History and Traditions
Going strong since 1851.
Wildcat Ways
Explore some of the celebrations and traditions that define Northwestern.
From painting The Rock to dancing the night away at Dance Marathon, explore some of the traditions that help make Northwestern a home away from home.
Northwestern History
On May 31, 1850, a bold vision was set into motion: the creation of a university that would serve the Northwest Territory.
Despite facing challenges such as limited funds, no land, and little higher education experience, the founders were driven by a powerful idea—an institution that would shape the future and empower generations to come. Their ambition, combined with creative financing, strategic alliances, and an unwavering commitment to progress, transformed this vision into the Northwestern we know today. Explore the remarkable journey of how this vision evolved into one of the nation's leading educational institutions.
- 1851
- 2024
1851
Founded
Northwestern University was officially established when its Act of Incorporation was passed by the Illinois legislature. Grant Goodrich, John Evans and Orrington Lunt were a few of the University's original founders.
1869
Construction on University Hall, today’s oldest campus building, was completed following the tumultuous years of the Civil War.
1871
After Northwestern students saved dozens from a tragic boat accident in 1860, the federal government presented the university with a lifeboat to establish a lifesaving station on Lake Michigan. Students manned this station until the U.S. Coast Guard relieved them in 1916.
1877
Class photo of law students, then named the Union College of Law, with the faculty.
1896
Representatives from seven Universities, including Northwestern, met to create a permanent faculty organization to supervise sports among the group. Today, this group is known as the Big Ten Conference.
1889
Dearborn Observatory, one of the oldest landmarks on campus, welcomed the world’s largest refracting telescope at the time.
1898
Photo of the Women's Basketball Team. While female students engaged in some forms of physical activity, their athletic endeavors - unlike those of male athletes - were closed to spectators.
1902
"The Rock," a six-foot-high quartzite boulder, was a class gift from the Class of 1902. Fraternity and sorority members began painting the Rock as a prank in the 1940s, and ever since, camping out and painting it has become an accepted tradition.
1903
Staff of the Daily Northwestern, which was created after other student publications merged and were renamed. Published three times a week, it primarily covered sports and University milestones.
1907
The “Alma Mater” hymn was composed by Peter Christian Lutkin, first dean of the School of Music.
1907
At the turn of the century, the open spaces and oak groves were more prominent than its buildings, pictured from right to left: the Life Saving Station, Fisk Hall and the Hall of Science.
1911
Northwestern’s marching band was established when 21 men performed at the season's first football game against the University of Chicago.
1916
Students sang and danced in a performance that was part of the May Pageant, which celebrated spring.
1925
The University broke ground on its new Chicago campus with donations from Elizabeth Ward, widow of magnate Montgomery Ward, among others. The Ward Memorial Building became the largest University structure on the Chicago campus, and its profile set the tone for the collegiate Gothic campus.
1932
"The World's Great Collegiate Circus," which grew from a small fundraiser in 1908 to a full three-ring circus in 1932, folded its big top when administration said planning the event took too much time from the real purpose of the University.
1940
Jubilation marked students' faces as they snake-danced after the second win since 1901 over Notre Dame.
1940
From the moment that Scott Hall's "Scott Grill" opened in 1940, it became the bustling social center of campus. The building also housed lounges, student activity offices and Cahn Auditorium.
1943
Although naval training became the main activity on both campuses during the war, the beaches were still used by student sunbathers.
1949
Getting to the Rose Bowl was a dream come true for Northwestern, and all of Evanston was caught up in the excitement. In the game, which went down to the final minute, Northwestern was victorious against the University of California.
1954
Melville J. Herskovits, one of the first scholars to study the African heritage of black people in the New World, established the Library of African Studies.
1960
Decades after his appearance on the sidelines, Willie the Wildcat rode in a Homecoming parade. Northwestern athletes were first called "wildcats" after a 1924 game against the University of Chicago.
1960
The annual Waa-Mu show featured Ann-Margaret Olson, later known as Ann-Margaret. Other actors who got their start in Waa-Mu productions include Warren Beatty and Shelley Long.
1964
The lakefill expansion project, intended to provide more campus space without sacrificing the natural beauty of the lakeside campus, establishes solid ground. This project made room for buildings such as University Library, Norris University Center and Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
1970
Students sat on the exterior of Elder Hall, which was one of several residence halls built to ease Northwestern's housing shortage between 1950 and 1970.
1972
Computing took place in the new Vogelback Computing Center, which opened with a then-cutting edge CDC 3400 computer. It wasn't until the mid '80s that the campus saw widespread student use of computing and networking, initially using library computers
Early 1970s
The University's annual springtime celebration is dubbed Armadillo (or 'Dillo) Day, a daylong celebration of sunshine and music.
1975
Twenty-one couples kicked off the inaugural dance marathon and raised $9,000 for charity. Today, dance marathon raises more than $1 million annually and is one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the nation.
1980
By the 1980s, Northwestern offered nine varsity sports for women, including cross country, which soared for several years in the mid '80s.
Late 1980s
The Northwestern Community Development Corps student group began sponsoring Project Pumpkin, an annual Halloween celebration for area children held at Norris University Center.
1995
After almost half a century, the Wildcats rose up and made it back to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Northwestern ultimately lost the fast-paced and exciting game against University of Southern California, but a second Big Ten championship followed the next year along with a trip to the Citrus Bowl.
2003
Students created a Northwestern branch of the national nonprofit Campus Kitchens. Participating students prepare meals using leftover food from dining halls and area restaurants and distribute those meals to those in need throughout Evanston.
2005
The women's lacrosse team won the national championship, the first of seven NCAA titles in eight years.
2008
Northwestern University's solar car crossed the finish line in the North American Solar Challenge, placing 13th out of 25 teams registered for the race. This was the best finish for Northwestern's Solar Car Team in its 10-year history.
2009
Northwestern's campus in Doha, Qatar, opened its doors to students from the Middle East and around the world. Students earn degrees in journalism and communication, with the hope they will help bring the story of the Middle East to the wider world.
2010s
Proliferation of new buildings along the lakefront: new music center, business school building, athletic complex.
2011
A new tradition is born: Every incoming freshman class at the University is now led by the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band and cheered on by fellow students in a "March through the Arch" that welcomes first-year students and their families to Northwestern.
2014
President Barack Obama delivered a major address on the economy to Kellogg School of Management students at Cahn Auditorium.
2015
The Garage opened as Northwestern University’s student startup hub. During its first decade, The Garage incubated more than 1,500 student startups touching fields such as medicine, law, energy, media and technology.
2019
Fall 2019 marked 150 years since women could enroll as undergraduate students at Northwestern.
2024
Ryan Field is demolished, followed by the start of construction of a new Ryan Field.Keep Exploring
More on Northwestern's history.
Tales From the Vault
Come along with University Historian Kevin Leonard as he reveals some amazing artifacts — and the history behind them — in Northwestern University Archives.