Skull and Bones is a secretive senior student society at Yale University, distinguished as the oldest of its kind at the institution. It has gained notoriety as a cultural icon, largely due to its influential alumni network and the various conspiracy theories surrounding its activities. The organization remains an intriguing and often debated aspect of Yale's history and culture.
In 1903, the second wing of the Skull and Bones Hall, known as the "Tomb", was built.
The re-use of the Davis towers in 1911 suggests Davis's role in the original building.
In 1912, Davis-designed Neo-Gothic towers were added to the rear garden of the Skull and Bones Hall.
In 1965, Skull and Bones admitted its first black member in response to criticism for elitism and discrimination.
Regarding the qualifications for membership, Lanny Davis wrote in the 1968 Yale yearbook about Skull and Bones' membership reputation.
In 1969, Yale became coeducational, leading some secret societies to transition to co-ed membership.
In 1971, the Bones class of 1971 attempted to tap women for membership, but alumni opposed it and quashed the attempt.
In 1974, Brooks Mather Kelley suggested that the interest in Yale senior societies was because underclassmen shared society rituals while graduating seniors were removed from campus life.
In 1975, Skull and Bones admitted the president of Yale's gay student organization as a member.
In 1985, Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt provided Antony C. Sutton with Skull and Bones membership rosters and records.
In October 1991, a second alumni vote agreed to accept the Class of 1992, and the lawsuit blocking women's admission was dropped.
In 1992, Skull and Bones remained fully male until this year when women were finally admitted.
In 1992, after significant conflict, Skull and Bones admitted women to the Class of 1992.
In 1999, architectural historian Patrick Pinnell included an in-depth discussion of the dispute over the identity of the original architect of the Tomb in his Yale campus history.
In 2003, Skull and Bones membership information was reformatted as an appendix in the book Fleshing out Skull and Bones.
In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, both the Democratic and Republican nominees, John Kerry and George W. Bush, were members of Skull and Bones.
In January 2010, Christie's canceled a planned auction for a human skull with links to Skull and Bones.
According to its 2016 filing with the IRS, the Russell Trust Association, filing as RTA Incorporated, has assets of $3,906,458, including Deer Island and the Skull and Bones Hall.
In 2020, Skull and Bones tapped its first entirely non-white class.
In 2021, the Skull and Bones class of 2021 admitted no conservatives.
As of 2024, the organization had an endowment of $17 million.