This month in Harvard history

May 17, 2001 1 min read

May 23, 1910 The Harvard Corporation formally adopts crimson as Harvard’s official color, based on the tint of several silk scarves used by Harvard rowers in the 1858 Boston City Regatta and preserved in the University Archives.
May 1, 1918 In the wake of World War I, University enrollment has dropped by some 80 percent.
May 1943 Shortly before Commencement, the Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty stone dragon just west of Widener Library is set on a new base. The dragon, which dates between 1796 and 1821, had been a Tercentenary (1936) gift from Harvard alumni in China. A provincial governor had originally received it from the Chinese Emperor. From the Harvard Historical Calendar, a database compiled by Marvin Hightower

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