1850-02-28 00:00:00

Founders Day

$8,224.26 in private donations help start the university, including $1,200 from Brigham Young

1850-07-01 00:00:00

Student enrollment: 25

1850-09-01 00:00:00

Starting Tuition

$8 per quarter

1850-10-01 00:00:00

Women Admitted

After the first quarter, the U becomes one of the first universities in the West to admit women

1852-01-04 00:00:00

Elevator invented

1861-04-01 00:00:00

Civil War

America is torn apart and reunited in the Civil War

1862-01-04 00:00:00

Pasteurization begins

1868-01-04 00:00:00

Typewriter invented

1869-05-10 00:00:00

Transcontinental railroad completed

The first transcontinental railroad is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah

1869-07-01 00:00:00

John R. Park

University President, 1869-92

1876-01-04 00:00:00

Telephone created

1879-01-04 00:00:00

Light bulb invented

1879-07-01 00:00:00

Ellis Reynolds Shipp

The “Grand Old Lady of Utah Medicine”

1884-09-01 00:00:00

New Home

The university moves into its first building, now the site of West High

1886-05-01 00:00:00

First Degrees Granted

The first degrees—10 in education (from what was known as the Normal School) and two bachelors of science—are awarded

1886-05-01 00:00:00

Alumni association forms

1892-01-01 00:00:00

Name Change

The Territorial Legislature changes the name from the University of Deseret to the University of Utah

1892-05-01 00:00:00

The first issue of "The Daily Utah Chronicle" is published

1892-09-30 00:00:00

Football Team Forms

Utah football debuts with a 1-2 season, playing Utah Agricultural (now Utah State) and (twice) the Salt Lake City YMCA

1895-09-01 00:00:00

Engineering Degree Launches

The first four-year engineering degree is introduced

1896-01-04 00:00:00

Utah becomes a state

1900-05-01 00:00:00

Student enrollment: 1,500

1900-06-03 16:00:00

Student Life

Student clubs, fraternities, and professional societies flourish

1900-09-01 00:00:00

Move Up the Hill

The U holds the first classes at its current location

1901-09-01 00:00:00

ASUU Starts

The Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) is established

1902-01-04 00:00:00

Air conditioning invented

1903-01-04 00:00:00

Wright brothers first flight

1904-09-01 00:00:00

Fight Song

The U fight song is written by football coach Harvey Holmes

1905-09-01 00:00:00

Medical School

A two-year medical program is established

1907-07-01 00:00:00

Lucy May Van Cott

U Alum and U Dean of Women

1907-09-01 00:00:00

Block U

The block U on the hillside is built

1909-05-01 00:00:00

Master's Degrees

The first master’s degrees are awarded

1910-09-01 00:00:00

Theater, Speech, Physical Educaton, and More

Maud May Babcock creates the departments of Speech (which included theater) and Physical Education, as well as health programs for women

1912-01-04 00:00:00

The Titanic sinks

1913-01-04 00:00:00

Stainless steel created

1913-09-01 00:00:00

Law school forms

1914-01-04 00:00:00

The Great War begins

1914-09-01 00:00:00

New Buildings

The new administration building, along with the civil engineering, mechanics, and gymnasium buildings, are completed

1917-05-01 00:00:00

Pharmaceutical education begins

1918-05-01 00:00:00

The School of Business is organized

1919-01-04 00:00:00

Zion National Park established

1920-01-04 00:00:00

First three-colored traffic lights installed

1920-01-04 00:00:00

U.S. women win voting rights

1924-01-04 00:00:00

Bryce Canyon National Park established

1926-07-01 00:00:00

J. Willard Marriott

From a nine-seat root beer stand to a hospitality empire, Marriott and his wife, Alice (BA’27), transformed a small business into Marriott International, now with world-class accommodations across 36 hotel brands in 9,000 locations.

1927-09-01 00:00:00

New Stadium

A stadium with capacity for 20,000 spectators opens with remarks from Prince William of Sweden

1930-01-04 00:00:00

The Salt Lake City Airport opens

1930-07-01 00:00:00

Reva Bosone

One of the first women elected to U.S. Congress, Bosone served as a Representative from Utah (1949-53), advocating for social welfare programs including Social Security for military personnel. In the 1940s, Bosone hosted a weekly radio show, Her Honor, the Judge, where she presented legal case studies.

1932-07-01 00:00:00

Student enrollment: 3,600

1936-01-04 00:00:00

Brighton, the first ski resort in Utah, opens