Wikipedia:WikiProject University of Pittsburgh/On this day
January
edit- January 1
Pitt's National Championships - (1977) The Pitt football team wins the Sugar Bowl, clinching the 1976 National Championship, their ninth claimed college football national title.
- (1982) The Pitt football defeats Georgia, 24-20, to win the Sugar Bowl and finish with its third consecutive 11-1 record.
- (1937) The Pitt football team wins the Rose Bowl 21-0 over Washington, clinching the school's claim on a seventh National Championship.
- (1924) The Schenley Apartments, now the Schenley Quadrangle student residences, opens as one of the city's premiere luxury accommodations.
- January 2
- (1956) Pitt's Bobby Grier becomes the first African-American player to break the southern bowl game color-barrier in the Sugar Bowl.
- (1928) The Pitt football team plays in their first of four Rose Bowls, losing to Stanford 7-6.
- January 4
- (1988) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team is ranked #2 for the 1st time.
- (2010) Pitt surgeons perform the first total forearm and hand transplant in the United States.
- January 5
- (2013) The Pittsburgh Panthers football team play the BBVA Compass Bowl, their 29th bowl game.
- (2009) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team receives the program's first ever number one national ranking in both the AP and Coaches' polls.
- (1885) The Pittsburgh Medical College, forerunner to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center opens classes for the first time.
- January 6
- (2003) The number 2 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team beats sixth ranked Notre Dame 72-55 in the first nationally televised game from the Petersen Events Center.
- (1925) The Pitt basketball opens their 18th season at the newly completed Pitt Pavilion against Geneva.
- January 7
- (2012) The Pittsburgh Panthers football team plays the BBVA Compass Bowl, their 28th bowl game.
- (2002) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team is ranked for the 1st time in nine seasons, the first of 32 consecutive ranked weeks.
- January 8
- (1968) Hillman Library official opens.
- January 9
- (2000) The Indian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (1955) The Croghan-Schenley Rooms are dedicated.
- January 11
- (1946) The first wedding ceremony is held in Heinz Memorial Chapel.
- (1963) The University of Pittsburgh announces the formation of the Space Research Coordination Center partially funded by NASA.
- January 13
- (1998) Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh receive the International Olympic Prize for their groundbreaking treatment of knee injuries.
- January 15
- (1974) The undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team is ranked for the 1st time in 15 seasons, at number seventeen they will rank for 11 consecutive weeks, 3 in the top 10.
- (1969) The student organization, the Black Action Society, takes over the university computer center on the eighth floor of the Cathedral of Learning in a non-violent protest that prompts efforts to improve African-American academic resources and increase the number of black students and faculty at Pitt.
- January 16
- (1993) A three-point bomb by Pitt basketball freshman Garrick Thomas breaks a 73-73 tie with four seconds remaining, lifting the Panthers to an upset win over seventh ranked Seton Hall 76-73. Thomas finishes with 16 points while teammate Chris McNeal scores 19 points and grabs 11 rebounds.
- January 17
- (1986) The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (a co-operative between Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, and Westinghouse), is officially funded by the National Science Board and installs a then new Cray X-MP/48 supercomputer.
- January 18
- (1923) Jock Sutherland, who becomes Pitt's all-time winningest football coach and during whose tenure Pitt would claim five National Championships, is signed to be the head coach the Pitt football team.
- (1954) In honor of its 60th anniversary, the Mellon family donates $15 million to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for expansion and faculty endowed chairs.
- January 19
- (1911) Magee Hospital for Women, founded by Christopher Magee and now part of the university's medical center, opens to patients for the first time.
- January 20
- (2001) The Panthers upset undefeated number nine ranked Georgetown 70-66 in D.C.[1]
- (1977) Two women were killed and several people injured in a gas explosion, later ruled an accident, that destroyed part of Langley Hall.
- (1934) The Panthers snap Notre Dame's 22 game win streak with a 39-34 win at the Pavilion.[2]
- January 23
- (1943) The French Nationality Room is dedicated and informally opened.
- (1988) World media report heavily about the doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for their innovative transplant surgery on nine-year-old Tabatha Foster after a Presidential address by Ronald Reagan commending the hospital and urging American's to donate to Tabatha's recovery.
- January 25
- (1988) In one of college basketball's most memorable plays, Jerome Lane of the 11th ranked Pitt basketball team shatters the backboard during a win over Providence in Fitzgerald Field House, causing Bill Raftery to exclaim "Send it in, Jerome!"
- January 26
- (1920) Ground is broken for the construction of what is now known as Eberly Hall.
February
edit- February 1
- (1983) The Pitt men's basketball team rallies to beat Chris Mullin's fifth ranked St. John's 72-71 as both Clyde Vaughn and Andre Williams both get 24 points.
- February 2
- (2013) The Pitt men's basketball upsets #6 Syracuse 65-55 at the Petersen Events Center.
- (1996) Pittsburgh joins the world in mourning native son and Pitt alumnus Gene Kelly who died at 83.
- (1977) A Larry Harris buzzer beater helps the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team upset Gale Catlett's twelfth ranked Cincinnati at Fitzgerald Field House.
- (1963) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team loses the Backyard Brawl despite Bobby Roman's buzzer-beating shot for what fans rushing the court think is a 69–68 win. A time keeper at the Fitzgerald Field House had stopped the clock at one second after seeing Pitt call time. The Panthers lose and 11 days and 2 ejections later will beat West Virginia in Morgantown by the same score.
- February 3
- (1990) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wins the program's 1,000th game, 94–82 over Villanova.
- February 5
- (2002) President George W. Bush visits Pitt, touring university biomedical facilities and giving a speech in Alumni Hall outlining his bioterrorism defense plan.
- February 6
- (1934) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wins their first City Game beating the Duquesne Dukes by a basket.
- February 10
- (1988) The largest crowd in Pittsburgh history to watch a basketball game, 16,798 at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena, watches eleventh ranked Syracuse upset fifth ranked Pitt.
- (1979) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wins at number three ranked, 17-1, Duke by a last second Sam Clancy intercepted basket.
- February 11
- (1941) A month before the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team's Final Four appearance, captain Ed Straloski is knocked out in the first half and is punched by a Mountaineer in the 2nd half, causing a Pitt Pavilion bench clearing brawl that Pittsburgh Police have to break up.
- February 12
- (1997) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team stuns #18 ranked Villanova 95-89 rallying back after being down seven with minutes to go at Fitzgerald Field House. Vonteego Cummings scores 26 points as senior Jason Maile scores 40 points and sets a school-record with 8 threes.
- February 13
- (1970) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team routs Syracuse 127-108 at the Fitzgerald Field House for the programs all time high score, as 3 players score more than 20 points each.
- (1963) Eleven days after a time out gaffe erases a last second Bobby Roman basket allowing West Virginia the win 68-67 at Fitzgerald Field House, the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wins at Morgantown 69-68 after Brian Generalovich and Gale Catlett are both ejected.
- February 14
- (1987) The number ten ranked Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team get their 21st win of the season and 8th straight conference win. Pitt rallies back to force two overtime periods before beating Boston College, all without star Charles Smith.[3]
- (1984) Pitt surgeons perform the world's first ever double-organ transplant, a pediatric heart-liver transplant for six-year-old Stormie Jones.
- (1974) At Fitzgerald Field House the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wins their 20th straight game, tying Pitt's 1928 national title team.
- February 15
Allegheny Observatory - (2004) The number 4 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team never trails and beats number 5 ranked UConn 75-68 in a rematch of the prior year's Big East Title Game at the Petersen Events Center. Tickets are scalped for over $300 and 150 media outlets request credentials to the first meeting of top 5 teams in Pittsburgh city history.
- (1859) Allegheny Observatory, to become part of the university in 1867, is founded by the Allegheny Telescope Association in what was then the city of Allegheny.
- February 16
- (1935) In what may be the longest basketball game in history, the clock stops in the 2nd half at Notre Dame as the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team use it to rally from 10 behind, scoring the game winner in the last second (after the clock once again was started), prompting Irish coach George Keegan to grab the clock and throw it the length of the court.[4]
- (1940) The Polish Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (1974) The Pitt basketball team breaks a 47 year old school record for most consecutive wins with their 21st of the season.
- (2009) The Pitt campus celebrates the first ever Panthers basketball victory over a #1 team, the UConn Huskies.
- February 18
Pitt in 1825 - (1978) Conference rival Villanova finally meets the Panthers after having their game postponed due to an outbreak of "Russian Flu" with their players (though Pitt fans suspected it was to rest Villanova star Bradley), though Bradley scores 35 points the Panthers win 97–81 as fans chant "Who's got the Flu?" throughout the game.[5]
- (1949) The Panthers snap West Virginia's 58 game home win streak with a 1 basket win.[6]
- (1819) The original 1787 Pittsburgh Academy charter is amended to confer university status and create the Western University of Pennsylvania, the previous name of the University of Pittsburgh.
- February 22
- (1978) At the height of the City Game rivalry Duquesne Dukes coach John Cinicola complains to referees that Pitt's band is playing past the whistle, as he points to the band, Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball coach Tim Grgurich leads them into yet another song. Pitt freshman Sam Clancy scores 20 points and grabs 20 rebounds for the win.[7][8]
- (1905) Samuel McCormick is inaugurated as the ninth permanent Chancellor of the university.
- February 26
Pitt's Log Cabin - (1951) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team celebrates their last game at 27 year old Pitt Pavilion with a Backyard Brawl victory.
- February 28
Pitt's Log Cabin - (1787) Founders (or Charter) Day: charter granted for the Pittsburgh Academy, thus establishing the University of Pittsburgh. Happy Birthday Pitt!
- (1931) The first classes move into the Cathedral of Learning.
- (1940) Pitt plays in the first ever televised basketball game, a 57–37 victory over Fordham at Madison Square Garden that is televised by NBC station W2XBS.
March
edit- March 2
- (2002) The 10th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team plays its final game at the 51-year-old Fitzgerald Field House, a Backyard Brawl victory.
- March 4
- (2012) The Turkish Nationality Room is dedicated.
- March 5
- (1939) Legendary Pittsburgh Panthers football head coach Jock Sutherland announces his resignation, prompting student protests, after a series of disagreements with Chancellor John Bowman. It will be 15 seasons until the program recovers with a Bowl Game appearance.
- March 6
- (1988) The Pitt men's basketball team clinches its first outright, and second overall, Big East Conference Regular Season Championship with an 85-85 win at Syracuse.
- (2003) The University of Pittsburgh has the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pittsburgh Biomedical Center III tower.
- (2004) With a victory at the Peterson Events Center, Pitt's basketball team captures their third straight regular season Big East title.
- March 7
- (1939) The Czechoslovak Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (1981) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wins its first conference title since the 1930s, defeating Duquesne Dukes at the Civic Arena.
- (1982) Pitt's men's basketball team wins the Eastern Eight Conference Tournament Championship, repeating as champs with a Backyard Brawl defeat of West Virginia University.
- March 8
- (1968) Former Chancellor Edward H. Litchfield dies in a plane crash over Lake Michigan.
- March 10
- (1928) The Pitt men's basketball team completes its only undefeated season with a 45-28 win at Penn State completing a 21-0 year, for which they would later be named by the Helms Athletic Foundation as National Champions.
- March 11
Jock Sutherland - (1889) Legendary Pitt football player and coach, Jock Sutherland, is born.
- March 15
- (1979) George H. W. Bush delivers a speech in the Benedum Hall auditorium.
- (2003) The Pitt men's basketball team wins their first ever Big East Basketball Tournament Championship with a 74-56 victory over Connecticut at Madison Square Garden.
- (2008) The Pitt men's basketball team wins their second Big East Basketball Tournament Championship with a 74-65 victory over Georgetown at Madison Square Garden.
- March 16
- (2011) The first Pitt baseball game is held at Charles L. Cost Field in the Petersen Sports Complex.
- March 17
- (1986) The Chevron Corporation formally transfers the lease of the Gulf Research Center in Harmarville to the university, which renames the facility the University of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC).
- March 18
- (1930) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team wraps up the 1929-30 season with a 23-2 record, for which they would be later named by the Helms Athletic Foundation as National Champions for the second time.
- March 20
- (2013) The Derrick A. Bell Constitutional Law Commons is opened on the fifth floor of the Law School's Barco Law Library.
- March 21
- (1941) The Pitt men's basketball team advances to its first Final Four with a win over North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament East Regional.
- March 26
- (1953) Dr. Jonas Salk announces from his labs at the University of Pittsburgh that his new polio vaccine tested successfully on the first 90 patients.
- (2009) The Pitt men's basketball team reaches the Elite Eight for the first time since 1975.
- March 27
- (1968) Wesley Posvar is inaugurated as the 15th permanent Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
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- March 28
- (1982) Pitt's Lisa Shirk wins the NCAA gymnastics uneven bar national championship.
- March 29
- Vartabedian Field in the Petersen Sports Complex hosts its first softball game, a 2-1 Pitt victory over Penn State.
- March 31
- (1921) Eberly Hall, then called Alumni Hall, is dedicated.
- (1924) The University of Pittsburgh radio studio of KDKA is opened in State Hall.
- (1939) The Yugoslav Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (1947) The Board of Trustees approved the changing of the name of the School of Applied Social Sciences to the School of Social Work
April
edit- April 1
WQED's original home - (1954) WQED PBS channel 13, established by the university in what is now the Music Building, begins broadcasting as the first community-sponsored television station in the United States.
- April 2
- (1993) Pitt officially opens the Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering on the former J&L Steel site.
- April 6
- (1939) Pitt's School of Nursing officially separates from the School of Medicine to become an independent, professional school within the university.
- April 9
- (2011) The Petersen Sports Complex holds its grand opening with a "First Pitch Event" that featured games played by Pitt's baseball, softball, and men's and women's soccer teams.
- (2007) The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announces it will move its headquarters operations to the U.S. Steel Tower in downtown Pittsburgh.
- April 10
Great Fire of 1845 - (1845) The Great Fire of 1845 burns 20 square blocks of Pittsburgh, including the university, destroying much of its early records.
- (2005) The University of Pittsburgh hosts a celebration of 50 years of the Pitt professor Jonas Salk and his polio vaccine.
- April 12
Jonas Salk - (1955) Successful results of field trials for the first effective polio vaccine, developed at the University of Pittsburgh by Jonas Salk, are announced.
- April 13
Jonas Salk - (1789) George Welch becomes the first principal of the Pittsburgh Academy, forerunner of the university.
- (1935) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team loses by just two baskets to LSU in the American Legion "national championship game" in Atlantic City.
- April 15
- (2003) Jamie Dixon is announced as Pitt's 14th men's basketball head coach.
- April 21
- (1975) The University of Pittsburgh receives $1 million from the Japan Iron and Steel Federation as an endowment for its Asian studies program.
- (2008) Presidential candidate Barack Obama holds a campaign rally at the Petersen Events Center.
- April 22
- (1988) The University of Pittsburgh honors native General Matthew Ridgway by naming its International Security Studies Center after him.
- (2012) The Swiss Nationality Room is dedicated.
- April 27
- (1969) Henry Kissinger, Frank Borman, and Li Choh-ming receive honorary degrees from Pitt during commencement ceremonies, held for the first time at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.
- April 30
- (1938) John Woodruff would lead Pitt relay teams to their third Penn Relays title in two days: the sprint medley, half-mile relay, and the mile relay.
May
edit- May 1
- (2003) Agnus Berenato, who would lead the Pitt women's basketball team program to its first three NCAA appearances, is named the head coach.
- May 2
- (2009) The nearly $600 million new campus of UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is opened in Lawrenceville.
- May 4
- (2009) Pitt surgeons perform the first double hand transplant in the United States.
- (1895) The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's flagship hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, is founded.
- May 5
Thyrsa Amos - (1941) Thyrsa Amos, Dean of Women at the University of Pittsburgh since 1919, dies.
- (1995) The Millstein Library is dedicated at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
- May 6
Aerodrome #6 in Posvar Hall - (1896) University professor Samuel Pierpont Langley conducts the first successful flight of heavier-than-air craft, the steam-powered Aerodrome No. 5.
- May 7
Allen Hall - (1920) The Pitt Aero Team, the University of Pittsburgh's air racing team, finishes fourth at the annual meet of Intercollegiate Flying Association, which also consists of teams from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Williams, Cornell, Rutgers, Penn, Lehigh, and Connecticut Wesleyan.
- May 8
Andrew Mellon - (1959) The first Andrew Mellon Fellows for graduate study at the University of Pittsburgh are announced.
- May 9
Allen Hall - (1939) The old Mellon Institute building, now named Allen Hall, is handed over to the university.
- May 10
Robert Bruce - (1822) The first acting chancellor of the university, Robert Bruce, is installed as Principal, a title that is held over from the Academy days.
- May 11
- (1953) Lothrop Hall, then a nurses' residence, is dedicated on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth with the presentation of a brick from her home.
- (1966) Pitt dedicates the Van de Graaff Accelerator laboratory, which housed the world's first 3-stage particle accelerator.
- May 12
George Kirk - (1910) The song "Hail to Pitt", which becomes the university's fight song, is debuted at Pitt by its lyric writer George M. Kirk during the student Cap and Gown Club play Here and There at the Carnegie Music Hall.
- May 13
George Kirk - (1965) Vice President Hubert Humphrey speaks to students at the Stephen Foster Memorial.
- May 14
- (1949) The Italian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- May 15
- (1948) The Norwegian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (2007) The University of Pittsburgh announces an ambitious $1 billion campus-wide construction plan.
- May 16
- (1943) The Romanian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (2019) The University of Pittsburgh announces its acquisition of the George A. Romero archives for its library system.
- May 18
- (1957) The Irish Nationality Room is formally opened.
- May 19
- (1995) The Pitt baseball team, the university's oldest sport, wins its first Big East Baseball Tournament.
- (1925) The University of Pittsburgh announces that the fund for the Cathedral of Learning has reached $5.6 million, double what any philanthropic cause has raised in the city's history.
- May 22
- (2000) The building housing the Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic (WPIC) is officially dedicated as Thomas Detre Hall in honor of Detre, a former WPIC director and university Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences.
- May 25
- (1975) Elaine Morris is the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
- May 26
- (1921) Madame Curie is awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Pittsburgh.
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- May 28
- (1796) The first known prospectus listing a complete catalogue of courses for the Pittsburgh Academy, forerunner of the University of Pittsburgh, is issued in the Pittsburgh Gazette by academy principal Reverend Robert Andrews.
- May 29
- (1986) Trustees of the university approved the creation of the University Honors College to expand on the pre-existing University Honors Program.
- May 30
- (1918) During commencement exercises, Mary O'Hara Darlington and Edith Darlington Ammon present the University with the initial 11,000 volumes of the Darlington Collection, one of the most important library collections on Western Pennsylvania history.
- May 31
- (2000) The Henry Heymann Theatre in the lower of level of the Stephen Foster Memorial opens with the University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre's production of Ferris Wheel.
- (1948) Five stations respond to a chemical fire at the University of Pittsburgh's University of Pittsburgh Engineering Labs in the Oakland neighborhood.
June
edit- June 1
- (2008) The Welsh Nationality Room is dedicated.
- June 2
- (1937) The Stephen Foster Memorial is opened and dedicated.
- June 3
- (2005) The "Senior Olympics" open in Pittsburgh with the Petersen Events Center serving as headquarters and Fitzgerald Field House, Trees Hall, and the Cost Sports Center also hosting events.
- June 4
- (1937) At 4 p.m., the cornerstone of the Commons Room in the Cathedral of Learning is laid by Chancellor John Bowman
- (1890) UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh opens its doors for the first time.
- (1883) The Western Pennsylvania Medical College, which becomes the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is chartered.
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- June 8
- (1932) General Douglas MacArthur delivers the commencement address for University of Pittsburgh's graduation ceremonies in Pitt Stadium.
- June 9
- (1916) The Gamma chapter of the Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society is installed at the University of Pittsburgh.
- (1961) Amos Hall is dedicated at the University of Pittsburgh.
- (1996) The Austrian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (2019) The Philippine Nationality Room is dedicated.
- June 15
Thaw Hall - (1910) Thaw Hall, the original Engineering Building and the only remaining building of architect Henry Hornbostel's "Acropolis Plan" for the campus, is dedicated.
- June 17
- (1990) The Ukrainian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- June 18
- (1999) 3,000 attend the groundbreaking of Heinz Field, the new $262 million home for Pitt football and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- June 20
- (1996) Mark Nordenberg, who had served as interim chancellor since August 1, 1995, is selected as Pitt's 17th permanent chancellor by the Board of Trustees.
- (2005) The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute receives a $20 million in donations from the Pittsburgh based Hillman Foundation.
- June 21
- (1881) Henry MacCracken becomes Pitt's sixth permanent chancellor.
- (1957) The University of Pittsburgh announces plans for a new graduate program to train engineers in all phases of air pollution control.
- June 23
- (1999) John Peterson, a University of Pittsburgh alumnus, and his wife Gertrude, make the largest individual gift the university up until that point. The gift will be used for the Peterson Events Center.
- June 24
- (2018) The Thomas Starzl statue is dedicated on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning.
- June 28
- (1941) The Syria-Lebanon Nationality Room formally opens.
- (1954) The University of Pittsburgh has the groundbreaking ceremony for the $15 million Parran Hall to house the schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing.
- (1926) Plans are announced for a $7 million campaign for establishment of what would become the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's main campus.
- June 29
- (1953) Ground is broken for the School of Medicine's Scaife Hall.
July
edit- July 1
- (2013) Pitt becomes an official member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
- (1988) Pitt surgeons perform the first ever liver-pancrease transplant surgery in the United States.
- (1987) University of Pittsburgh trustees vote to divest any funds affiliated with investment in South Africa in response to that country's system of Apartheid.
- (1954) Ground is broken on a Fifth Avenue site, facing the Cathedral of Learning, for the University of Pittsburgh's new $2.5 million Clapp Hall.
- (1908) The Western Pennsylvania Medical College, the Medical Department of the university, becomes wholly a part of the University of Pittsburgh.
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- July 8
- (1872) The lens from the Fitz-Clark refractor telescope of the Allegheny Observatory is stolen and subsequently held for ransom.
- (1938) The first Nationality Rooms, German, Russian, Scottish, and Swedish, are dedicated.
- July 11
- (1908) 121 year old Western University of Pennsylvania is officially renamed to the University of Pittsburgh.
- July 25
- (1999) The Japanese Nationality Room is dedicated.
- July 27
- (2001) Long-time University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Wesley Posvar passes away.
August
edit- August 1
- (2014) Patrick D. Gallagher assumes his role as the 18th Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
- August 3
- (1927) Charles Lindbergh is welcomed to Pittsburgh in front of a large crowd at the university's Pitt Stadium during his national tour promoting aviation and celebrating his achievement in being the first to fly nonstop from New York to Paris.
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- August 4
- (1936) In one of the most dramatic 800 meter races in history, Pitt freshman John Woodruff wins an Olympic gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics after coming to a complete stop during the final in order to free himself from being boxed in.
- August 5
- (1953) The Music Building is donated to Pitt by PPG Industries to use as a headquarters for WQED.
- August 6
- (1984) Pitt hurdler Roger Kingdom wins his first Olympic Gold Medal in the 110m hurdles by upsetting world record holder Greg Foster in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
- August 7
- (2005) Former University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino is inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
- August 14
- (1990) Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivers the Heinz Foundation Distinguished Lecture at the William Pitt Union.
- August 15
- (1933) Groundbreaking ceremonies take place for Heinz Memorial Chapel.
- August 21
- (1998) Pitt surgeons perform the first pediatric heart-double lung-liver transplant in the United States at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
- August 23
- (1966) Pitt becomes a "state-related" university as part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education when House Bill Number 2 of the Pennsylvania General Assembly is signed.
- August 28
- (1989) The Armenian Nationality Room is dedicated.
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- August 31
- (2001) The "Millennium Panther", gift from the 1999 student body, is dedicated outside of the William Pitt Union.
September
edit- September 1
- (2001) Pitt plays their first game in Heinz Field, the first official football game played in the stadium, defeating East Tennessee State 31-0.
- September 2
- (1854) The cornerstone is laid for a sixteen-room building in downtown Pittsburgh, at the site of the present day City-County Building, that would serve as the university's main facility from 1854 to 1882.
- September 3
- (1963) The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford opens for classes.
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- September 5
- (2000) The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center opens the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for both the Pitt Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
- September 6
- (1968) Hillman Library is formally dedicated.
- September 7
- (1954) Former Pittsburgh Panthers football coach Pop Warner dies.
- September 8
- (1968) Richard Nixon, Pat and family visit the 10th and last day of Billy Graham's nationally televised second "Pittsburgh Crusade" at Pitt Stadium.
- (1983) The William Pitt Union reopens after a $13.9 million renovation that added a new Fifth Avenue entrance and functional lower level as well as an award-winning restoration of the original Louis XV-style interiors.
- September 9
- (1958) The University of Pittsburgh announces that as part of its expansion plans they will purchase and demolish Forbes Field.
- September 12
- (1995) Vice President Al Gore gives a lunchtime rally on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning.
- September 14
- (1931) Pitt's Fanny Edel Falk Laboratory School opened for the first time with 80 students and six teachers.
- September 16
- (2000) The Pitt football team defeats Penn State 12-0 in the final game of the Pitt–Penn State rivalry for another 16 years.
- September 17
- (1958) The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) officially opened with a "First Assembly" of the first class of students at 2:00 p.m. in the William Pitt Union.
- September 18
- (2011) The Atlantic Coast Conference extends a formal invitation to the University of Pittsburgh.
- September 20
- (1969) The Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Wojtyła, who in 1978 became Pope John Paul II, unveils a plaque on Allen Hall commemorating Marie Curie's visit to the university in 1921.
- September 21
- (1926) The university's board of trustees approves plans for and authorizes construction of the Cathedral of Learning.
- September 22
- (1947) The Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust Fund gave $13.6 million to the University of Pittsburgh to build and operate a Graduate School of Public Health.
- (2011) Pitt announced that alumnus and board of trustees member William S. Dietrich II had given the school its then largest ever donation; a $125 million gift that resulted in the School of Arts and Sciences being renamed for his Dietrich's father, Kenneth.
- September 23
- (1878) The School of Pharmacy, originally known as The Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy, is granted its founding charter by the state of Pennsylvania.
- September 24
- (1956) The former Schenley Hotel, now named the William Pitt Union, is officially opened as a student center. Clapp Hall is also officially opened.
- (1959) Nikita Khrushchev, chairman of the Soviet Union, and his wife tour the university and its Nationality Rooms and then attend, with various Soviet and U.S. officials, including Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., a luncheon hosted by Pitt Chancellor Edward H. Litchfield in the William Pitt Union ballroom.
- (2009) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks in the Cathedral of Learning Commons Room and meets with students in the Russian Nationality Room.
- September 25
- (2013) Wangari Maathai Trees and Garden dedicated on the lawn of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning.
- September 26
- (1910) The first issue of The Pitt News is published.
- (1925) Pitt Stadium hosts its first football game with Pitt defeating Washington & Lee, 28-0.
- (1967) The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) opens its new campus in Richland Township with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower serving as a guest speaker at the dedication ceremony.
- September 27
- (1926) At 11:15 am, ground is broken for the Cathedral of Learning.
- September 28
- (1931) The university's Falk Clinic, part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is dedicated with Chancellor John Gabbert Bowman accepting a key to the building.
- September 29
- (1939) The Hungarian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (1951) Pitt hosts Duke in the first nationwide television broadcast of a live sporting event, a football game at Pitt Stadium, which is televised coast-to-coast by NBC.
- September 30
- (1950) The School of Public Health admits their first class composed of 30 students.
October
edit- October 1
- (1901) Pitt's School of Information Sciences, forerunner of the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information is founded as the Training School for Children's Librarians at the Carnegie Library.
- October 2
- (1908) The cornerstone laying ceremony takes place for both the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and the first university building in Oakland, State Hall, formerly located at the site of present day Chevron Science Center.
- October 3
- (1911) The original Trees Gymnasium, since demolished and replaced by nearby Trees Hall, is dedicated.
- October 4
- (1940) The Lithuanian Nationality Room is dedicated.
- October 5
- (1905) The university assumes charge of the Dental Department which is renamed to the School of Dentistry thus becoming an integral part of the university.
- October 6
- (2005) Pitt opens the $250 million the Medical School's Biomedical Science Tower (BST) 3.
- (1939) The Chinese Nationality Room is dedicated.
- October 8
- (1921) First live radio broadcast of a college football game in the United States by KDKA when Harold W. Arlin announces a 21-13 Pitt victory over West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl at Forbes Field.
- (1855) Pitt resumed classes after the devastating fires in 1845 and 1849 twice destroyed its facilities.
- October 9
- (1957) All major student activities are moved into the former Schenley Hotel, recently acquired and renovated, and today known as the William Pitt Union.
- October 10
- (1915) "Pop" Warner makes his debut as the head football coach of Pitt with a 32-0 win over Westminster.
- October 11
- (1890) First official game played by the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team against the Allegheny Athletic Association at Exposition Park.
- (2002) The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center opens the $130 million 350,000 square foot Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside.
- October 12
- (1962) President John F. Kennedy delivers a speech at Fitzgerald Field House.
- (1974) Pitt's women's volleyball team earns the program's first win at Ashland.
- October 18
- (1978) The School of Nursing's home facility, the Victoria Building, is formally dedicated.
- October 19
- (1978) Posvar Hall, then known as Forbes Quadrangle, is formally dedicated at 4:30 p.m.
- October 20
- (1983) Katz Graduate School of Business officially dedicates its new home, Mervis Hall.
- October 21
- (2003) United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan delivers the Heinz Foundation Distinguished Lecture and receives an honorary doctorate in Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh in Soldiers and Sailors Hall.
- October 22
- (1971) The First Annual University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar, founded by Pitt professor and jazz artist Nathan Davis, begins.
- October 23
- (1976) Pitt running back Tony Dorsett breaks the all-time NCAA college football rushing record, a mark which would stand until 1998.
- October 25
- (1917) Long-time university trustee and legendary running back Marshall Goldberg, the school's first Heisman Trophy candidate and member of the 1937 national championship team, is born.
- October 26
- (2006) Nobel Peace Prize winner and Pitt alumnae Wangari Maathai receives an honorary doctoral degree and delivers a lecture to the Pitt community at Alumni Hall.
- October 29
- (1983) Pitt surgeons perform the first known cystic fibrosis heart-lung transplant.
- (1986) The University of Pittsburgh announces that the Smithsonian Institution will gift its radiocarbon dating laboratory to Pitt.
- (1976) The Elizabeth Nesbitt Room in the School of Information Sciences is dedicated.
November
edit- November 1
- (1985) Pitt beings operations of the first campus-wide fiber optic communications network in higher education allowing for high-speed voice, data, and video communications.
- (1987) The Israel Heritage Nationality Room is dedicated.
- November 2
- (1966) At noon, Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a speech to Pitt students and faculty in the William Pitt Union ballroom.
- November 4
- (2011) At noon, Vice President Joe Biden delivers a speech in the Connolly Ballroom of Alumni Hall.
- November 7
- (1922) The Society of Cwens, now known as Lambda Sigma college sophomore honor society, is founded at the University of Pittsburgh.
- (1941) The Greek Nationality Room is dedicated.
- (1984) The International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame's permanent home is dedicated in the William Pitt Union.
- November 9
- (1993) A Peregrine falcon nesting box is officially opened by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the National Aviary on a 38th floor parapet on the west side of the Cathedral of Learning.
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- November 10
- (2004) Jeopardy! College Championship kicks off three weeks of broadcasting at the Petersen Events Center.
- November 11
- (1974) Chevron Science Center and Lauren H. Ashe auditorium are dedicated during a 3 p.m. ceremony.
- November 12
- (1982) Pitt's women's volleyball team earns the university's first ever Big East Conference championship by winning the Big East Volleyball Tournament in the school's first year of conference play.
- November 13
- (1999) In the final game at Pitt Stadium, Pitt's football team defeats Notre Dame, 37–27, in front of 60,190 spectators.
- November 15
- (2002) Pitt dedicates the College of General Studies' 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) McCarl Center for Nontraditional Student Success which was then located on fourth floor of the Cathedral of Learning.
- November 16
- (1909) The Panther is adopted as the official animal and mascot of the university, the first time a panther is adopted as a mascot by any college or university.
- November 18
- (1883) At noon, the university's Allegheny Observatory transmits its first telegraph signal to synchronized railroad schedules across the continent to standard time.
- (1981) Pitt announces it has joined the Big East Conference.
- November 20
- (1938) At 2:30 p.m., Heinz Memorial Chapel is dedicated.
- November 21
- (1952) The English Nationality Room is dedicated.
- November 22
- (1890) The Pitt football team wins the program's first ever official game, defeating Geneva College 10-4.
- (2002) The first official basketball game is played at the Petersen Events Center when the Pitt women's basketball team defeats Robert Morris, 90-51.
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- November 23
- (2002) The first official men's basketball game at the Petersen Events Center is played when Pitt defeats City Game rival Duquesne, 82-67.
- November 24
- (1904) The Pitt football team puts the finishing touches on its first undefeated season with 22-5 victory over Penn State, thus improving to 10-0.
- (1910) The Pitt football team clinches a undefeated and unscored upon season, credited by some as a National Championship, when they shut out Penn State 11-0.
- November 25
- (1926) Panthers rusher Gibby Welch sets a new all time yardage record in a college career, breaking Red Grange's mark with a win over Penn State at Pitt Stadium.
- November 26
- (1921) Andrew W. and Richard B. Mellon present to the university a 14-acre (57,000 m2) tract of land then known as Frick Acres. On this land will be built the Cathedral of Learning, Heinz Chapel, and the Stephen Foster Memorial.
- (1931) The Pitt football team defeats Nebraska, 40-0, the team's sixth shutout of the season en route to an 8-1 record that serves as the basis for the school's claim to its fifth National Championship.
- November 28
- (1929) The Pitt football team defeats Penn State, 20–7, wrapping up a 9–0 regular-season record that serves as the basis for the school's claim on its fourth National Championship.
- (1958) Fifty-year-old Forbes Field is sold to the expansion-minded University of Pittsburgh and rented back to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the next eleven seasons.
- (2008) In one of sports' biggest upsets, the unranked Pittsburgh Panthers stun undefeated number 2 West Virginia University at Morgantown, 19–15, in that season's Backyard Brawl.
- November 30
- (1976) Pitt football running back Tony Dorsett receives the Heisman Trophy in New York.
December
edit- December 1
- (2007) In the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl, in a game later voted as the "Game of the Year" by ESPNU, 28 point underdog Pitt upsets the number one-ranked Mountaineers 13–9 in Morgantown, knocking West Virginia out of the BCS National Championship Game.
- (1998) Ground is broken for Bouquet Gardens, the first structure to be built on campus since 1992.
- December 3
- (1989) Pitt surgeons perform the world's first ever heart, liver, and kidney transplant surgery.
- December 6
- (1991) Nelson Mandela delivers a speech at the University of Pittsburgh in Sailors and Soldiers Hall.
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- December 15
- (1951) The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team opens the legendary Fitzgerald Field House with a victory over Columbia University. The arena will serve as their home for 51 seasons.
- December 17
- (1989) The African Heritage Nationality Room is dedicated.
- December 18
- (1972) Johnny Majors is hired for his first tenure as the head coach of the Pitt football team.
- December 19
- (1856) John F. McLaren is formally inaugurated as the university's Principal, a title, originating from the school's days as the Pittsburgh Academy, that was used for the head of the university until it was changed in 1872 to Chancellor.
- December 20
- (1922) The legendary Jock Sutherland signs his first contract to be the head coach of Pitt football.
- (2001) The Pitt football team defeats NC State, 34-19, in the Tangerine Bowl.
- December 21
- (1942) The Mulert Memorial classroom, room 204 of the Cathedral of Learning, is dedicated.
- December 22
- (2011) Paul Chryst is named the head football coach of Pitt football.
- December 23
- (2004) Dave Wannstedt is named the head football coach of Pitt football.
- December 25
- (1979) The Pitt football team defeats Arizona, 16-10, in the Fiesta Bowl to finish with an 11-1 record.
- December 26
- (2009) The Pitt football team defeats North Carolina, 19-17, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- (2002) The Pitt football team defeats Oregon State, 38-13, in the Insight Bowl.
- (1975) The Pitt football team defeats Kansas, 33-19, in the Sun Bowl.
- December 29
- (1980) The Pitt football team defeats South Carolina, 37-9, in the Gator Bowl to finish with an 11-1 record.
- December 30
- (1977) The Pitt football team defeats Clemson, 34-3, in the Gator Bowl.
