MIT Chronology: Institute Archives & Special Collections: MIT

An MIT Chronology

All sources are in the MIT Institute Archives & Special Collections unless otherwise noted.

A work in progress

1846 March 13	William Barton Rogers drafts a plan for a scientific school, "Plan for a Polytechnic School in Boston."		Letter from Rogers to his brother Henry in which he outlines his plan. Source
1849	William Barton Rogers marries Emma Savage	Source
1853	William and Emma Rogers move to Boston Source
1859	Unsuccessful petition by a group of Boston institutions for some of the newly filled Back Bay lands: Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts, in relation to a Conservatory of Art and Science, March 9, 1859, House no. 260. Although William Rogers was listed as one of the petitioners, he "took but little part..."	Source
1860	Objects and Plan of an Institute of Technology prepared by William Barton Rogers	The widely disseminated pamphlet is the basis of a petition to the Massachusetts legislature proposing a three-part Institute including a Society of Arts, a Museum of Arts, and a School of Industrial Science. Source
1861 April 10	MIT is incorporated.		MIT's charter: An Act to Incorporate the Massachusetts Institute of Technology... (Chapter 183, Acts of 1861) Source
1862-1870	William Barton Rogers is president of MIT.	Source
1863	Construction of the Institute's first Back Bay building begins.	Source
1864	Scope and Plan of the School of Industrial Science reports on curriculum and organization. Source
The Corporation approves the official seal of the Institute. Source
1865	First MIT classes are held in Boston.	Source
MIT architecture faculty member William Ware distributes An Outline of the Course of Instruction in Building and Architecture proposed for the School of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.	Source
1866	First MIT building in Back Bay is completed and occupied.		Later named the Rogers Building, in honor of William Barton Rogers. Source
1868	Nation's first architecture classes offered at MIT.	Bill of sale for items purchased in London in 1866 by William Ware for the classes. Source
First graduating class. Source
MIT chemistry faculty members Charles Eliot and Frank Storer compile and publish Manual of Inorganic Chemistry.	Source
1869	Professor Edward C. Pickering develops physics teaching laboratory.	The first laboratory, the Rogers Laboratory, named after William Barton Rogers. Source
1870-1878	John Daniel Runkle is president of MIT.		Source
1870	First attempted takeover of MIT by Harvard University is foiled. (Other attempts follow.)	Source
1873	Ellen Swallow the first female graduate of MIT. Source
First student publication, The Spectrum. Source
1874	First formal graduation exercises held. Source
1875	Robert H. Richards, '68, founds Alumni Association and is elected first president. Source
1876	Cardinal red and silver gray chosen as MIT colors. Source

1879-1881	William Barton Rogers president of MIT (second term).		Source
1881-1897	Francis Amasa Walker president of MIT.	Source
1882	Sigma Chi, first social fraternity at Institute, established.	Source
MIT establishes, within the Department of Physics, the nation's first curriculum in electrical engineering. Source
1883 October 22	First meeting of the Executive Committee of the MIT Corporation.	Source
1885	First student yearbook, Technique, published by Class of 1889.		Source
1886	First advanced degree awarded, a Master of Science in chemistry.	Source
1889	MIT establishes the nation's first curriculum in sanitary engineering.	Source
1892	Robert R. Taylor becomes the first black student to graduate from MIT. Source
1897-1900	James Mason Crafts president of MIT.		Source
1899	First Tech Show. Source	Cover of score for 8th annual Tech Show
Alumni Association launches publication of Technology Review.	Source
1900-1907	Henry Smith Pritchett president of MIT.		Source
1901	First Technology Field Day held.	Source
1902	Department of Electrical Engineering founded.	Source
Office of the Dean was created by a vote of the MIT Faculty. The dean reported directly to the MIT President and was responsible for discipline and the general welfare of students. (Alfred E. Burton was the first dean.) Source
1907-1909	Arthur A. Noyes, acting president of MIT.	Source
1907	First doctoral degree awarded (in chemistry).	Source
1909-1920	Richard Cockburn Maclaurin president of MIT.		Source
1913	Construction begins on Cambridge campus.		Source
1914	Beaver becomes official MIT mascot. Source
Davis R. Dewey organizes course in engineering administration at MIT.	Source
The first formal course in aeronautical engineering in the U.S. is established at MIT within the Department of Naval Architecture.	Source
1916 June	Three-day celebration of move from Boston to Cambridge.	Souvenir Program, Dedication Reunion, June 12, 13, 14, 1916 Source
1916	First dorm at MIT opened (now known as Senior House).		Source
1920-1921	Elihu Thomson acting president of MIT.	Source
1921-1922	Ernest Fox Nichols president of MIT.	Source
1921-1923	Elihu Thomson acting president of MIT.	Source
1923	Class of '23 introduces caps and gowns at commencement.	Source
1923-1930	Samuel Wesley Stratton president of MIT.		Source
1924	Edwin H. Blashfield, '69, begins murals in Walker Memorial.	Source Walker Memorial interior; one of the Blashfield murals on end wall.
1928	Nation's first curriculum in meteorology is established.	Source
1929	Committee selects Standard Technology Ring featuring beaver ("Brass Rat").	Source
1930-1948	Karl Taylor Compton president of MIT.	Source
1930s	Harold Edgerton perfects the stroboscope and uses it in a wide variety of applications, including high-speed photography, multi-flash motion studies, and high-speed movies to study events that occur too quickly to be seen by the unaided eye. Source
1930	John C. Slater bolsters physics research program.	Source
1931	MIT establishes the Alfred P. Sloan Fellows Program, the first program in the U.S. to provide mid-career managers with the opportunity to gain advanced academic and professional expertise in management. Source
1932	The MIT Corporation adopts a new plan of administration, creating three schools (Engineering, Science, and Architecture) and two divisions, including the Division of Humanities.	Source
George Eastman Research Laboratory for physics is built. Source
1938	The new Rogers Building at 77 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge is completed and occupied. Source
1940-1945	MIT's Radiation Laboratory (known as the Rad Lab).	Source
1941	MIT's doctoral program in economics established.	Source
1943	Construction of Building 20 starts to provide one of several facilities for the radar research conducted under the name “Radiation Laboratory.” Although it was supposed to be torn down after World War II, the building continued to house a wide variety of labs, departments, and activities until 1998, when it was demolished to make room for the Ray and Maria Stata Center. Source
1943-1944	MIT hosts Navy V-12 program and ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) to provide technical training for U.S. military officers during World War II.	Source
1948-1959	James Rhyne Killian president of MIT.		Source
1949	MIT holds Mid-Century Convocation "to appraise the state of the post-war world, to consider the progress of scientific enterprise, and to ponder the future role of MIT as an institution of scientific and engineering education." Source
1949 December	Committee on Educational Survey publishes report ("The Lewis Report").	Source
1950	Alfred P. Sloan ('95) Foundation provides grants to launch School of Industrial Management.	Source
School of Management is established. Source
School of Humanities and Social Sciences established.	Source
1951	Lincoln Lab opened as a technical and scientific research center on electronic systems.	Source
Course in nuclear engineering organized.	Source
Center for International Studies established.	Source
1956	MIT program for senior executives established.	Source
1959	Oliver Smoot, '62, used to measure Harvard Bridge.	Source
1959-1966	Julius Adams Stratton president of MIT.	Source
1961 April 7-9	MIT Centennial Celebration Source
1961	MIT establishes a doctoral program in linguistics.	Source
1963	Stanley R. McCormick Hall (W51), the first women's dormitory on the Cambridge campus, dedicated (gift of Katharine Dexter McCormick, '04).	Source
Project MAC, the original name of the Laboratory for Computer Science, starts operations, concentrating on the development of time-sharing computers. Source
1964	I.M. Pei's Green Building (Building 54, the tallest building at MIT) is completed and named for benefactors Cecil and Ida Green. It provides space for the Center for Earth Sciences.	Source
1966-1971	Howard Wesley Johnson president of MIT.	Source
1968	MIT and Wellesley agree to cross registration of their students.	Source
1969	Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) established.	Source
1970	Department of Mechanical Engineering's course 2.70, Introduction to Design (now 2.007, Design and Manufacturing I), initiates design contest. Source
Artificial Intelligence breaks away from Project MAC. Source
Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology is established.	Source
1971	Independent Activities Period (IAP) initiated.	Source
1971-1980	Jerome Bert Wiesner president of MIT.	Source
1972	Carola B. Eisenberg named first woman dean (of students).	Source
1973	Shirley Ann Jackson is the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT. Source
1975	Project MAC changes its name to the Laboratory for Computer Science to reflect an expansion of the scope of its activities and interests.	Source
1976	Department of Linguistics and Philosophy is created. Philosophy had previously been taught in the Department of Humanities, and Linguistics had previously been taught in the Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics. Source
1977	Whitaker College of Health Sciences, Technology, and Management established.	Source
1979	Sheila E. Widnall, '60, becomes first woman elected chair of MIT faculty.
1980-1990	Paul Edward Gray president of MIT.		Source
1983	MIT launches Project Athena, a major educational experiment to explore the use of computers in the educational process. Source
1984	Economist Anne E. Friedlaender, Ph.D. '64, appointed Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the first woman academic dean.	Source
MIT establishes the Media Laboratory.	Source
1988	MIT plays first varsity football game in 88 years.	Source
1990-2004	Charles Marstiller Vest president of MIT.		Source
1992	MIT Faculty approves the five-year M.Eng. program in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.	Source
1997	BankBoston releases "MIT: The Impact of Innovation," demonstrating the economic impact of MIT education and research.	Source
1998 September	The Task Force on Student Life and Learning report issued.	Source
1999	"A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT" completed.	Source
2001	OpenCourseWare announced.	Source
2002	DSpace Launched.	Source
2004 August 26	Susan Hockfield elected 16th president by the Corporation. Source
2005 June 8	President Hockfield and Provost Robert A. Brown announce the establishment of an Energy Research Council to spearhead efforts to address the world's mounting energy problems.	Source
2006 May 3	Energy Research Council releases its report. Source
2006 October	Report of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons to the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Source

1846
March 13

William Barton Rogers drafts a plan for a scientific school, "Plan for a Polytechnic School in Boston."

Letter from Rogers to his brother Henry in which he outlines his plan.

Source

1849

William Barton Rogers marries Emma Savage

Source

1853

William and Emma Rogers move to Boston
Source

1859

Unsuccessful petition by a group of Boston institutions for some of the newly filled Back Bay lands: Memorial to the Legislature of Massachusetts, in relation to a Conservatory of Art and Science, March 9, 1859, House no. 260. Although William Rogers was listed as one of the petitioners, he "took but little part..."

Source

1860

Objects and Plan of an Institute of Technology prepared by William Barton Rogers

The widely disseminated pamphlet is the basis of a petition to the Massachusetts legislature proposing a three-part Institute including a Society of Arts, a Museum of Arts, and a School of Industrial Science.

Source

1861
April 10

MIT is incorporated.

MIT's charter: An Act to Incorporate the Massachusetts Institute of Technology... (Chapter 183, Acts of 1861)

Source

1862-1870

William Barton Rogers is president of MIT.

Source

1863

Construction of the Institute's first Back Bay building begins.

Source

1864

Scope and Plan of the School of Industrial Science reports on curriculum and organization.

Source

The Corporation approves the official seal of the Institute.
Source

1865

First MIT classes are held in Boston.

Source

MIT architecture faculty member William Ware distributes An Outline of the Course of Instruction in Building and Architecture proposed for the School of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Source

1866

First MIT building in Back Bay is completed and occupied.

Later named the Rogers Building, in honor of William Barton Rogers.

Source

1868

Nation's first architecture classes offered at MIT.

Bill of sale for items purchased in London in 1866 by William Ware for the classes.

Source

First graduating class. Source

MIT chemistry faculty members Charles Eliot and Frank Storer compile and publish Manual of Inorganic Chemistry.

Source

1869

Professor Edward C. Pickering develops physics teaching laboratory.

The first laboratory, the Rogers Laboratory, named after William Barton Rogers.

Source

1870-1878

John Daniel Runkle is president of MIT.

Source

1870

First attempted takeover of MIT by Harvard University is foiled. (Other attempts follow.)

Source

1873

Ellen Swallow the first female graduate of MIT.

Source

First student publication, The Spectrum. Source

1874

First formal graduation exercises held. Source

1875

Robert H. Richards, '68, founds Alumni Association and is elected first president.

Source

1876

Cardinal red and silver gray chosen as MIT colors.
Source

1879-1881

William Barton Rogers president of MIT (second term).

Source

1881-1897

Francis Amasa Walker president of MIT.

Source

1882

Sigma Chi, first social fraternity at Institute, established.

Source

MIT establishes, within the Department of Physics, the nation's first curriculum in electrical engineering. Source

1883
October 22

First meeting of the Executive Committee of the MIT Corporation.

Source

1885

First student yearbook, Technique, published by Class of 1889.

Source

1886

First advanced degree awarded, a Master of Science in chemistry.

Source

1889

MIT establishes the nation's first curriculum in sanitary engineering.

Source

1892

Robert R. Taylor becomes the first black student to graduate from MIT.

Source

1897-1900

James Mason Crafts president of MIT.

Source

1899

First Tech Show.

Source

Cover of score for 8th annual Tech Show

Alumni Association launches publication of Technology Review.

Source

1900-1907

Henry Smith Pritchett president of MIT.

Source

1901

First Technology Field Day held.

Source

1902

Department of Electrical Engineering founded.

Source

Office of the Dean was created by a vote of the MIT Faculty. The dean reported directly to the MIT President and was responsible for discipline and the general welfare of students. (Alfred E. Burton was the first dean.) Source

1907-1909

Arthur A. Noyes, acting president of MIT.

Source

1907

First doctoral degree awarded (in chemistry).

Source

1909-1920

Richard Cockburn Maclaurin president of MIT.

Source

1913

Construction begins on Cambridge campus.

Source

1914

Beaver becomes official MIT mascot.

Source

Davis R. Dewey organizes course in engineering administration at MIT.

Source

The first formal course in aeronautical engineering in the U.S. is established at MIT within the Department of Naval Architecture.

Source

1916
June

Three-day celebration of move from Boston to Cambridge.

Souvenir Program, Dedication Reunion, June 12, 13, 14, 1916

Source

1916

First dorm at MIT opened (now known as Senior House).

Source

1920-1921

Elihu Thomson acting president of MIT.

Source

1921-1922

Ernest Fox Nichols president of MIT.

Source

1921-1923

Elihu Thomson acting president of MIT.

Source

1923

Class of '23 introduces caps and gowns at commencement.

Source

1923-1930

Samuel Wesley Stratton president of MIT.

Source

1924

Edwin H. Blashfield, '69, begins murals in Walker Memorial.

Source

Walker Memorial interior; one of the
Blashfield murals on end wall.

1928

Nation's first curriculum in meteorology is established.

Source

1929

Committee selects Standard Technology Ring featuring beaver ("Brass Rat").

Source

1930-1948

Karl Taylor Compton president of MIT.

Source

Karl Taylor Compton

1930s

Harold Edgerton perfects the stroboscope and uses it in a wide variety of applications, including high-speed photography, multi-flash motion studies, and high-speed movies to study events that occur too quickly to be seen by the unaided eye.

Source

1930

John C. Slater bolsters physics research program.

Source

1931

MIT establishes the Alfred P. Sloan Fellows Program, the first program in the U.S. to provide mid-career managers with the opportunity to gain advanced academic and professional expertise in management. Source

1932

The MIT Corporation adopts a new plan of administration, creating three schools (Engineering, Science, and Architecture) and two divisions, including the Division of Humanities.

Source

George Eastman Research Laboratory for physics is built. Source

1938

The new Rogers Building at 77 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge is completed and occupied.

Source

1940-1945

MIT's Radiation Laboratory (known as the Rad Lab).

Source

1941

MIT's doctoral program in economics established.

Source

1943

Construction of Building 20 starts to provide one of several facilities for the radar research conducted under the name “Radiation Laboratory.” Although it was supposed to be torn down after World War II, the building continued to house a wide variety of labs, departments, and activities until 1998, when it was demolished to make room for the Ray and Maria Stata Center.

Source

1943-1944

MIT hosts Navy V-12 program and ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) to provide technical training for U.S. military officers during World War II.

Source

1948-1959

James Rhyne Killian president of MIT.

Source

1949

MIT holds Mid-Century Convocation "to appraise the state of the post-war world, to consider the progress of scientific enterprise, and to ponder the future role of MIT as an institution of scientific and engineering education."

Source

1949
December

Committee on Educational Survey publishes report ("The Lewis Report").

Source

1950

Alfred P. Sloan ('95) Foundation provides grants to launch School of Industrial Management.

Source

School of Management is established. Source

School of Humanities and Social Sciences established.

Source

1951

Lincoln Lab opened as a technical and scientific research center on electronic systems.

Source

Course in nuclear engineering organized.

Source

Center for International Studies established.

Source

1956

MIT program for senior executives established.

Source

1959

Oliver Smoot, '62, used to measure Harvard Bridge.

Source

1959-1966

Julius Adams Stratton president of MIT.

Source

1961
April 7-9

MIT Centennial Celebration

Source

1961

MIT establishes a doctoral program in linguistics.

Source

1963

Stanley R. McCormick Hall (W51), the first women's dormitory on the Cambridge campus, dedicated (gift of Katharine Dexter McCormick, '04).

Source

Project MAC, the original name of the Laboratory for Computer Science, starts operations, concentrating on the development of time-sharing computers.

Source

1964

I.M. Pei's Green Building (Building 54, the tallest building at MIT) is completed and named for benefactors Cecil and Ida Green. It provides space for the Center for Earth Sciences.

Source

1966-1971

Howard Wesley Johnson president of MIT.

Source

1968

MIT and Wellesley agree to cross registration of their students.

Source

1969

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) established.

Source

1970

Department of Mechanical Engineering's course 2.70, Introduction to Design (now 2.007, Design and Manufacturing I), initiates design contest.

Source

Artificial Intelligence breaks away from Project MAC. Source

Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology is established.

Source

1971

Independent Activities Period (IAP) initiated.

Source

1971-1980

Jerome Bert Wiesner president of MIT.

Source

1972

Carola B. Eisenberg named first woman dean (of students).

Source

1973

Shirley Ann Jackson is the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT.

Source

1975

Project MAC changes its name to the Laboratory for Computer Science to reflect an expansion of the scope of its activities and interests.

Source

1976

Department of Linguistics and Philosophy is created. Philosophy had previously been taught in the Department of Humanities, and Linguistics had previously been taught in the Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics.

Source

1977

Whitaker College of Health Sciences, Technology, and Management established.

Source

1979

Sheila E. Widnall, '60, becomes first woman elected chair of MIT faculty.

1980-1990

Paul Edward Gray president of MIT.

Source

1983

MIT launches Project Athena, a major educational experiment to explore the use of computers in the educational process.

Source

1984

Economist Anne E. Friedlaender, Ph.D. '64, appointed Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the first woman academic dean.

Source

MIT establishes the Media Laboratory.

Source

1988

MIT plays first varsity football game in 88 years.

Source

1990-2004

Charles Marstiller Vest president of MIT.

Source

1992

MIT Faculty approves the five-year M.Eng. program in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Source

1997

BankBoston releases "MIT: The Impact of Innovation," demonstrating the economic impact of MIT education and research.

Source

1998 September

The Task Force on Student Life and Learning report issued.

Source

1999

"A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT" completed.

Source

2001

OpenCourseWare announced.

Source

2002

DSpace Launched.

Source

2004
August 26

Susan Hockfield elected 16th president by the Corporation.

Source

2005
June 8

President Hockfield and Provost Robert A. Brown announce the establishment of an Energy Research Council to spearhead efforts to address the world's mounting energy problems.

Source

2006
May 3

Energy Research Council releases its report.

Source

2006
October

Report of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons to the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Source

Cover of report