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This Week in Princeton History for February 3-9
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the last winter Commencement is held, a woman successfully bickers an Eating Club for the first time, and more. February 3, 1949—Princeton holds its sixth and last winter Commencement, presenting 274 degrees. Frank Osborn,…
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This Week in Princeton History for November 27-December 3
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, undergraduates protest the presence of African Americans in chapel, a computer virus is spreading all over campus, and more. November 28, 1868—Students at the College of New Jersey (Princeton) begin circulating a petition to…
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This Week in Princeton History for July 3-9
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a court ruling forces two eating clubs to accept women, a Yugoslavian king is on campus, and more. July 3, 1990—The New Jersey Supreme Court rules in Frank v. Ivy Club that the last…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 8-14
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, sophmores take over Quadrangle Club, the Suffrage Walking Pilgrims make their way through campus, and more. February 8, 1991—Frustrated by their unsuccessful efforts to join other eating clubs during Bicker, 100 sophomores stage a…
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Woodrow Wilson and the Eating Clubs
Written by Anna Rubin ’15 We are pleased to announce another newly digitized collection: the Woodrow Wilson Correspondence in the Office of the President Records. Wilson was president of Princeton University from 1902-1910, Governor of New Jersey 1911-1913, and U.S. President 1913-1921. This collection contains correspondence between Wilson and University faculty, administrators, alumni, and parents,…
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Eating Clubs and “The Street”
Dear Mr. Mudd: Q. What are “eating clubs”? Did F. Scott Fitzgerald make them up? What is “The Street”? A. Princeton alumnus F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel This Side of Paradise (1920) gave the world a glimpse into the exclusive social enclaves known as the Princeton eating clubs through the eyes of fictional student Amory Blaine.…
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This Week in Princeton History for February 2-8
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a junior saves two friends after an avalanche, Tiger Inn holds its first coed bicker, and more. February 2, 1953—Princeton University junior John K. Ewing ’54 saves the lives of Richard H. Evans ’55…
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History of Women at Princeton University
Written by Vanessa Snowden For much of its history, Princeton University had the reputation of being an “old-boys’ school.” Starting in the fall of 1969, Princeton became co-educational, and nine women transferred into the Class of 1970, with slightly greater numbers in the two subsequent classes. Women who matriculated as freshmen in 1969 graduated in…
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First use of Houseparties term?
Question: Can you definitively document the first use of “Houseparties” as a term for the Spring club bacchanal? Answer:Writing in the Princeton Alumni Weekly in 1960, Brown Rolston 1910 makes the claim that “It was my section of the Cottage Club and that of Cap and Gown which started Houseparties. It took considerable argument and…
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