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This Week in Princeton History for February 27-March 5
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Colonial Club’s financial pressures force its closure, women march on Washington, and more. February 28, 1946—Princeton University announces that women will live in student housing on campus for the first time, opening Brown Hall…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 30-February 5
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, an investigation of a masked swordsman begins, a graduate carries the Olympic torch, and more. January 30, 1805—The faculty of the College of New Jersey meet “to make inquiry concerning a mask & sword…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 28-December 4
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, residents flee Nassau Hall, Theodore Roosevelt goes to a football game, and more. November 29, 1776—John Witherspoon calls all the students of the College of New Jersey (Princeton) together in the Prayer Hall in…
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This Week in Princeton History for May 23-29
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a firecracker explodes in Nassau Hall, an athlete pitches the first no-hitter ever recorded in baseball history, and more. May 24, 1916—Princeton professor Alfred Noyes gives a public reading of his poetry, including his…
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This Week in Princeton History for April 18-24
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the campus mourns Abraham Lincoln, Fidel Castro pays a visit, and more. April 19, 1865—Someone etches “We Mourn Our Loss” into a window on the third floor of Nassau Hall in reference to the assassination…
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This Week in Princeton History for March 7-13
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Nassau Hall is almost totally destroyed, undergraduates rescue stranded train passengers, and more. March 9, 1770—The Providence Gazette reports that James Caldwell (Class of 1759) is on his way back to Princeton from Charleston,…
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Who Founded Princeton University?
Q. Dear Mr. Mudd, Who founded Princeton University? A. The founding of Princeton University is nearly as complex as the courses that have been and continue to be taught within its hallowed lecture halls. The College of New Jersey (as Princeton University was known until 1896) was a child of the Great Awakening, an institution born…
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This Week in Princeton History for August 3-9
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a graduate secures her spot on the Supreme Court, multiple fights break out in Nassau Hall at the same time, and more. August 4, 1979—The University retires its IBM 370-158 and IBM 360-91 in…
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This Week in Princeton History for June 22-28
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a math professor receives worldwide acclaim, the school colors appear for the first time, and more. June 23, 1994—Professor Andrew Wiles draws international attention with his announcement that he has found a proof for…
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A Brief History of the Architecture of Nassau Hall
Nassau Hall first opened its doors on November 28, 1756. The College of New Jersey (Princeton) at that time consisted of its president, Aaron Burr, 70 students, and three tutors. Robert Smith, the carpenter-architect who would later construct Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, designed Nassau Hall with the assistance of Dr. William Shippen of Philadelphia and…
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