On This Day highlights events that shaped the university. These moments mark groundbreaking research developments, breakthroughs in social change and basketball championships.
A new coffee table book collects major moments and little-known stories of Duke’s history
Mary Mitchell Harris, Gene Kendall, Cassandra Smith Rush, Nathaniel White and Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke made history when they became the first African Americans to integrate the school’s undergraduate program.
Classes in specialized fields at the School of Medicine began on August 15, 1930. Then, the first classes for medical students pursuing MDs started a few months later on Oct. 2.
A team led by John Newton, marine superintendent for Duke’s oceanographic program, was conducting a two-week sonar survey in the waters off Cape Hatteras when they found the upside-down wreck of the legendary USS Monitor.
On July 29, 1984, Duke student Nancy Hogshead won the gold medal in the Summer Olympics in the 100-meter freestyle, tying with Carrie Steinseifer with both hitting the wall at 55.92 seconds.
A team of students from Pratt School of Engineering broke the Guinness World Record for most fuel-efficient vehicle on Saturday, July 21, 2018. Their hydrogen fuel cell
Duke University Hospital opened to much fanfare and drew wide regional media attention when it opened in 1930.