Columbia University. Commencement Collection.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED The first Commencement of King's College, as Columbia University was originally called, was held on June 21, 1758, in St. George's Chapel on Beekman Street in lower Manhattan. Seven men were graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and four honorary degrees were conferred. According to an observation in the New York Mercury on June 26, 1758, in this first ceremony there was an address given on the "Advantages of a liberal Education," and a Mr. Treadwell demonstrated the "Revolution of the Earth round the Sun" using both astronomical observations and the Theory of Gravity. Apparently he was successful in defending his thesis.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED These exercises were conducted almost entirely in Latin during the King's College period, and for yet another century classical orations formed a regular part of the program. These orations, usually in English, are now presented at the Columbia College Class Day.

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