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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…
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This Week in Princeton History for December 11-17
By April C. Armstrong *14 In this week’s installment in our recurring series, a visitor remarks on the number of fires that have happened in Princeton’s history, a football game is delayed when players pop the ball, and more. December 11, 1830—A fan of Rutgers College asserts Rutgers is superior to Princeton in the Philadelphia…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 7-13
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a senior visits the U.S. President, a junior achieves football fame, and more. November 7, 1878—Students “respectfully protest against having recitations and lectures on election day.” November 9, 1937—Fumitaka Konoye ’38 visits U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to deliver a goodwill message from his father, Prince Fumimaro…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 30-December 6
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Henry Ward Beecher celebrates the football team’s defeat, Patrick Stewart lectures on campus, and more. December 1, 1883—While preaching to his congregation in Brooklyn, Henry Ward Beecher says, “I stood yesterday to see Yale…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 14-20
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, football rivalry with Yale begins, an African American graduate breaks through a color barrier, and more. November 14, 1969—Charles Conrad, Jr. ’53 is in command of the Apollo 12 mission, the second mission in…
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Kidnapping Handsome Dan XII
Princeton University’s intense football rivalry with Yale is a longstanding tradition. The tiger has been challenging the bulldog on the gridiron for well over a century. The mascots have done figurative battle with one another about as much as the students have, a fight commemorated in song, line drawings, and magazine covers. In 1979, a…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 9-15
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the school holds its first Commencement, a “food revolt” causes tension between students and administrators, and more. November 9, 1748—The College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) holds its first Commencement in Newark, where…
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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…
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