-
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…
-
Princeton 275: The Charter of the College of New Jersey, 1746 and 1748
This post is part of a series about items currently on exhibition at Mudd Library as part of “Princeton 275.” In this series, we go in-depth about selected items on display to let you know more about the story behind them and why we chose to include them. In an exhibition looking backward to the…
-
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.
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
This Week in Princeton History for April 25-May 1
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students prepare to go to war, a graduate sets off for the West, and more. April 25, 1931—In London’s Saturday Review, French author Andre Maurois writes of his experience teaching French literature at Princeton as a visiting lecturer for a semester: Most [American students] are not at…
-
“He Decided to Conquer the Place that Had Conquered Him”: Peter Putnam ’42 *50’s Princeton, Part II
In Part I of this two-part series, I told the story of how Peter Putnam ’42 *50 lost his sight in a suicide attempt and fought for the right to return to Princeton University and finish his degree. In this second installment, I detail the life Putnam lived as a student, an employee, and an…
Princeton University Library
University Archives
