Harvard’s lucky ’13s
By some accounts, 13 is unlucky. But it certainly isn’t for graduates of the Class of 2013: They’re getting degrees from Harvard. It wasn’t unlucky in 1913 either. That year, after all, was the last in a golden age before two world wars. Nor was 1813 an unlucky year. The unfolding War of 1812 left Harvard College nearly unscathed — though deliveries of firewood from Maine and books from England were interrupted. In 1713, Harvard was lucky again. There was money to spare, for once, and increasingly liberal administrators began to cast off sober Puritan rule. Each of these Harvard years embodied moments of dramatic transition. Here’s a glimpse back: 1713 Seeing Harvard Yard in 1713 would occasion shock. In a former cow yard only 110 feet wide, there were three main buildings, a brewery, privies, a hay field, and a barn. The Yard was nearly treeless, with a single elm next to old Harvard Hall. But...