Although dating to 1932, in 2016-17 we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary, given how the Department was reinvented in 1966-7 — in keeping with how the study of religion was established then across public universities in the US. No longer confessionally-oriented and staffed by campus ministers, it became a cross-culturally comparative and interdisciplinary field.

So all semester we’ll be posting some weekly fun facts from 1966 — not that long ago for some of us yet ancient history for others.

 California and Nevada were the first two states to ban LSD, both passing bills on May 30, 1966. Later in 1970, the hallucinogen was banned nation-wide with a bill that prevented even scientific research on the drug.