UCLA's Story

"We hope to rekindle old memories and inspire new discussions of UCLA's legacy."

Marina Dundjerski ’94, author of UCLA: The First Century

Presented below are snapshots of our beloved institution from its humble beginnings to its current standing as one of the world’s most prestigious public research universities. For a full and comprehensive account, check out the newly released UCLA: The First Century, the definitive history of UCLA.

• July 1, 1920 | ROTC Installed on Campus
• June 1, 1923 | The first UCLA graduates
• Dec. 10, 1923 | A ‘twig’ grows
• May 5, 1925 | Rallying for Westwood
• Oct. 22, 1926 | Hail, Bruin!
• Oct. 23, 1927 | A bridge to the future
• Nov. 8, 1928 | Blue and gold forever
• March 18, 1929 | Class in session
• May 31, 1929 | Go West, young Bruin
• Sept 20, 1929 | Registration day in Westwood
• March 28, 1930 | Westwood campus dedication
• Jan. 20, 1931 | Kerckhoff’s wish realized
• Feb. 25, 1931 | Waving the blue and gold
• Jan. 15, 1932 | Westwood’s winter wonderland
• Aug. 3, 1935 | Into the woods
• Nov. 10, 1937 | Brawling Bruins
• June 11, 1938 | A matter of degrees
• Dec. 12, 1942 | Rivals bond in war effort
• May 13, 1943 | Springtime Revelry
• Aug. 14, 1945 | Sirens sound celebrations
• Oct. 19, 1945 | Medical school in the making
• April 15, 1947 | ‘The Name. The Legend. The Man.’
• July 18, 1947 | Origins of law
• Nov 20, 1954 | Bruins shut out Trojans 34-0 in the big game
• July 7, 1955 | UCLA Medical Center admits first patients
• May 3, 1957 | Under the Stars
• Nov. 19, 1959 | Life on The Hill begins
• Dec. 10, 1960 | A Nobel moment
• April 3, 1961 | Bruins get a den
• Feb. 8, 1963 | A league of his own
• Feb. 21, 1964 | UCLA welcomes presidents
• Sept. 22, 1964 | Building on vision
• April 27, 1965 | ‘Segregation must die’
• Dec. 1, 1965 | Voices on high
• Feb. 7, 1966 | A leisure complex
• Nov. 28, 1967 | 'The Great One'
• March 18, 1968 | Wading into the Inverted Fountain
• June 27, 1968 | 'The Waffle' renamed after Nobel laureate
• Oct. 29, 1969 | A crash into the future
• July 1, 1974 | Women get in the game
• March 29, 1975 | ‘Coach’ retires
• Aug. 18, 1982 | A gridiron home
• July 28, 1984 | The 23rd Olympiad begins
• Sept. 30, 1984 | Mighty Bruins
• Oct. 13, 1988 | Up for Debate
• Sept. 21, 1992 | Studying under a big top
• Sept. 30, 1992 | Gallery of World Arts Unveiled
• June 7, 1993 | A hunger strike ends, a center is born
• Jan. 17, 1994 | Northridge quake rattles campus
• May 20, 1994 | A presidential occasion
• Aug. 6, 2002 | A miracle separation