The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for its academic excellence, its research opportunities, and its commitment to free and open inquiry.
University was established in 1892 by oil magnate John D. Rockefeller in Hyde Park on the south side of Chicago. The school moved to its present location in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the far north side of Chicago in 1898. The university opened its doors to women in 1892 and became coeducational in 1894. In 1902 it established the first department of sociology in the United States; other social science departments followed soon thereafter. By 1930, more than half of all American universities had adopted the quarter system, which was developed at Chicago under President William Rainey Harper (1890–1901).
In fact, The University of Chicago has been a leader in interdisciplinary research since its inception. During World War II it pioneered the development of radar technology for military use, including early computers for cryptanalysis; it also made significant contributions to cancer research through studies on mice immunized against tumors.
Among its alumni are many world leaders, including two American presidents (George H. W. Bush and Barack H. Obama), two Nobel Prize winners (John R. Mott and Leonid Hurwicz), three Pulitzer Prize winners (Fernand Braudel, Jerald Wallach, Thomas Schelling) as well as several writers such as Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.
