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Tag: Thanksgiving

  • Dear Mr. Mudd: Did Tailgate Parties Originate at Princeton?

    Dear Mr. Mudd: Did Tailgate Parties Originate at Princeton?

    By April C. Armstrong *14 Dear Mr. Mudd, I’ve read that tailgating has origins in Princeton’s early football games, perhaps at the first intercollegiate football game against Rutgers in 1869. Is this true? Although we know many things about the first intercollegiate football game itself, we don’t actually know much about the 1869 event’s spectators.…

  • This Week in Princeton University History for November 17-23

    This Week in Princeton University History for November 17-23

    By April C. Armstrong *14 In this week’s installment of our recurring series, alumni reflect on their experience integrating Princeton, student writers receive praise, and more. November 17, 1969—Robert F. Engs ’65 and John B. Williams ’66 write in The Nation about being part of Princeton’s first decade of integration. A few who felt the…

  • This Week in Princeton History for January 6-12

    This Week in Princeton History for January 6-12

    In this week’s installment in our recurring series, a football game continues to provoke controversy months after the fact, students oppose social security pensions, and more.

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 18-24

    This Week in Princeton History for November 18-24

    By April C. Armstrong *14 In this week’s installment in our recurring series, the Princeton University Library addresses accusations of censorship, older alumni express support for the admission of women, and more. November 19, 1923—The University Librarian, James Thayer Gerould, enters the ongoing controversy between Princeton and Upton Sinclair. Gerould defends the Library against Sinclair’s…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 19-25

    In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, confusion arises over the date Thanksgiving should be celebrated, a plagiarized editorial weighs in on Anita Hill’s testimony, and more. November 20, 1807—The faculty appoint a committee “to arrange the library and to draw…

  • Princeton’s Thanksgiving Dinners

    Last year, we shared a typical Princeton Thanksgiving of football rivalry with Yale rather than turkey and trimmings with you on our blog. That Princetonians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries tended toward urban entertainment in preference to a heavy meal does not mean that the meal was wholly unimportant, however. We’ve been collecting…

  • A Princeton Thanksgiving

    Last year, Princeton University extended its Thanksgiving break, after lengthy discussions on the merits of canceling Wednesday classes before the holiday. Now, students have the equivalent of a five day weekend to observe Thanksgiving. Most will probably leave campus for feasts involving turkey and cranberry sauce, but that hasn’t always been the Princeton way. Thanksgiving…