1842
Secretary of the Navy A. P. Upshur's report on the condition of the Navy addresses the deplorable state of education of naval officers. Little or no attention has hitherto been paid to the proper education of naval officers. For many years the young midshipmen were left to educate themselves and one another. Their schools were held in receiving ships and cruising vessels, in the midst of a thousand interruptions and impediments, which render the whole system of little or no value.
December 1
Midshipman Philip Spencer and two bluejackets are hanged at the yardarm of the small brig Somers for what is perceived by the captain, Commander Alexander Slidell MacKenzie, to be a mutiny. The incident becomes a catalyst for founding the Naval Academy.
1845
March 11
George Bancroft of Massachusetts, outstanding historian, educator, and energetic administrator, becomes Secretary of the Navy, appointed by President Polk.
May 1
Secretary Bancroft requests four professors at the successful Philadelphia Asylum school to make a report of the instruction and procedures there for the planning of a new school.
June 25
Naval Board of Examiners submits recommendations for a naval school at Annapolis.
September 3
Fort Severn, Annapolis, Maryland, a nine acre tract of land called Windmill Point, is transferred from the War Department to the Navy Department. Commander Franklin Buchanan is placed in command.
October 10
At 11:00 a.m., the superintendent,
Commander Franklin Buchanan, assembles the 7 professors (3 civilians,
4 officers) and some 50 midshipmen in one of the classrooms and
declares the school open. Buchanan will later command the Confederate
forces at Mobile Bay.
The original Naval School course covers five years, with the first
and last being spent at the school and the three intervening years
being spent at sea.
1846
January 15
First midshipmen's ball is held.
Spring
Midshipmen Spirit Club presents the school's first theatrical production, "Lady of Lyons."
May 13
War with Mexico declared.
An orderly system of advancing the date of commissioning is established.
Before the end of the war, 90 officers will be furnished to the
Navy. The school's successful adjustment to war needs may well have
been the proof of its value to the Navy that was needed to justify
its existence and silence the skeptics. Various war trophies will
be located at the Naval Academy. Guns on the Academy grounds bear
such colorful names as "Biter", "Grumbler",
and "Last Argument of the King."
August 10
Congress recognizes the existence of the school by voting $28,200 "for repairs, improvements and instruction at Fort Severn."
1847
January 21
Second naval ball is held in the newly completed mess hall, library/lyceum.
March 15
Commander George P. Upshur becomes superintendent.
First acquisition of adjacent land--six acres, purchased for $14,105
added to school.
1848
Midshipmen erect their first monument
to Midshipmen Henson, Clemson, Pillsbury, and Shubrick who were
lost in the Mexican War.
Instigated by Professor Henry Lockwood, a West Pointer, the Academic
Board adopts military drill at the Naval School. Angry midshipmen
are aroused to new heights for they know the old maxim of the day:
"A messmate before a shipmate, a shipmate before a stranger,
a stranger before a dog, but a dog before a 'sojer' (soldier). "
Professor Lockwood is hanged in effigy from the school's flagstaff
for inventing "Midshipmen P-rades."
1850
A process of reorganization, designed chiefly to avoid interruption of and fragmentation in the education of midshipmen, is undertaken:
- School is placed under the Chief, Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography.
- Post of Commandant of Midshipmen is created. Incumbent serves as executive officer and instructor in tactics and seamanship.
- Uniform is designed for acting midshipmen.
- USS Preble is assigned to the academy as a ship for annual summer cruises making an uninterrupted four-year course possible.
July 1
Commander Cornelius K. Stribling becomes superintendent.
School is renamed the United States Naval Academy.
A consecutive four-year course of study is adapted.
1851
Department of Drawing is established
1852
The Preble makes a foreign summer cruise.
First foreign navy visit to the Naval Academy -- Royal Dutch Navy frigate
Prince of Orange.
August 31
Appointments to the Naval Academy come under the control of Congress.
1853
Construction of gas works completed. Naval Academy becomes one of the earliest
institutions in U.S. to have central heat and light.
Department of Astronomy, Navigation and Surveying is established.
May 7
First Naval Academy Band arrives.
November 1
Commander Louis M. Goldsborough becomes superintendent.
1854
June 10
First graduation exercise is conducted in the new chapel at noon as members of the class of 1854 (6 graduates) complete a full formal course of instruction at the Naval Academy.
1857
New hospital is built for $13,000.
September 15
Captain George S. Blake becomes superintendent.
1858
First approved midshipmen's association, the Lawrence Literary Society, is organized.
The Japanese bell is presented by Mrs. Matthew C. Perry. It had been given to Perry by
the regent of the Loo Choo (Ryukyu) Islands during his expedition to Japan.
1860
Rev. William Whiting, a clergyman of the Church of England, composed the "Navy Hymn"
(Eternal Father, strong to save) after passing safely through a violent gale on the
Mediterranean Sea. Music was written by John Bacchus Dykes of England.
First foreign national to attend the Naval Academy, the Frenchman Pierre d'Orleans,
Duc de Penthievre.
Stars above anchors on collars first designate midshipmen for academic achievement.
June
Herndon Monument is erected. It commemorates Commander William Lewis Herndon, who went down with the mail steamer Central America in a storm off South Carolina in 1857. After making every possible effort to save the ship, Herndon left the quarterdeck long enough to don his full dress uniform, in which he returned to his post to meet a seaman's death.
November
Tripoli Monument is moved to the Naval Academy from Washington.
1861
Midshipmen Choir is established.
April 12
Civil War Begins.
April 21
Troops of the U. S. Army under General Benjamin F. Butler land at the Naval Academy.
April 25
Frigate USS Constitution carries Academy Midshipmen to Newport, R. I.
May 13
Classes reconvene in Newport.
1862
October
USS Santee arrives at Newport, Rhode Island, following refit at the Boston Navy Yard, to serve as a school ship for the Naval Academy. She will continue to serve the Academy until 1912.
1863
May
Schooner-yacht America is assigned to the Naval Academy.
1865
By Civil War's end 400 graduates served in the Union Navy, 95 in the Confederate Navy; 23 graduates were killed in battle or died of wounds.
August 9
The Naval Academy returns to Annapolis after 4 years in Newport.
August 31
U. S. Marine Detachment is assigned to the Naval Academy.
The Department of Steam Enginery is established under Chief Engineer W. W. Wood.
September 9
Rear Admiral David D. Porter becomes superintendent and commences the huge job of restoring the Naval Academy. Among many innovations, he will begin the incorporation of athletics and social functions into their proper place at the Academy. A newspaper wag of the day terms the Academy "Porter's Dancing Academy."
1866
Graduation exercises in chapel are followed by baseball match between 1st and 2nd classes.
Original Maryland Governor's Mansion is purchased for $25,000 and converted into library and offices.
1867
June
June Week festivities and ceremonies organized.
Boat clubs for 1st and 2nd classes introduce crew races.
1868
Strawberry Hill, 67 acres across College Creek, is purchased.
Figurehead of USS Delaware, later to be known as "Tecumseh,"
arrives from Norfolk.
New red brick, Victorian Gothic, chapel is completed.
Second chapel is dedicated by Chaplain George W. Smith.
1869
An additional 46 acres across College Creek are purchased.
Naval Academy class rings are adopted as a new tradition.
Navy crew meets Quaker City Boat Club in first outside sports competition.
New Quarters dormitory is completed.
Natural Philosophy (Science) building is completed.
The midshipmen battalion, commanded by a cadet lieutenant commander, is organized into four
companies, each commanded by a cadet lieutenant.
December 1
Commodore John L. Worden becomes superintendent.
1871
Midshipmen color competition, the Color Parade, and the "Color Girl" ceremony are initiated.
1872
September
First black midshipman, James Conyers, reports. He will resign November 1873.
1873
October 9
U. S. Naval Institute is founded in the Lyceum for "the advancement of professional, literary, and scientific knowledge in the Navy."
1874
First course in mechanical engineering offered in the United States is established.
September 22
Rear Admiral Christopher R. P. Rodgers becomes superintendent.
1878
Albert A. Michelson (USNA 1873) first accurately measures the speed of light with $10 worth of apparatus along the seawall.
July 1
Commodore Foxhall A. Parker becomes superintendent. His brother, William H. Parker, had been superintendent of the Confederate Naval Academy during the Civil War.
October
The Naval Academy is awarded a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exposition for the best system of education in the United States.
August 2
Rear Admiral George B. Balch becomes superintendent. The previous superintendent, Commodore Foxhall A. Parker, had died during June Week.
December 11
The first Naval Academy football game results in Naval Academy~ 0, Baltimore Athletic Club~ 0.
1880
First natatorium is built, one story brick, 34 by 62 feet, with slate roof.
1881
Midshipmen march in President James A. Garfield's inaugural parade.
June 10
President James A. Garfield attends graduation and becomes the first president to give commencement address.
June 13
Rear Admiral Christopher R. P. Rodgers becomes superintendent for second time.
November 14
Captain Francis M. Ramsay becomes superintendent. He is the first superintendent who is an alumnus (class of 1856) of the Naval Academy.
1882
Graduates are authorized to enter the U. S. Marine Corps. Legislation is passed that designates
the student officers as "naval cadets."
Congress limits the number of Academy graduates who can be taken into the Navy.
The distinction between cadet engineers and naval cadets is abolished in both name and training.
Up to this year, some 135 cadet engineers have been furnished to the fleet.
1853
The U. S. Naval Academy Graduates Association is founded--will be renamed the U. S. Naval Academy Alumni Association in 1931.
September 9
Commander William T. Sampson becomes superintendent.
1887
Studies of electricity and metallurgy are begun.
1889
By act of Congress the age limit for midshipmen is raised from 14 to 15 years minimum and 18 to 20 years maximum.
1890
The Navy "N" varsity athletic letter is introduced.
June 13
Captain Robert L. Phythian becomes superintendent.
November 29
The Naval Academy football team first plays and defeats the United States Military Academy 24-0.
1891
The Naval Academy Athletic Association is founded by Commander Colby M. Chester.
1892
The colors of the Naval Academy are designated blue and gold. This ends the tradition of each class selecting its own colors.
1893
Bill the Goat makes his debut as Navy's mascot.
Midshipman Joseph M. Reeves (USNA 1894) invents the first football helmet.
1894
The yearbook, Lucky Bag, is first published.
November 15
Captain Philip H. Cooper becomes superintendent.
1895
The Board of Visitors, of which Robert Means Thompson is a member, condemns the Academy's
inadequate facilities and recommends new buildings to replace those erected during the
administration of Admiral Porter. Mr. Ernest Flagg, an eminent New York architect, develops
an architectural and topographical master plan for a new academy. He and Robert Thompson prepare
a comprehensive plan for rebuilding the entire Naval Academy.
Thompson Trophy for best all-round athlete is established.
1896
January
The Board of Survey endorsed the Flagg grand Beaux Arts style plan to rebuild the Naval Academy.
1898
April 23
The Spanish-American War begins. At the outset of the war, 2,307 midshipmen had graduated from the Naval Academy. Dewey, Sampson, and Schley are among graduates who win new combat luster for the school.
July 15
Rear Admiral Frederick V. McNair becomes superintendent.
July 16
Following the American naval victory at Santiago, Admiral Cervera and other officers of the Spanish Navy are quartered in Academy buildings as "prisoners of war," though they are soon paroled and spend the summer enjoying the hospitality of Academy personnel and Annapolis society more as guests than prisoners.
August
A Protocol of Peace is negotiated and hostilities generally cease. Representatives of Spain and the United States sign a formal peace treaty in Paris on December 10, 1898.
1899
Park Benjamin, class of 1867, designs the Naval Academy Seal.
This is approved and adopted by the Navy Department. The seal is a hand grasping a trident, below which is a shield
bearing an ancient galley coming into action. Below that is an open book, indicative of education. The motto
is Ex Scientia Tridens: From Knowledge, Sea Power.
The Army-Navy football game is held for the first time in Philadelphia (Franklin Field). The score was
Army 17 - Navy 5.
March 28
Construction begins on Dahlgren Hall, first building of the "New Naval Academy."
1900
The submarine USS Holland arrives at the Naval Academy for training and testing. It is the first "modern" submarine.
March 15
Commander Richard Wainwright becomes superintendent.
The training ship USS Chesapeake (renamed USS Severn in 1905) is assigned to the Naval Academy for
midshipmen training for seven years.
1902
July 1
The designation of student officers reverts from "naval cadet" to "midshipman" at the Academy.
November 1
119 midshipmen become sick, 6 seriously ill, resulting in a board of investigation. The conclusion is milk poisoning.
November 6
Captain Willard H. Brownson becomes superintendent.
1903
New Marine Barracks is built which will later be named Halligan Hall.
The Brigade expands from four to eight companies.
March 7
Dahlgren and Macdonough Halls are completed.
1904
The coast squadron of the North Atlantic Fleet, comprising two battleships, four monitors, and seven destroyers, embarks some of the midshipmen. This sets a pattern for the standard midshipmen's cruises in ships of the fleet, which actually will begin in 1912.
June 3
Cornerstone of present chapel laid by Admiral of the Navy George Dewey. The chapel was designed in the shape of a Greek cross to seat 1,600 worshippers.
1905
Chaplain H. H. Clark writes the first Reef Points, the "Plebe's bible." It is published by the local YMCA.
July 1
Rear Admiral James H. Sands becomes superintendent.
John Paul Jones's body is brought to the Academy by the American Squadron under command
of Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee, accompanied by the French cruiser Julien de la Graviere.
1906
April 24
Body of John Paul Jones moved to Dahlgren Hall for grand commemoration ceremony. President Theodore Roosevelt delivers principal address.
December 1
The Naval Academy song "Anchors Aweigh" is sung for the first time at the Army-Navy football
game. Written by Lieutenant Charles A. Zimmerman, bandmaster of the Academy and choir director,
the song is dedicated to the class of 1907. Zimmerman composed a piece of music each year for the
graduating class.
First and second wings of Bancroft Hall are completed.
1907
Mahan Hall Library and the academic group of buildings are completed. English, History, and Government
move into Maury Hall; Science moves into Sampson Hall.
Masqueraders theatrical group is established.
Dr. Albert A. Michelson (USNA 1873) becomes the first American to win the Nobel Prize in physics.
Carl T. Osburn (USNA 1907) will be the winner of 5 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze Olympic medals in
rifle (1912,1920, and 1924).
July 15
Captain Charles J. Badger (USNA 1873) becomes superintendent.
1908
May 28
First service held in new chapel.
1909
June
A two-year School of Marine Engineering is established at the Naval Academy for post- graduate study. Shorter courses for ordnance specialists and naval constructors will start in November 1912 and February 1913, respectively. Programs consolidated in 1913 into U. S. Naval Postgraduate School at Annapolis.
June 2
Bronze doors of chapel are unveiled. Designed by Miss Evelyn B. Longman; presented in memory of class of 1868.
June 10
Captain John M. Bowyer becomes superintendent.
June 17
Old Fort Severn is demolished.
1910
The Naval Academy football team is undefeated and unscored on. Thomas Starr King II, team captain, misses part of season with typhoid fever. He will be one of 29 midshipmen with this disease. The need for a safe milk supply will be the reason for establishing the Naval Academy Dairy.
1911
First naval aerodrome established at Greenbury Point and experimental flights tried at USNA. In 1913 it is moved to Pensacola, Florida.
May 15
Captain John H. Gibbons becomes superintendent.
September 7
LT John Rodgers makes the first flight from USNA.
1912
Congress approves commissioning graduates on graduation day and ends previously required two year sea service as passed midshipmen.
June
Graduation hat toss tradition begins.
September 30
Former Spanish cruiser USS Reina Mercedes arrives as station ship to replace USS Santee.
1913
January 26
John Paul Jones is laid to rest in crypt of the chapel
February 1
The U. S. Naval Postgraduate School is established at Annapolis, Maryland. The Marine Barracks building in which the school is located will be named Halligan Hall in honor of the school's first director, Commander John Halligan, Jr.
1914
February 7
Captain William F. Fullam becomes superintendent.
1917
The Academy undertakes the indoctrination of 2,569 men for commissioning in the U. S. Naval Reserve Force.
Two new wings, 3 & 4, are added to Bancroft Hall.
March 29
The class of 1917 graduates, two months early. A similar pattern of early graduation will be established in World War II, with the class of 1941 graduating in February vice June.
April 6
U.S. enters WWI. By order of thc superintendent the following message is published and posted at evening roll call: "Sixteen ALNAV -- The President has signed Act of Congress which declares that a state of war exists between the United States and Germany."
February 12
Captain Archibald H. Scales becomes superintendent.
1920
Luce Hall, new Navigation Department building, is completed.
Navy crew wins gold medal at Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium.
1921
July 5
Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson becomes superintendent.
1922
New bandstand, later named for Bandmaster Charles Zimmerman, is built across from the chapel.
1923
The Department of Physical Training is established.
1924
Naval Academy plays University of Washington in the Rose Bowl to a 14-14 tie.
April 10-12
The new natatorium is dedicated. It is said to be the largest indoor tile pool in the United States. The bronze figure of Cupid on the south wall once adorned the swimming pool on the Hamburg-American liner Vaterland. After U. S. entry into the First World War, the vessel was seized and became the USS Leviathan.
1925
Second-class ring dance becomes a tradition.
Midshipmen Drum and Bugle Corps founded.
Navy gymnastics team is named National Champion for the sixth consecutive year.
February 23
Rear Admiral Louis M. Nulton becomes superintendent.
1926
"Navy Blue and Gold," composed by organist and choirmaster J. W. Crosley, is first sung in public.
It will become a tradition to sing this alma mater song at the end of every football game, and on
Graduation Day.
Navy wins National Collegiate Football Championship title.
1928
June 16
Rear Admiral Samuel S. Robison becomes superintendent.
1929
Fall
The Secretary of the Navy gives his approval for graduates to compete for Rhodes scholarships. Six graduates are selected by the Rhodes Scholarship Committee.
1930
April 19
Hubbard Hall boathouse is dedicated. It is named for Rear Admiral John Hubbard (USNA 1870), first Navy crew stroke.
October 30
The Naval Academy curriculum is accredited by the Association of American Universities.
1931
May 1
Rear Admiral Thomas C. Hart becomes superintendent.
1933
May 25
President Franklin Roosevelt signs into law an act of Congress providing for the Bachelor of Science degree for Naval, Military, and Coast Guard academies.
1934
June 18
Rear Admiral David F. Sellers becomes superintendent.
1937
July 8
An act of Congress extends to the superintendent authority to award the Bachelor of Science degree to all living graduates.
1938
The Reverend Charles B. Carpenter presents Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's Prayer Book (used on board his flagship Hartford during the Civil War). It is encased in the chapel.
February 1
Rear Admiral Wilson Brown becomes superintendent.
June
Chaplain William N. Thomas introduces the "Prayer of a Midshipman," which he has written at the graduation service for the class of 1938.
1939
Naval Academy Museum building, later named Preble Hall, is dedicated.
The Dispensary building is completed. This will later be used for Foreign Languages and will
be named Leahy Hall. Still later it will house the Candidate Guidance Office.
1941
Reserve officer training is re-established for WW II. A total of 3,319 are commissioned.
Wings 5 & 6 are added to Bancroft Hall.
February 1
Rear Admiral Russell Willson becomes superintendent.
December 7
The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. The Rev. Peter Marshall, chaplain of the U. S. Senate, is the guest preacher in the Naval Academy Chapel.
1942
January 31
Rear Admiral John R. Beardall becomes superintendent.
1945
A Department of Aviation is established at the Naval Academy.
August 16
Vice Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch becomes superintendent.
Naval Academy celebrates V-J Day in Tecumseh Court and beats the Japanese bell until it cracks.
October 10
The Naval Academy celebrates its Centennial. Three special platoons of midshipmen parade in uniforms of 1845,1870, and 1900. During the century of its existence, the nation has taken part in five wars: Mexican, Civil War, Spanish- American, First World War, and Second World War. About 18,563 midshipmen have graduated to date, including the class of 1946.
1947
Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools grants accreditation.
January 15
Rear Admiral James L. Holloway, Jr., becomes superintendent.
1949
June 3
Wesley A. Brown becomes the first African-American graduate.
1950
April 28
Vice Admiral Harry W. Hill becomes superintendent.
September 2-4
First open house held for parents of plebes -- origin of Plebe-Parents Weekend.
1951
November 21
The Postgraduate School moves from Annapolis to Monterey, California.
1952
Navy 8-oared crew win gold medal at Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, and are National Intercollegiate Champions.
August 4
Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy becomes superintendent.
1954
Tradition of mandatory Sunday afternoon "tea fights" resumes.
August 12
Rear Admiral Walter F. Boone becomes superintendent.
1955
Tradition of greasing Herndon Monument for plebe climb to exchange plebe hat for midshipman's is started. This signals the start of graduation events.
1956
March 15
Rear Admiral William R. Smedberg, III becomes superintendent.
1957
Academy's first field house, later named for Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey, is completed.
1958
June 27
Rear Admiral Charles L. Melson becomes superintendent.
1959
September 26
The Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is dedicated. There are dedicatory letters from President Eisenhower, Vice-President Nixon, Secretary of Defense McElroy, Secretary of the Navy Franke, Chief of Naval Operations Arleigh Burke, Commandant of the Marine Corps R. McC. Pate, and Naval Academy Superintendent C. L. Melson. Neil McElroy's letter is headed "Non Sibi Sed Patriae," words that are inscribed over the doors of the chapel. He cites "the spirit of Annapolis where service is 'Not for self, but for country.'"
1960
June 22
Rear Admiral John F. Davidson becomes superintendent.
Joseph Bellino (USNA 1961), is awarded the Heisman Trophy.
1961
Wings 7 & 8 are added to Bancroft Hall.
Mitscher Hall is completed. This is used initially as the Brigade Library and Assembly Building. It will
later become the Chaplain's Center.
The Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference is begun.
1962
August 18
Rear Admiral C. C. Kirkpatrick becomes superintendent.
1963
June 26
A. Bernard Drought becomes Academic Dean Protem, the first civilian to hold this position. He will be designated Academic Dean on 1 July 1964.
July 3
The U. S. Naval Academy is officially designated a National Historic Site by the Department of the Interior
pursuant to the Historic Sites Act of August 21,1935. Notification was made to the Secretary of the Navy by
the Secretary of the Interior's letter dated August 21, 1961.
Roger Staubach (USNA 1965) is awarded the Heisman Trophy. He is the only winner of the Thompson Trophy three
years running.
1964
The number of companies in the brigade is increased to 36.
January 11
Rear Admiral C. S. Minter, Jr., becomes superintendent.
1965
June 12
Rear Admiral Draper L. Kauffman becomes superintendent.
1966
Ricketts Hall is completed to house enlisted personnel and is dedicated by Senator Daniel Brewster of Maryland.
It will later become offices for the Naval Academy Athletic Association.
Professor Samuel Massie becomes the first African-American faculty member.
1968
June 28
Rear Admiral Lawrence Heyworth, Jr. becomes superintendent.
July 20
Rear Admiral James F. Calvert becomes superintendent.
Majors program begins with new academic year
1969
May 10
Dedication ceremony is held for Michelson Hall.
June
June Week Dedication Parade tradition begins to honor retiring faculty and staff.
June 4
First designated engineering degrees are granted to qualified graduates of the class of 1969.
October 17-18
Dedication ceremony for Chauvenet Hall is held.
1972
Lieutenant Commander Georgia Clark becomes first woman officer instructor.
Dr. Rae Jean Goodman becomes first civilian woman faculty member.
June 16
Vice Admiral William P. Mack becomes superintendent.
June 30
Compulsory chapel attendance is ended by decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
1973
September
Major library facility complex is completed and named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (USNA 1905).
1975
Engineering Studies Complex is completed and named for Admiral Hyman G. Rickover (USNA 1922).
August 1
Rear Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee becomes superintendent.
August 8
Congress authorizes women to attend service academies.
1976
July 6
The class of 1980, including 81 women midshipmen, is inducted.
1977
August 24
Hydromechanics Laboratory at the Naval Academy is dedicated.
1978
June 7
President Jimmy Carter (USNA 1947) is the graduation speaker.
August 28
Rear Admiral William P. Lawrence becomes superintendent.
1979
May
"June Week" renamed "Commissioning Week" because graduation is now in May.
1980
May
Elizabeth Anne Rowe becomes first woman graduate.
1981
Lejeune Hall with new Olympic-size pool opens.
April 15
The mess hall is dedicated as King Hall wardroom, named for Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Chief of Naval Operations during World War II.
August 22
Vice Admiral Edward C. Waller becomes superintendent.
1982
Macdonough Hall and Scott Natatorium are renovated. Isherwood, Griffin, and Melville Halls are razed.
1983
August 31
Rear Admiral Charles R. Larson becomes superintendent.
1984
May 24
Kristine Holderied (USNA 1984) becomes the first woman to graduate first in the class.
1986
August 19
Rear Admiral Ronald F. Marryott becomes superintendent.
1987
July 30
The Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) forwards its final report and grants accreditation for the Computer Science program.
1988
August
Rear Admiral Virgil L. Hill, Jr., becomes superintendent.
1991
Alumni Hall is dedicated.
Midshipman Juliane Gallina (USNA 1992) becomes first woman brigade commander.
June 15
Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch becomes superintendent.
1994
January 29
The first genderless service assignment is held. All billets are open equally to men and women with the exception of special warfare and submarine duty.
August 1
Admiral Charles R. Larson becomes superintendent. He previously served as superintendent from 1983 to 1986.
1995
January 13
The kickoff 150th anniversary celebration is held in Alumni Hall. "An Evening Under the Stars" features a Naval Academy Band/Glee Club concert, the premiere showing of a documentary film, U. S. Naval Academy; 150 Years in Annapolis, and introduction of academy astronauts.
March 12
Lieutenant Commander Wendy Lawrence (USNA 1981), mission specialist in the space shuttle Endeavor, is first USNA woman graduate to make space flight.
May 12
Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center dedication ceremony.
October 10
150th anniversary celebration of the USNA.
Postage stamp commemorating Naval Academy's founding issued in Annapolis.
1998
June 4
Rear Admiral John Ryan becomes superintendent.
August
Hoping to save 25 cents a gallon by buying milk commercially, the Naval Academy closes it dairy farm.
September 23
Freedom 7, America's first space capsule is placed on display at the visitor center as the centerpiece of the "Grads in Space" exhibit. The late Rear Admiral Alan B. Shepherd, class of 1945, flew Freedom 7 116.5 miles into space on May 5, 1961. His historic flight marked America's first step in the "space race".
2001
September 11
The Academy loses 14 alumni in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The Academy is placed under unprecedented high security.
November 4
Dedication of the new 16,300 square-foot Glenn Warner Soccer Facility that will house the Navy Men's and Women's soccer teams.
2002
June 7
Vice Admiral Richard J. Naughton is sworn in as the Naval Academy's 57th superintendent.
January 11
Colonel John R. Allen, NA '76, USMC, becomes the 79th Commandant of Midshipman and the first Marine to serve in the position
May 24
965 members of the Class of 2002 are graduated and commissioned. Vice President Richard B. Cheney is featured speaker.
June 7
Vice Admiral Richard J. Naughton, NA '68, becomes the Navy Academy's 57th Superintendent.
December 10
Former President Jimmy Carter, NA Class of 1947, was awarded the Nobel
Prize for Peace.
(Photo Credit: The Carter Center/Knudson Photos.)
2003
May 15
The $250M renovation of Bancroft Hall, done a wing at a time, is complete
May 23
972 members of the Class of 2003 are graduated and commissioned. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, who had spoken 27 years earlier at graduation, is the speaker.
June 5
Vice Admiral Charles W. Moore, NA '68, became Acting Superintendent
August 1
Vice Admiral Rodney Rempt, NA '66, became the 59th Superintendent
August
Information Technology became a new academic major
September 19
Hurricane Isabel produced a severe storm surge that flooded most of the waterfront buildings leaving damages costing millions of dollars to repair and replace
Captain Charles J. Leidig, Jr., NA 78, became 80th Commandant of Midshipmen
December
Navy football won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1981 (and retained it for the next seven years)
2004
May 28
990 members of the Class of 2004 are graduated and commissioned. General Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, becomes the first Air Force officer to speak at a Naval Academy graduation.
December 30
Navy beat New Mexico, 34-19, to win the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco
2005
Captain Bruce E. Grooms, NA '80, became the 81st Commandant of Midshipmen and the first African-American in the position.
May 27
976 members of the Class of 2005 graduated and commissioned. President George W. Bush spoke.
September
Commodore Uriah P. Levy Chapel and Center dedicated
October 8
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium rededicated after $40M in renovations
December 22
Navy beat Colorado State, 51-30, to win the first ever Poinsettia Bowl, San Diego, CA
2006
May 26
980 members of the Class of 2006 graduated and commissioned. Vice President Richard B. Cheney was the featured speaker.
August
Arabic and Chinese became new academic majors
December
Captain Margaret D. Klein, NA 1981, became the 82d Commandant of Midshipman and the first woman in the position
2007
May 25
1,028 members of the Class of 2007 graduated and commissioned. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates spoke.
June 8
Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler, NA '78, became the 60th Superintendent
October 27
Thornton D. and Elizabeth S Hooper Brigade Sports Complex dedicated adjacent to the Naval Academy Golf Course
November 3
Navy beat Notre Dame, 46-44, on the gridiron for the first time since 1963, in among the oldest continuous annual football rivalries
November 27
Annapolis Conference dealing with Middle East peace held in Memorial Hall with over forty delegates from Israel, Arab countries, United Nations, and major powers in attendance including President George W. Bush.
2008
USNA Dairy Farm, 857 acres, leased to Anne Arundel County at $240K per-year for 30 years
May 10
Wesley Brown Field House dedicated, containing an indoor football field that can be converted to a state of the art foot racing track.
May 13
Captain Matthew L. Klunder, NA '82, became the 83rd Commandant of Midshipmen
May 22
Midshipman Victoria Moore, 20th Company, became the first woman to command the Color Company (second set) and selected her father as the color honoree, only the second male in that role since the custom began in 1871
May 23
1,037 members of the Class of 2008 graduated and commissioned. Admiral Michael Mullen, NA '68, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke.
2009
May 22
1,036 members of the Class of 2009 graduated and commissioned. President Barack Obama spoke.
August 28
U.S. Naval Academy Museum rededicated after a complete renovation.
September 12
David Robinson, Class of 1987, became the first service academy basketball player alumni inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
December 31
Navy 35 beats Missouri 13 to win the Texas Bowl and a 10 game winning season.
2010
Future Cyber Warfare classes are announced and a prospective building or center is planned at $100M estimate for 2014.
January
National Security Personnel System NSPS to end.
February
Naval Academy annual leadership conference attracted students from more than 50 universities
Record snowfalls cause disruptions in academic and athletic events.
March 8
Record number of applications to USNA, 17,416, for class of 2014
April
Captain Robert E. Clark II, NA '84, became the 84th Commandant of Midshipmen
May 7
Eleven women selected for submarine training and prospective duty on submarines
May 24
Plebe Recognition Ceremony, Herndon Climb, NA Class of 2013, 2 minutes, 5 seconds, no grease.
May 28
Vice President Joseph Biden spoke at graduation
June
Class of 2014 inducted at 1,247 with 263 women and 483 minorities
August
Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller, NA '74, became the 61st Superintendent
September
New class of YPs, YP 703, began arriving
December 11
Navy beat Army, 31-17, for the ninth straight year
December 23
Navy lost to San Diego State, 35-14 in the Poinsettia Bowl
2011
Through the Semester abroad program, Midshipmen visit China, Chile, Egypt, Qatar and elsewhere.
May 2
News of the killing of the Al-Qaeda founder and leader, Osama bin Laden, in Pakistan, by Navy Seals, caused a major yard celebration by the Midshipmen and residents.
May 23
Plebe Recognition for the Class of 2014 took 2 hours, 41 minutes, 32 seconds, because Herndon was greased again.
May 27
Class of 2011 graduated 800 men and 206 women; a total of 1,006.
Due to the grounding of the Blue Angels, Strike Fighter Squadron 143, NAS Oceana, provide the flyover at graduation.
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is the featured speaker at graduation.
August 23
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia struck the Naval Academy; shaking it up, ending classes for the day, and doing minor damage to a number of buildings
August 27
Four days after the earthquake Hurricane Irene struck, doing damage to trees in the yard, and causing long term power outages for miles around.
September
Major news magazines list U.S. Naval Academy as no. 3 for best value for a college education, no. 5 for undergraduate engineering, no. 6 for mechanical engineering, no. 7 for electrical engineering, no. 9 as most desirable school, no. 14 for liberal arts, and no. 17 for best overall college.
September 20
"Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed allowing gay people to serve openly in the armed forces.
September 23
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead, Class of 1973, was relieved by Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, Class of 1975, in a ceremony held at the Naval Academy.
October 3
Midshipmen French Club and dignitaries celebrated the 100th anniversary of the French Monument on the back campus of St. John's College. They honored allied French soldiers who died during their encampment, which included time spent here on Worden Field at the Academy, on their way to the Battle of Yorktown.
November 4-6
Navy wins the prestigious John F. Kennedy Cup Regatta, which involved three days of 10 off shore races.
December 10
Navy beats Army yet again, 27-21, in a game played in Landover, MD.
December 21
CBS Television aired the Emmy Award winning documentary "Game of Honor" about the Army-Navy football competition over the past 120 years.
2012
April 15
Professor and Midshipmen did an archaeological dig on the site of Fort Madison that had been built across the Severn River in 1808, and defendded Annapolis during the War of 1812, along with the Naval Academy's original site, Fort Severn which is currently the position of 5th wing Bancroft Hall.
April 18
30th annual Navy-St. John's College croquet match is held; series record Mids 5 wins, Johnnies 25 wins.
May 23
For first time in history the Color Parade was reviewed by Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., Vice CJCS who was the son of a past Color Company Commander, James A. Winnefeld, 13th Co., NA '51 and the 1951 Color Girl, Fredda Coupland Winnefeld.
May
For a second year there was no Blue Angels performance during Commissioning Week, because the change in the graduation schedule conflicted with their annual show in New York.
May 29
Largest class to date in history of USNA graduated— 1,099. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, was the featured speaker at graduation in Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. It is the first time in history that the number one graduate was a foreign national - from Singapore. The occasion marked the 100th anniversary of the post-graduation hat toss begun in 1912.
June 1
Brigadier General Loretta "Lori" E. Reynolds, USMC, NA 1986, became the first woman to assume command of the Marine Corps Recruit Training Base, Parris Island, SC.
June 5-6
A Transit of Venus, among the rarest of astronomical events, caused observers to surround the NA 1941 Observatory. The next Transit of Venus is December 2117.
June 29
A "super derecho" wind storm swept through Annapolis between 23:00 and 23:45 with top winds clocked at 91mph, doing considerable damage and causing long term power outages.
August 20
Plebe Core Course in cyber warfare begun
August 24
Michelle Howard, NA 1982, became the first woman alumnus and first African-American woman promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral, serving as Deputy Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces and Director, Combined Joint Operations.
October 29
Hurricane Sandy struck the mid-Atlantic doing much damage north of Annapolis and canceling classes for the day.
November
Two Midshipmen are named Rhode Scholars, cyber security is announced as a new major, a cyber security building planned for the fiscal year of 2018, plans for a Navy Football Hall of Fame are announced, and USNA Women are victorious in collegiate soccer with a 19-2-1 season.
November 28
Class of 2013 service selection is held and results in:
- Navy air pilot: 235 Midshipmen
- Surface Warfare: 226 Midshipmen
- USMC ground: 183 Midshipmen
- Submarines: 134 Midshipmen
- USMC air: 88 Midshipmen
- Naval flight officer: 78 Midshipmen
- Surface nuclear: 31 Midshipmen
- Seals: 31 Midshipmen
- EOD: 13 Midshipmen
- Restricted line: 35 Midshipmen
- Medical: 10 Midshipmen
December 8
Navy beats Army, 17-13, at Philadelphia for the 12th year in a row and, having also beat Air Force, earned the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy in football.
December 29
Navy's football prowess is stunted at the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, San Francisco, losing to Arizona State, 62-28
