This month in Harvard history

Oct. 24, 1656 – The Great and General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony grants the Corporation discretionary power “to punish all misdemenoures of the youth in their Societie, either by fine or whipping in the hall openly, as the nature of the offence shall require, not exceding [sic] ten shilling [sic] or ten stripes for one offence.”

Oct. 9, 1737 – Edward Holy-oke, Class of 1705, is formally installed as Harvard’s ninth President. Not until more than a century later (in Charles Eliot’s record-setting 40-year presidency) will anyone exceed his 32-year term of office. Records of Holyoke’s inauguration also provide the earliest evidence of the singing of Psalm 78 (“Give ear, my Children”), the now-traditional Commencement psalm, at Harvard.

– From the Harvard Historical Calendar, a database compiled by Marvin Hightower