Public Relations Degree First Offered

February 28th, 1947 in Firsts, Learning

Boston University is the first university to offer a college degree in public relations at its newly founded School of Public Relations. As related programs are added, this school changes names several times, becoming the College of Communication in 1984.

First Evening Courses in New England Offered

February 28th, 1921 in Firsts, Learning

On January 4, 1921, the College of Liberal Arts offers New England’s first evening courses leading to AB and BS degrees.

LAW Graduate Is First Female to Try Jury Case in Massachusetts

February 28th, 1891 in Firsts

Anna Christy Fall graduates from Boston University School of Law, later becoming the first woman to try a case before a jury in Massachusetts. She wins the case and a $700 verdict for her client.

First Black American to receive PhD at BU

March 31st, 1887 in Firsts

John Wesley Edward Bowen was the first Black American to receive a PhD at Boston University.

First Female LAW Graduate

February 28th, 1881 in Firsts

Lelia Josephine Robinson becomes the first female graduate of Boston University School of Law and succeeds in getting a bill passed allowing women to join the Massachusetts Bar. In 1882, she becomes the first woman admitted to the bar in Massachusetts.

First PhD Awarded to a Woman

February 28th, 1877 in Firsts

Boston University is the first university to award a PhD to a woman, Helen Magill White.

First Japanese LAW Graduate

February 28th, 1877 in Commencement, Firsts, Learning

Takeo Kikuchi is the first Japanese graduate of Boston University School of Law.

First Black LAW Graduate

February 28th, 1877 in Commencement, Firsts, Learning

Emanuel Hewlett is the first black Boston University School of Law graduate and one of the first black degree recipients of a major US law school. Upon his death in 1929, the Supreme Court adjourns for the day, an honor reserved for the most respected members of the bar.

Photo courtesy of "Crisis." New York, N.Y. Crisis Publication Company. Volume 36, Page 416. [1929]

Telephone Invented

February 28th, 1876 in Firsts, Research

In the first public demonstration, the telephone transmits sound to the Boston Athenaeum from Professor Alexander Graham Bell’s University office.

LAW Three-Year Degree Established

February 28th, 1876 in Firsts, Learning

The School of Law becomes the first law school in the US to require three years of study for a degree.