protest new library rules, and more. December 7, 1776—The British Army reaches Princeton to begin the “20 days of tyranny.” Annis Boudinot Stockton hides the papers of…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 30-December 6

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a dorm fire destroys a senior thesis, a football player wins the Heisman Trophy, and more. November 30, 1834—On Princeton’s first astronomical expedition, Professor Stephen Alexander observes a solar eclipse in Georgia; his Fraunhofer…

  • Princeton’s Thanksgiving Dinners

    Last year, we shared a typical Princeton Thanksgiving of football rivalry with Yale rather than turkey and trimmings with you on our blog. That Princetonians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries tended toward urban entertainment in preference to a heavy meal does not mean that the meal was wholly unimportant, however. We’ve been collecting…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 9-15

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the school holds its first Commencement, a “food revolt” causes tension between students and administrators, and more. November 9, 1748—The College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) holds its first Commencement in Newark, where…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 26-November 1

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the campus suspends mail delivery due to fears of contamination, Coretta Scott King speaks to an audience of more than 500, and more. October 26, 1963—An undetermined number of Princeton undergraduates join an estimated…