IU History

Much has changed over the course of IU’s 200-year history, including the largest and most symbolic of the university’s ceremonies—Commencement. With historical research and findings provided by IU Director of…

The Eagleson name is familiar to many at Indiana University and in Monroe County, as the prominent African American family is riddled with “firsts” and other high-level achievements, dating back…

The very existence of Indiana University all came down to a tiebreaker. The state of Indiana’s first constitution, in 1816, called for “a general system of education, ascending in a…

Since 1820, Indiana University faculty, staff, students, and alumni have been making their mark on the world. Here we celebrate some of IU’s greatest game-changers. Kappa Alpha Psi, the first…

Just prior to the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, The Washington Post got into the March Madness spirit by creating a mascot emoji for every tourney team. But the idea…

Ah, the first day of class . . . Asking directions. Wending across campus. Charting a roundabout course to a building you only vaguely remember from orientation. It’s a freshman’s…

Throughout Indiana University’s 200 years, women have been groundbreaking researchers, influential administrators, renowned artists, and cornerstones of the campus community. But their names may not be as widely known as…

IU Bloomington’s Rose Well House is best known as a campus smooch spot, but there’s much more to its story. Here are five facts you might not have known about…

What led to the IU–PU hostility of the early 20th century? Indiana University and Purdue University have battled on many fields. In the first decade of the 20th century, the…

Blashfield’s Alma Mater In January 1924, IU President William Lowe Bryan, BA 1884, MA 1886, LLD’37, wrote a letter to muralist Edwin Howland Blashfield to ask if his painting titled…

Rhuie D. Caster graduated from the IU School of Nursing on June 12, 1918. Five days later, she joined the Army Nurse Corps and served for 13 months. World War…

In the early 1920s, Indiana was still reeling from the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. Through the collaborative efforts of Indiana University and the Riley Memorial Association, the Indiana General Assembly…