The U.S. Naval Academy admits its first students - October 10th, 1845

On this day in 1845, the United States Naval Academy opened its doors in Annapolis, Maryland, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that strives to know at least a little
bit more about history every day. I'm Gay Bluzier, and

(00:22):
today we're exploring the founding of a proud American institution,
the U. S. Naval Academy. The day was October eight.

(00:42):
The United States Naval Academy opened its stores in Annapolis, Maryland,
with a class of fifty midshipmen and seven professors. The
Naval School, as it was originally known, was established without
the aid of congressional funding and was located at a
ten acre army base known as Fort Severne. At this

(01:05):
elite training school, naval cadets learned the skills and discipline
needed to serve their country as officers of the sea services,
including the U. S. Navy and the U. S. Marine Corps.
The idea for a dedicated naval academy dates back to
eighteen twenty five, when President John Quincy Adams urged Congress

(01:27):
to establish such a school quote for the formation of
scientific and accomplished officers. His proposal ultimately when ignored until
twenty years later, but there was one ill fated attempt
to start a training school before the one in Annapolis.
In September of eighteen forty two, an American brig called

(01:50):
the U. S. S. Summers Set sail from the Brooklyn
Navy Yard. It was a school ship intended for the
training of teenage navalvolunteers, with the hope that the experience
would inspire them to join the Navy full time. Unfortunately,
the young apprentices proved less disciplined than the officers had hoped. Eventually,

(02:14):
the cruise behavior got so out of hand that a
court inquiry was held aboard the ship. It was determined
that a midshipman and his two chief conspirators were guilty
of quote A determined attempt to commit mutiny. In a
disturbing outcome, the three crewmen were hanged from the ship's

(02:35):
yard arm. As you might expect, this incident put an
end to the idea of sending midshipman directly out to
sea to get a hands on education. As the troubling
news of the Summer's mutiny spread across the country, President
adams old idea for a naval academy started to sound

(02:55):
pretty good. Three years later, the Secretary of the nave
George Bancroft helped establish a proper naval school in Annapolis.
It was reported that he chose the location because it
was healthy and secluded, which would help the midshipman avoid
what he called quote the temptations and distractions that necessarily

(03:18):
connect with a large and populous city. The school's original
curriculum included English, French, natural philosophy, chemistry, gunnery, mathematics, and navigation.
In eighteen fifty, the Naval school changed its name to
the United States Naval Academy and became more of a

(03:40):
full fledged college. A new curriculum was adapted, requiring students
to study there for four years and to receive practical
training aboard ships each summer. In nineteen thirty three, the
school began awarding Bachelor's of Science degrees, fulfilling President Adam's
wish for a name full school that would create scientific officers.

(04:03):
That approach, with some alterations, is still in use at
the Academy today. The school itself also changed over the years.
The ten acre campus was gradually expanded to over three
hundred acres, and the original wooden structures of Fort Severne
were replaced with modern granite buildings. The student body changed

(04:25):
as well, especially in nineteen seventy six, when the Academy
accepted its first female students. Today, women comprise about twenty
of the school's first year class. Even though the Naval
Academy is a college, its admissions process works differently than most.

(04:46):
In order to apply, you have to be nominated by
a US representative or senator from your district. The acceptance
committee is very selective too, but once you're in, the
Navy pays your t wish and in full. In addition
to an education and a naval career, students also gain
access to the academy's unique culture and traditions. For example,

(05:11):
at the end of their first year, freshman's students or
pleabs must construct a human pyramid in order to scale
a greased monument and place an upper classman's hat on top.
The idea is to foster teamwork and perseverance in the
rising class, and all for the low cost of fifty

(05:31):
pounds of vegetable shortening. The Naval Academy is also believed
to have originated one of the most famous school traditions
of all, the graduation hat toss. The story goes that
back in nineteen twelve, the Navy gave out officers hats
at graduation for the very first time. Since the graduates

(05:52):
no longer needed the midshipman's caps they'd warn the last
four years, they simply tossed the old hats up into
the air. The practice stuck around, and eventually students at
other schools heard about it and started doing the same.
Of course, one of the biggest traditions that the Naval
Academy is its annual football game against the Army Cadets

(06:14):
of the United States Military Academy. The friendly rivalry began
in eighteen ninety and has only gotten more heated in
the years since. Case in point, the motto beat Army
is actually stamped onto the weights in the Naval Academy's
weight room. Lastly, as a native Marylander and graduate of St.

(06:37):
John's College in Annapolis, I'd be remiss if I didn't
also mention the friendly rivalry between the Naval Academy and
my own alma mater. In case you've never heard of it. St.
John's follows a curriculum focused on the great books of
Western civilization, and all of its classes are discussion based.
Needless to say, the liberal arts schools stands in stark

(07:01):
contrast to the Naval Academy down the street, and students
on both campuses are well aware of the differences. Some
have gone so far as to compare the schools to
the ancient Greek city states of Athens and Sparta. So
that's a bit of an exaggeration. According to legend, though,
a rivalry between the two colleges began in nineteen two

(07:23):
when the commandant of the U. S. Naval Academy was
bragging to a Saint John's freshman that the midshipman could
beat the Johnny's at any sport, just name it. The St.
John's student's reply was, what about croquet? Soon after, a
match was set up as a way to improve relations
between the two schools, and their croquet tradition has been

(07:47):
upheld nearly every year since. As of one, St. John's
College has won the Annapolis Cup thirty out of thirty
seven times. So, to borrow a popular phrase from the
US Military Academy, beat Navy. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully

(08:07):
you now know a little more about history today than
you did yesterday. If you like what you heard, you
can keep up with the show. On Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram at t d i HC Show, and if you
have any comments or suggestions, you can send them my
way at this Day at i heeart media dot com.

(08:28):
Thanks to Chandler Mace for producing the show, and thank
you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow
for another day in History class. For more podcasts from
my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
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