On Jan. 25, 1819, the University of Virginia was founded after being conceived by Thomas Jefferson in 1800 while he was serving as Vice President of the U.S. The building of the school began in 1817, on land outside Charlottesville purchased from James Monroe.

The school was chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1819, and the first classes met in March of 1825. The University was the first in U.S. history to offer specialized degrees in scientific subjects such as botany and astronomy.