Smirk central
For generations, Harvard and humor have gone hand in hand. From “The Great Butter Rebellion” of 1766, when students proclaimed the butter “stinketh,” to a notice posted in 1903 by undergrads urging their classmates to return home due to a (phony) diphtheria outbreak, to the annual hilarity of the Hasty Pudding Theatrical’s musical, it seems mischief and mirth have always been part of campus life. Now one bastion of Crimson irreverence is lifting the curtain on its history, influence, and inner workings. The Harvard Lampoon first appeared in February 1876. Inspired by the London-based Punch, the Harvard humor magazine blended written satire with witty illustrations. The mission of its seven undergrad founders was simple, if open-ended: “Have a cut at everything around us that needs correction.” For almost a century and a half that founding ethos has endured. In honor of the magazine’s 140th anniversary, Harvard University Archives is hosting an exhibition of...