By 1914, some senior activities were losing their punch--literally.
That year, "by vote of the Corporation, 'no punches or distilled liquors shall be allowed in any College room on Class Day or Commencement Day,'" according to The Crimson.
Senior Spread attendance was thinning, a sign that the class marshals had to update the activities for the times.
The event grew from music and dancing to include sport. At 2 p.m., the hotly contested Harvard-Yale baseball game added another element to the festivities. The Glee Club performed on the steps of Widener Library.
Radcliffe had its own senior traditions. Class Night, held at the Radcliffe Quadrangle, included a semi-formal dance, skits and the presentation of the senior banner to members of the first-year class.
Each Class Night had a theme. In 1954, the theme was "30th Reunion--1984."
"Big Brother may or may not attend," The Crimson commented on June 15, 1954.
Back at Harvard, by the 50s, the ancestor of the Moonlight Cruise ("Booze Cruise") emerged.
Seniors, their guests, dates and parents would gather at Lamont Library before embarking on the S.S. Boston Belle for an evening of wine and song.
Throughout the 60s and 70s, as students became more political, so did Class Day. Big-name speakers came to address students. Some inspired students to protest.
In 1974, a Crimson editorial entitled "A Hostile Reception" exhorted students to receive their Class Day speaker, Elliot L. Richardson '41, with "skepticism and hostility."
Richardson, who served in the administration of President Richard M. Nixon, came under fire as the director of the Pentagon during a time when the U.S. was bombing Cambodia.
"Considering the policies which Richardson has sanctioned and enforced...it would be fitting, at those moments when an audience usually accords a speaker its respectful applause, if those listening to Richardson met him with boos and heckling," The Crimson wrote.
By the 80s, Class Day was beginning to inch toward its current shape. Seniors enjoyed the Last Dance, the "Booze Cruise" on Boston Harbor and a clambake.
Today's Class Day is a far cry from its conservatively clothed predecessor, but the spirit remains the same.
According to Class Marshal Kimble Poon '99, the event brings the class together for its final hurrah before the formality of Commencement.
"Class Day is just fun. Everyone leaves with that warm, fuzzy feeling," Poon says. "You get to take pictures, clown around."
And the Class Day tradition continues to evolve, as each class adds its own touch. Since last year, soon-to-be graduates head to the Kong for the first senior event. The Class of 1999 had such a good time at its 99-day kickoff that it launched a second one at the 50-day mark. Both times, seniors made their way to 1236 Mass. Ave.
"It wouldn't be a kickoff if it wasn't at the Kong," First Marshal Baratunde R. Thurston '99 says.