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This Week in Princeton History for September 19-25


In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Princeton Stadium has its first game, a court ruling allows dorm residents to register to vote, and more.

September 19, 1998—Princeton University beats Cornell 6-0 in the first football game ever played in the newly constructed Princeton Stadium.

Princeton_v_Cornell_1998_ticket_AC042_Box_18
Ticket from Princeton v. Cornell, September 19, 1998. Athletics Programs Collection (AC042), Box 18.

September 20, 1983—At the invitation of the conservative group Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP), Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell speaks in Alexander Hall after a bomb threat delays his appearance for a half hour. Protesters turn their backs to him while he talks.

Jerry Falell from Princetonian_1983-09-14_v107_n078_0001
Photo from Daily Princetonian.

September 22, 1938—Many Princetonians are weathering the Great New England Hurricane, a Category 5 storm that kills nearly 700 people, but Paul Johnstone ‘40 is the only one of them involved in the Westerly train wreck in Rhode Island. He rescues a young girl (a stranger to him) caught in the raging currents. The Daily Princetonian will later declare him their Hero-of-the-Week.

Paul_Johnstone_1940_Herald
Paul Johnstone, 1940 Nassau Herald.

September 23, 1971—As a result of a court ruling that allows college students to register to vote using dormitory addresses in Mercer County, New Jersey, 175 Princeton University students are officially registered to vote in Princeton. It is the first time since a local ban on student voting passed in 1927 that University students have been registered to vote in town.

Voter registration from Princetonian_1971-09-23_v95_n082_0001
Photo from Daily Princetonian.

For last week’s installment in this series, click here.

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2 responses to “This Week in Princeton History for September 19-25”

  1. We were,at this game impressed with new stadium, but as I remember it was hot that day. My late husband was a graduate of Princeton and Cornell

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