Harvard University was founded in 1636 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when the colonial legislature voted to establish a college at what became Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The college was named in 1639 for John Harvard, a young clergyman who left it his library and half of his estate. Its early purpose was to train ministers for the Puritan churches, but over time it expanded into a broad university with professional schools of law, medicine, business and other fields. Harvard has educated many American presidents, scientists and writers, and its large endowment and library make it one of the best-known universities in the world.
Before and after
- from 5 September 1634 to 6 September 1634Battle of Nördlingen
- 18 July 1635Birth of Robert Hooke
- 1636Founding of Springfield
- 1636Founding of Agawam
- 8 September 1636Founding of Harvard University
- 4 October 1636Battle of Wittstock
- 1637Founding of Taunton
- 1637Descartes publishes La Geometrie: algebra meets geometry
- February 1637Tulip mania peaks in Holland
More in Society, economy & sport
- 8 February 1575Founding of Leiden University
- 1583Founding of University of Edinburgh
- from 31 December 1600 to 1 June 1874Founding of East India Company
- 5 November 1605Gunpowder Plot
- August 1619The first enslaved Africans arrive in English Virginia
- 14 November 1740Founding of University of Pennsylvania
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.