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This Week in Princeton History for May 1-7
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, athletes enjoy a special treat after defeating Yale, a student is arrested for participation in “unbridled idiocy,” and more. May 1, 1934—In an interview with Redbook Magazine, Harold Dodds explains how the Great Depression is changing Princeton. In 1929, 20% of incoming students were self-supporting; now, 40%…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 2-8
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Princeton’s colors are on display at a party in New Orleans, a student is unimpressed with a future movie classic, and more. January 4, 1891—The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that at a recent New Year’s Eve party thrown by Pearl Wright for her son, Ira, and his…
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Faculty Wives and the Push for Coeducation at Princeton University
Coeducation brought female students to Princeton, but it didn’t bring the first women. There have always been women connected with the institution. Nonetheless, coeducation did change the lives of the women who were already here. Esther Edwards Burr, Sarah Pierpont Edwards, and Isabella McCosh, wives of three Princeton presidents from earlier centuries, have all received…
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This Week in Princeton History for October 29-November 4
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Art Museum reopens in a modernized environment, the football team’s stunning victory over Penn sparks a riot, and more. October 29, 1966—The Princeton University Art Museum reopens in its new home in a…
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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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African Americans and Princeton University
Dear Mr. Mudd: Q. What information do you have about African Americans and Princeton University? A. Until the twentieth century, Princeton’s history has mostly been dominated by white men, typically from prosperous backgrounds. Though decidedly pro-Union during the Civil War, the campus had strong Southern influences, and its reputation as the “northernmost university town of the…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 19-25
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Woodrow Wilson refuses to have a ball, Princeton students fight to get into a class about married life, and more. January 19, 1895—Marshall P. Wilder, the first comedian with a disability, performs at the…
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“The New Order”: How Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor (Briefly) Led to Women Enrolling in Classes at Princeton University
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan”: so began Franklin Delano Roosevelt on December 8, in a speech asking the United States Congress for a declaration of war. Princeton University didn’t…
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This Week in Princeton History for December 1-7
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Daily Princetonian elects its first female chairperson, Andrew Carnegie gives Princeton a lake, and more. December 2, 1978—The 102-year-old Daily Princetonian elects Anne C. Mackay-Smith ’80 its first female chairperson. In June 1980,…
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