• Williams College opens on October 9 with Ebenezer Fitch, a Yale graduate, as president
• 1793
• Williams issues America’s first college catalog to students
• 1794
• America’s first alumni society comes into being when Emory Washburn, Class of 1817, arranges newspaper notices calling for such a group to support the College
• 1821
• Williams’ first international student, Yung Mung Chom Akum of China, enrolls
• 1839
• James A. Garfield, Class of 1856, is elected President of the United States
• 1880
• The Honor system is adopted by the student body
• 1896
• Tyler Dennet, Class of 1904 and Williams’ 10th president, makes the case for admitting more public school graduates and fewer from prep schools
• 1937
• Winter Study initiated
• 1967
• An Afro-American studies program is adopted by the Williams faculty
• 1968
• Coeducation adopted
• 1970
• Four houses in Oxford, England, are purchased to house the Williams-Oxford Program
• 1984
• The women’s studies program is established
• 1983
• A tutorial program involving every department is established
• 1987
• Work is completed on a $47 million, 140,000 square-foot unified science complex, the largest building project in College history. Among the highlights: a science library, teaching and researching labs
• 2000
• Tutorial program doubles in size, expanding to 50 courses per year
• 2002
• Williams opens new Paresky Student Center
• 2007

The Entry System: One of Williams' most time-honored traditions begins on students' first arrival to campus. For over 75 years, incoming first-years have been assigned to a room in an "entry," a living unit composed of about 20 other first-year students. The students in the entry represent the wide range of interests, backgrounds, and life experiences – essentially, a cross section of the larger student body – that make the Williams community so rich. The idea is for each entry to be representative of the larger student body so that first-years are exposed to diverse people and experiences from the moment they step on campus. Especially in the opening days of freshman year, entries take care of all those tough questions like, "Who will I sit with for my first meal at the dining hall?" Two Junior Advisors, or "JAs," also live in the entries. Unlike RAs at other schools, JAs are unpaid volunteers who have no disciplinary role. JAs live with the freshmen to help them adjust to college life. It is considered such an honor to be chosen for this volunteer position, that each year over 150 sophomores apply for the 50 available positions.

Mountain Day: One beautiful Friday morning in October, Williams President Morton Owen Schapiro (lovingly known to Williams students as "Morty"), wakes up, looks out of his window, and declares that the day is just too beautiful to spend indoors. Thus, he cancels all classes and calls for Mountain Day in a tradition that dates back to 1830. Mountain Day is one of the most beloved Williams traditions because it helps students and faculty alike to embrace the beauty of the Berkshires (and sometimes helps students get out of a paper or exam deadline). The majority of the student body and many faculty and staff climb to the top of nearby Stony Ledge (and by "climb," we mean everything from bushwhacking... to taking the bus), where we enjoy donuts and hot cider while listening to choral and musical performances. The highlight of the day is always a group singing of our school song, fittingly entitled "The Mountains," which echoes through the valley.

Harvest Dinner: To celebrate the arrival of Fall and the glory of a New England autumn, Dining Services hosts the annual Harvest Dinner every October, one of Williams' many popular themed dinners served throughout the year. Upon entering the Dining Hall, each student is issued a ticket, and each ticket is good for one lobster (and a bib). The entire menu is composed of traditional New England specialties like clam chowder, butternut squash, and corn on the cob.

Recipes from Home Competition: In an effort to continuously diversify the daily menu with dishes that students enjoy, Dining Services hosts the Recipes from Home Competition each year. As the name implies, all students are invited to share a family favorite with Dining Services, which then, on a chosen day, prepares the best entrees, soups, salads, and desserts for consumption. Students cast ballots for their favorites, and the top vote getters are incorporated into the rotational menus. Currently, 72 dishes in our dining halls began as Recipes from Home.

"The Walk": Noted by Sports Illustrated and ESPN as one of the top college football traditions in the nation, "The Walk" is one of the longest standing Williams rituals. At the end of Williams' Homecoming game, if the Ephs come out on top, the senior captains march the team and hundreds of fans from Weston Field up Spring Street to St. Pierre's Barber Shop, where cold beverages, cheers, songs and an occasional shaved head cap the day.

Little Three Champion Bell-Ringing: After any sports team clinches a Little Three Title (the Little Three being Williams, Amherst, and Wesleyan) the players and coaches are invited to celebrate by ringing the bell in Goodrich Hall. It is advised that the freshmen be sent up the bell tower first to make sure that it is free of bats and other small creatures before the upperclassmen make their way up there.

Rugby Jersey Trading: When the Williams men's and women's teams play arch rival Amherst there is more at stake than simply pride - the players are also literally competing to win the shirts off their opponents' backs. At the completion of a Williams-Amherst rugby match, the losing team must give up their (dirty, sweaty) jersey to the winning team. The players of the winning team can often be seen parading the loser's jersey around (often unwashed) with pride until the next season.

Stressbusters: A mid-week favorite, Stressbusters is a regular Wednesday night event. It is hosted by the student-run group All-Campus Entertainment (ACE) in Goodrich Hall. Free hot chocolate and cookies are provided, along with professional massages, arts and crafts and any combination of the following: caricature artists, personalized street sign designers, handwriting decoders, and giant games of Twister. During Final Exams, Stressbusters becomes SUPER Stressbusters, during which ACE raises the bar with more activities, often including a 24 hour Bouncy-Bounce blow-up and late-night pancakes and pizza in the Dining Halls.

The Lyceum Dinners: Lyceum Dinners are one of Williams' newest traditions, but one that students and faculty alike have embraced wholeheartedly. Lyceum Dinners offer a chance for a student or a small group of students to invite a Professor of their choice to a dinner provided and paid for by the College. Having it hosted in the Faculty Club is also a treat for students, as the Club, which features a bowling alley in the basement, is not usually open to students. Spaces at Lyceum Dinners are limited, but the event has become so popular that they are usually filled by the end of the first day they're announced.

Winter Carnival: Each February, when classes are back in full swing, temperatures are low, and snow is falling, we take time to embrace the Winter for the extended weekend of Winter Carnival. The events are organized around a weekend of ski competitions put on by Williams' Nordic and Alpine ski teams, which students attend and often help run. The Nordic skiers always stand out wearing their Purple Cow-print suits. Sledding and snow sculpture competitions are popular, as are parties and concerts.

Free University: During the Winter Study term in January, Williams students, faculty, and staff, along with local townspeople, are able to teach non-credit classes to each other through Free University. These classes meet throughout the month on topics ranging from jitterbugging and karate to calligraphy and Gregorian chanting. Popular recent offerings have included "How to Make Money on eBay", "The Fine Art of Seduction by Cooking: Kitchen Skills for the Dating Game," and The Art of Eskimo Warfare" (read: snowball fighting).

Trivia is a tradition that dates back to May of 1966. Since then, the contest has been held at the end of each semester of study at the College (save one in 1970). Traditionally, the contest (consisting of questions on everything from pop culture to art, literature, and Williamsiana, as well as improvisational skills) begins at 11:45 p.m. on a Friday night following the end of each semester, and is broadcast over WCFM radio until 8:00 a.m. the following morning. Hundreds of current and former students participate in each competition, with each competition being entirely participant-run; the team that wins the contest is responsible for staging the subsequent one.