This blog includes text and images drawn from historical sources that may contain material that is offensive or harmful. We strive to accurately represent the past while being sensitive to the needs and concerns of our audience. If you have any feedback to share on this topic, please either comment on a relevant post, or use our Ask Us form to contact us.

This Week in Princeton History for August 21-27


In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, NASA takes a Princeton telescope to space, a graduate takes Olympic gold, and more.

August 21, 1972—A telescope built by Princeton University is on board for the launch of NASA’s Copernicus satellite.

The Princeton Telescope in the process of being installed on board the Copernicus satellite, 1972. Princeton Alumni Weekly Photograph Collection (AC126), Box 25.

August 22, 2004—Chris Ahrens ’98 and his teammates win the gold medal for heavyweight rowing at the summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. It is the first time Americans have taken gold in the men’s eight competition in 40 years.

Chris Ahrens rowing for Princeton. Photo from Daily Princetonian.

August 26, 1774—John Adams stops by “Nassau Hall College” on his way to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

August 27, 1990—James Worthington ’59, being held hostage in Iraq, dies of a heart attack and becomes the first American casualty in the Gulf War.

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

Fact check: We always strive for accuracy, but if you believe you see an error, please contact us.


2 responses to “This Week in Princeton History for August 21-27”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.