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This Week in Princeton History for March 27-April 2
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, the University Library seeks donations of special collections material, two new dormitories are being constructed, and more. March 29, 1922—In response to a request from the Department of History to deliberately collect material related to the American South, and noting that the John Shaw Pierson Civil War…
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This Week in Princeton History for March 20-26
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, seniors make a fashion statement, a new discovery is poised to revolutionize medicine, and more. March 23, 1893—The Class of 1893, like the Class of 1892 before them, has chosen to wear caps and gowns throughout their final spring semester. The Princetonian praises this development: There is…
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This Week in Princeton History for March 13-19
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, juniors make plans, an activist housewife is on campus, and more. March 15, 1869—Samuel Rene Gummere (Class of 1870) writes to classmate Adrian Hoffman Joline to invite him to a game of Whist in Gummere’s dorm room tomorrow night. March 16, 1971—Halfway through her 450-mile walk from…
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This Week in Princeton History for March 6-12
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a senior reflects on the appearances of New Left activists, two students are lauded for solving a jewel robbery case, and more. March 7, 1967—Robert Griss ’67 theorizes that growing a beard and long hair predisposes students to join the Students for a Democratic Society. “By adopting…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 27-March 5
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Ted Cruz ’92 weighs in on campus safety, local women find the campus a good place for fundraising, and more. February 28, 1990—In response to the University’s announcement that locks will be installed on dormitory entry doors, Ted Cruz ’92 is quoted in the Daily Princetonian opposing…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 20-26
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a new student publication appears, Japanese students are remembered, and more. February 20, 1840—The first issue of a new student magazine, The Gem from Nassau’s Casket, appears. Though it will be short-lived, its successor publication, the Nassau Literary Magazine, will achieve a longstanding place on campus.
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This Week in Princeton History for February 13-19
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a professor attempts to calm local protests, students are arrested after defacing buildings in Trenton and Lawrenceville, and more. February 13, 1911—Louis Meyer, a Presbyterian who was raised Jewish, lectures to a large group of Princetonians in McCosh Hall’s East Room, which seats 600. As one of…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 6-12
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students request that their grades not be shared publicly, a writer cites a Princeton president to bolster an argument against dancing, and more. February 6, 1879—Students ask that the College cease the custom of printing their grades for public review, on the basis that it is embarrassing…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 30-February 5
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students send egg rolls to a celebrity, an agricultural program is proposed, and more. January 30, 1898—Princeton president Francis Patton urges students to join the Temperance Movement and accept college rules against drinking, even if their own consciences would permit them to drink. I should be exceedingly…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 23-29
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Princeton seeks to build housing for married students, locals consider the merits of slavery in the South, and more. January 23, 1946—Princeton University requests an amendment to local zoning regulations in order to build a “garden-type housing project” to accommodate 150 to 170 families. The proposed housing will…
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