In an unusually hands-on history lesson, the Pundits, Yale’s prank society, surprised history professor John Gaddis’s “Art of Biography” seminar Tuesday afternoon with a reenactment of the film “Titanic.”

Dressed in cocktail attire, about 40 students rushed into the room. A string quartet set up in the corner as pairs danced, and waiters poured champagne into Solo cups for students in the seminar until an imaginary iceberg ended the revelry.

Facing a stunned seminar, the history professor explained that the performance was the latest in a series of pranks aimed at him. The Pundits have been taunting Gaddis ever since he told students last semester that he was disappointed the group had skipped its traditional appearance in his “Cold War” lecture.

Snow means no Whoopi for now. A Calhoun-only Master’s Tea with talk show host and Academy Award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, was canceled because of the snow. But Calhoun Master Jonathan Holloway assured ’Hounies that Goldberg will likely visit Yale in the near future.

Snowball fights and lingerie. A group of Morse students appeared in the Branford courtyard Tuesday wearing only their underwear for an informal photo shoot on the Branford swing. Nearby students working on the an igloo began throwing snowballs at the models. Another group of Yalies showed up in their skivvies to take pictures with a giant 10-foot snowman on Old Campus, only to be pelted with snowballs by awaiting students.

Snowfall was heavier than expected (again), but the University kept up its policy of not calling snow days (again).

The Graduate School Rugby Club this past Saturday won the “Balls to the Wall” tournament in New Hampshire, beating Wheaton College in the final match. Marshall Cunningham DIV ’10 was named Man of the Match with six tries over the course of the day.

A Haiti benefit concert at Harvard on Friday raised $37,000. Yale’s counterpart, held last month, raised $25,000, a quarter of the organizers’ goal of $100,000.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1942 Saybrook College is immersed in total darkness for 30 minutes during an air raid drill organized by the Civilian Defense Committee. But despite the blackout, rush events known as “Fraternity Beer Parties” still take place for three of Yale’s six fraternities.

Correction: Feb. 17, 2010

The original version of this article was wrong to suggest that Nancy Qian’s ECON 404 class was canceled Tuesday due to weather.