The History of Yale University
Founded in 1701, Yale University, whose central campus is located on 300 acres in New Haven, Connecticut, is the third oldest university in the United States, preceded only by Harvard University and the College of William and Mary. Throughout its more-than-300-year history, every decade has brought new contributions to the school's educational opportunities.
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Early Beginnings
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As early as the 1640s, the idea of opening a college was in the works in colonial Connecticut, where a group of clergymen hoped to start a college in New Haven, an institution they hoped would become the beginning of something very close to the kind of liberal education available in Europe. Their hope was that the New World school would be influenced by Old World educational traditions.
1700s
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Called at first the Collegiate School, Yale was founded in 1701 in Saybrook, Connecticut. In 1716, the college relocated to New Haven after several other sites were considered and various communities had tried to lure the college their way. Two years later, the college was renamed after Elihu Yale, a rich merchant, made a large donation, including books, to the school. Mid-century, work began on Connecticut Hall, which is today the oldest building in New Haven. In 1779, when the British invaded New Haven because of all the support Yale had provided for the Revolution, the student militia helped defend the city.
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1800s
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In 1813, the "Medical Institution of Yale College," its fledgling School of Medicine, first offered a course of study, followed in 1822 by the founding of the Divinity School, then the Law School in 1824. The United States' oldest literary review, Yale Literary Magazine, first began publication in 1836; in 1878 the first copy of the Yale Daily News, the country's oldest college newspaper, was printed.
1900s
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The Yale Whiffenpoofs, a group of vocalists, was founded in 1909; their tradition continued into this century. In 1914, the largest amphitheater to be built since the Roman Colosseum was built on the Yale campus and named Yale Bowl, and in 1921, Harkness Memorial Tower, the tallest masonry tower in the country at the time, first sent out peals from the 54-bell carillon. During World War II, the campus served as a military training center. In 1969 women began attending Yale.
The 21st Century
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In 2001 Yale celebrated its tercentennial; at the time, more than 12,000 students were attending classes at Yale as undergraduates, graduate and professional students, and international students. The campus consists of more than 400 buildings and boasts more than 12 million volumes in its library.
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