History Happens Here
At the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide, we’ve made a habit of breaking new ground. We were our state’s first university. The first in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ to admit women to all our degree courses on an equal basis to men.ÌýThe first to offer degrees in science and business. And the first to establish a conservatorium of music.
In recent times, that spirit of innovation has only grown stronger. For example:
- we were one of only three universities in the world to be involved in each of the following major scientific discoveries: gravitational waves; the Higgs boson elementary particle; and a celestial source of high-energy neutrinos
- we’re currently co-leading creation of the world’s first definitive legal text on conflict in space
- our photonics and advanced sensing researchers have created the world’s most precise timepiece, known as the Sapphire Clock
- in each of the past two years, we’ve had a young researcher recognised in MIT Technology Review’s prestigious Innovators Under 35 list for the Asia Pacific; we were the only ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n university represented in 2020, and in 2019 we were one of just two.
By making history we shape the future. And we’ve only just begun.
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The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide was founded in 1874 with two complementary goals: to prepare new generations of leaders who were distinguished and shaped by education, not birth or wealth; and to challenge societal norms that hindered progress or reinforced inequality. We soon succeeded.
- 1881: First ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n university to admit women to all our degree courses on an equal basis to men.Ìý
- 1882: First ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n university to offer science degrees.
- 1900: First ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n university to establish a music conservatorium, Chair of Music, and Doctor of Music postgraduate qualification.
- 1902: First ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n university to offer tertiary education in business.
Developing generations of history makers
Our alumni have also embodied our spirit of history making. We proudly count among them:
- five Nobel Laureates, accounting for almost a third of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥â€™s 16 total recipients
- over 100 Rhodes Scholars, including our country’s first Indigenous ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n recipient
- one of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥â€™s most revered Antarctic explorers, Sir Douglas Mawson, OBE, who was a Professor of Geology and Mineralogy here for 31 years
- ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥â€™s first female prime minister, the Hon. Julia Gillard, AC
- professional astronaut and first ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n to walk in space, Andy Thomas, AO.
Another of our alumni, the remarkable Dame Roma Mitchell, AC, DBE, CVO, QC became ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥â€™s first female Queen's Counsel, Supreme Court judge, university chancellor and state governor.
The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide Library'sÌýSpecial Collections and ArchivesÌýpreserves the historical records of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ from the time of its establishment. If you would like to access the records, please contact theÌýÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ Library Special Collections teamÌýfor assistance.