John Evelyn publishes Sylva, among the first-ever texts to advocate for forest conservation practices
The conservation movement can be traced back to Sylva, one of the most highly influential texts on forestry ever published.
Science & academia
Harvard College is founded
Harvard University is now the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Its influence, wealth, and rankings have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
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Universidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino, the first university in the New World, is founded
Founded during the reign of Charles I of Spain, it was originally a seminary operated by Catholic monks of the Dominican Order. Later, the institution received a university charter by Pope Paul III’s papal bull.
Universidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino, the first university in the New World, is founded Read more
Johannes Schöner becomes the first person to include Terra Australis on their globe
The first depiction of Terra Australis on a globe was probably on Johannes Schöner’s lost 1523 globe on which Oronce Fine is thought to have based his 1531 map of the world.
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The University of Cambridge is founded
Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s fourth-oldest surviving university.
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The University of Oxford, oldest in the English-speaking world, is founded
There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.
The University of Oxford, oldest in the English-speaking world, is founded Read more
The University of Al-Karaouine, founded by a Muslim woman, becomes the world's first university
Over the centuries, the University of Al-Karaouine became a key spiritual and educational center in the Muslim world.
Egyptian physician Imhotep diagnoses cancer, perhaps for the first time in history
Imhotep was an Egyptian chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser, possible architect of Djoser’s step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. Very little is known of Imhotep as a historical figure, but in the 3,000 years following his death, he was gradually glorified and deified. In his Pulitzer-prize winning “biography” of cancer – The Emperor of All Maladies – Siddhartha Mukherjee cites the oldest identified written diagnosis of cancer to Imhotep.
Egyptian physician Imhotep diagnoses cancer, perhaps for the first time in history Read more