The Features section of the 1929 Algol was trouble right from its title: “The Alc’hol of 1929.” Prohibition was still in effect, after all, and Carleton’s campus was dry before and after alcohol...

In the early 1930s, Professor Roy A. Waggener became Chairman of Carleton’s new Zoology Department. Much of his research until the middle of that decade focused on the thyroid gland in canines. In fall...

World War II significantly disrupted life at Carleton, especially for men, most of whom left school to join the military. In April 1942, the college formed the Carleton Officers' Training Corps, a reserves...

I wish to thank the Northfield Historical Society, whose Rice County Journal collection enhanced this week’s column. Christmas 1879 was a dreary holiday for Carleton students and faculty. On the morning...

In anticipation of upcoming renovations to Scoville Hall, this week’s column looks back to the former library’s construction 120 years ago. The building was named for James W. Scoville, who met College...

Laurence M. Gould, Antarctic explorer and Carleton's fourth president, was regarded as personable, passionate, and an engaging public speaker. His outfits were eternally accented by flashy ties of one...

Two years after the completion of Carleton’s Facilities Master Plan, construction is set to begin on a new science building to join Olin and Hulings Halls. Completed in 2014, the Master Plan envisioned...

In November 1905, workers graded the site of a new skating rink where James Hall now stands. The old rink had been on the site of Laird Science Hall, which was under construction in the fall of 1905....

Early Carleton publications do not discuss Halloween in detail, but creepy quips are present nonetheless. For example, the Carletonian wrote in 1881, “The witches did not neglect us last Halloween....

Horace Goodhue Hall’s famous Superlounge was not always a place to shoot pool and play video games. The room began its life as one of Carleton’s four dining halls when students first occupied the...

Did you see the new Big Bang Theory episode where Raj and Howard sing about “Thor and Dr. Jones”? It was pretty good. Unlike Dr. Jones, I delve into history without running from boulders or evading...