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This Week in Princeton History for July 4-10
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Jesse Owens runs in Palmer Stadium, local authorities ban rogue swine, and more. July 4, 1936—Jesse Owens competes in the Amateur Athletic Union’s track meet in Palmer Stadium, an event with additional attention paid to it due to the upcoming 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. July 7,…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 27-July 3
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, New Jersey’s governor worries that the colonists won’t support a college, a court rules in favor of an alum, and more. June 27, 1748—Governor Jonathan Belcher writes to the Committee of the West Jersey Society, But as I find upon the Best inquiry hardly Sixty thousand Souls…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 20-26
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a rainstorm disrupts Class Day, a London newspaper points to Princeton as a positive example to follow, and more. June 22, 1926—A silent film about the experiences of the Class of 1926 is screened at the Garden Theatre. Admission is free. June 24, 1872—When a sudden rainstorm…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 13-19
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a team sets off to compete in the Olympics, a group of women gain access to campus resources, and more. June 13, 1900—The track team sets off for Paris to compete in the Olympics. June 14, 1943—The newly formed Citizens’ Committee for a United Nations Front organizes…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 6-12
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students consider adopting distinctive hats, the U.S. President makes a “pilgrimage” to Princeton’s campus, and more. June 7, 1877—In order to visually distinguish themselves from townies (in Princeton slang, “snobs”), the Class of 1878 is contemplating starting to wear mortarboards as everyday wear.
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This Week in Princeton History for May 30-June 5
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students ask for rules to be enforced, the town is trying to address a major rat problem, and more. May 30, 1878—“Troubled at the spirit of luxuriousness now gaining foothold in the College, and more especially by the barking of the spaniels kenneled in our dormitories,” the…
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This Week in Princeton History for May 23-29
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, chapel services are praised, a donor comes through, and more. May 24, 1851—A letter to the editor of the Trenton State Gazette describes chapel services: If any of our alumni, or other college acquaintances, who associate the service of daily prayers with the old ‘Prayer Hall,’ its…
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This Week in Princeton History for May 16-22
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, the administration bans automobiles on campus, a student writes to a friend to say being admitted to Princeton has not improved him, and more. May 18, 1925—In response to student complaints, starting today, private automobiles, motorcycles, and carriages will no longer be permitted on Princeton’s campus, except…
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This Week in Princeton History for May 9-15
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Lyndon B. Johnson asks Princeton intellectuals to “cool it,” students mourn the death of a classmate, and more. May 9, 1807—The New York Weekly Inspector identifies the recent rebellion at Princeton as part of larger trends in American society: The conduct of students on this occasion, although…
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This Week in Princeton History for May 2-8
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Bob Hope jokes with students, a Pennsylvania newspaper questions James McCosh’s decision-making, and more. May 2, 1836—The Mammoth Exhibition of the Zoological Institute in New York (an early traveling circus) is in town. Those who pay the 25-cent admission fee are promised a view of exotic animals,…
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