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This Week in Princeton History for April 24-30
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a fight breaks out over fashion, a sophomore dies of a somewhat mysterious illness, and more. April 25, 1964—Two undergraduates deliver 9,000 three-by-five cards to New York radio station WABC in a bid to elect Robert Goheen, president of Princeton University, as “Principal of the Year.” The…
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This Week in Princeton History for April 10-16
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, state law raises the drinking age for college students, a new photography studio opens, and more. April 10, 1846—New Jersey law now prohibits tavern keepers from selling alcohol to college students under the age of 21. April 11, 1935—A total of 13 women’s organizations convene on campus…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 28-December 4
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, tensions over the American flag are escalating on campus, Princeton’s president indicates the need to plan to educate women, and more. November 29, 1824—Micah Hawkins’s The Saw Mill or a Yankee Trick, the first American opera on American themes, is performed for the first time in New…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 27-February 2
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a member of the Class of 1772 is appointed U.S. Attorney General, the Texas Club forms, and more. January 27, 1794—William Bradford, Class of 1772, is appointed Attorney General of the United States.
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This Week in Princeton History for October 7-13
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the first mass-market personal computer is sparking discussion on campus, administrators warn of insufficient funds to pay the faculty, and more. October 8, 1985—Macintosh puts on a microcomputer fair, “Applefest,” in the Engineering Quadrangle…
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This Week in Princeton History for March 27-April 2
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, eastern colleges convene to discuss the future of African Americans, a new invention draws interest, and more. March 27, 1972—A petition to end coeducation is circulating among undergraduates, the Daily Princetonian reports, quoting one…
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This Week in Princeton History for October 10-16
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian says they can’t drink the water, the first “Gay Jeans Day” causes controversy, and more. October 10, 1878—The Princetonian warns the administration in an editorial that the shortage of potable water on campus will…
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This Week in Princeton History for March 23-29
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Blair Tower clock gets a sophomore makeover, students give Grover Cleveland a birthday present, and more. March 23, 1899—Poet John Whitcomb Riley, whose best known work, “Little Orphant [sic] Annie,” has continued to…
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“We May Be Unable to Give You an Admission Decision”: The Women of the Princeton University Class of 1970
In 2013, 26,642 people applied to the Princeton University Class of 2018. Princeton made offers of admission to 1,983 of these applicants, an acceptance rate of 7.4%. Though many find this competitiveness discouraging, clearly a significant number choose to try their odds anyway. Yet how many applications can one imagine Princeton would get if the…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 17-23
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, an alum takes the school flag to the moon, Ella Fitzgerald performs, and more. November 17, 1983—Diplomats from the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Great Britain are in Alexander Hall to commemorate the bicentennial of the…
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