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Category: This Week in Princeton History

  • 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…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 23-29

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, stranded undergrads sing in Trenton, the basketball team gets tickets with nobody’s face on them, and more. November 23, 1939—When a train wreck blocks all traffic on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 16-22

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the college president boasts about America’s educational system, Billy Joel draws crowds, and more. November 16, 1772—The New York Gazette prints a letter from College of New Jersey (Princeton) President John Witherspoon that asserts…

  • 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 November 2-8

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian laments changes in New Jersey laws, Billy Graham addresses Christianity and the Civil Rights Movement on campus, and more. November 2, 1876—In response to a new state law that banned billiard tables within…

  • 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…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 19-25

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian suggests the grading “vogue” is a bad idea, the campus mourns Thomas Alva Edison, and more. October 19, 1876—The Daily Princetonian laments that the College of New Jersey (Princeton) has joined in the…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 12-18

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, graduates get high praise for writing skills, influenza severely disrupts life on campus, and more. October 13, 1748—The Trustees of the College of New Jersey send an effusive letter of thanks to Governor Jonathan…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 5-11

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, President Bill Clinton speaks on campus for the third time, classes begin after a long delay, and more. October 5, 2000—Sitting U.S. President Bill Clinton interacts with students in a tent outside after giving…

  • This Week in Princeton History for September 28-October 4

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a prominent feminist urges Princetonians to support women’s suffrage, dorm residents struggle to keep warm, and more. September 29, 1915—On the same day as President Woodrow Wilson is in town but refusing to answer reporters’…