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It’s Charter Day! Read All About It!
On the 278th anniversary of the signing of Princeton University’s Charter, we offer the text of both the first and second charters, from which the words above are found.
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This Week in Princeton History for January 20-26
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Graduate School reports increased diversity, gym users ask for protection from prying eyes, and more. January 20, 1949—At “the first 11:00 catharsis in 15 years,” students celebrate the end of final exams with…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 10-16
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a delayed cookie shipment arrives, Commencement moves to a new home, and more. June 12, 1996—Cookies mailed to Princeton-in-Asia intern Laura Burt on November 1, 1995 finally arrive unopened in Wuhan, China. June 13,…
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This Week in Princeton History for December 24-30
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Princeton pays its first phone bill, an undergraduate writes to his cousin to urge him to join him at school, and more. December 24, 1895—The College of New Jersey pays its very first telephone…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 5-11
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the library makes a significant change in how it catalogs books, the Board of Trustees is divided over a hiring decision, and more. February 5, 1976—University Librarian Richard Boss announces that new materials will…
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This Week in Princeton History for December 18-24
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a newspaper’s editorial cartoon satirizes the contrast between the presidential leadership of John Maclean and James McCosh, a Princetonian becomes Senate Majority Leader, and more. December 18, 1772—John Witherspoon writes to the New York…
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This Week in Princeton History for September 4-10
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a tropical storm batters the campus, a mountain is named after a professor, and more. September 4, 2001—Anthony Romero ’87 becomes the American Civil Liberties Union’s first Latino and first openly gay executive director.
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This Week in Princeton History for August 28-September 3
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a sophomore is suspended for multiple infractions, the Tigertones perform for the U.S. President, and more. August 29, 1803—Sophomore Francis A. DeLiesselin, Class of 1805, is brought before the faculty to address several infractions:…
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The Temples of Cloacina
Today, behind Nassau Hall just beyond Cannon Green, visitors to the Princeton University campus will see stairs between two large tiger sculptures installed in 1969. This sharp incline had different scenery prior to the twentieth century, however. Students sometimes called it “South Campus,” “The Temples of Cloacina,” or “Cloaca Maxima.” Less euphemistically or poetically, it served…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 15-21
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, reports of a strange creature living in the lake captivate imaginations on campus, a banner is stolen, and more. February 16, 1758—The Board of Trustees of the College of New Jersey (Princeton) vote to…
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