Princeton

Princeton University was founded on October 22, 1746, under royal charter as the College of New Jersey, the fourth college established in the American colonies. It relocated from Elizabeth to Newark and finally to Princeton in 1756, occupying Nassau Hall, which served as the entire college for decades and briefly housed the Continental Congress in 1783. The university was officially renamed Princeton University in 1896, coinciding with its 150th anniversary and its reorganization into a modern research university under President Francis Patton. Woodrow Wilson, who later became the 28th President of the United States, served as university president from 1902 to 1910 and introduced the preceptorial system of small-group instruction that remains a hallmark of Princeton's undergraduate education. Academically, Princeton is organized into four undergraduate residential colleges and hosts the Graduate School along with professional schools including the School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School), the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Architecture. The university offers concentrations (majors) in over 36 fields and requires all undergraduates to complete an independent research thesis, a tradition that distinguishes Princeton graduates for their research capabilities. Princeton's faculty and alumni have shaped virtually every field of human knowledge. Notable alumni include Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, Ben Bernanke, and Sonia Sotomayor. Faculty and researchers affiliated with Princeton have made foundational contributions in mathematics, physics, economics, and computer science, including John Nash, whose work on game theory was depicted in the film A Beautiful Mind. The campus itself is an architectural landmark, featuring Collegiate Gothic buildings alongside works by acclaimed architects including Frank Gehry's Lewis Library and Demetri Porphyrios's Whitman College. Princeton also maintains one of the finest university art museums in the United States, housing over 115,000 works spanning five millennia. Princeton's athletic program, known as the Tigers, competes in the NCAA Division I Ivy League conference across 38 varsity sports, with particular historic strength in rowing, wrestling, and lacrosse.