Joeys Daily Dose of History - 11 October 1852

Australia's first university, the University of Sydney, was was founded in 1850 but the inauguration ceremony took place 160 years ago today. First location was a building on College St, on the Eastern side of Hyde Park, which today belongs to the Sydney Grammar School, an exclusive private school. The site is part of the route of Joeys Walkabout - Colonial City History Walk.
Six years later, Queen Victoria bestowed upon the university its Royal Charter giving its degrees the same recognition as those conferred by universities in the UK. By 1859 the university moved to its present day location between City Rd and Paramatta Rd.
According to the 2012 QS World University rankings, the University of Sydney stands in 39th place worldwide and is number 3 in Australia. As of last year there were over 32,000 undergraduate and more than 16,600 postgraduate students enrolled.

In London Arthur Phillip, Captain of the First Fleet and first Governor of New South Wales, was born (1738). Also born on this day, and like Arthur Phillip of German descent, was Henry John Heinz, the founder of the famous ketchup company (1844, Pittsburgh). Another Pennsylvania boy born today is Daryl Hall, one half of the duo Hall & Oates (1946, Pottstown).

Elsewhere in the world, Handel's Coronation Anthem No. 4 was performed for the first time (1727, Westminster Abbey), the Boer War in South Africa starts (1899), Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus" hits No. 1 in the UK charts (1969), Elvis and Priscilla Presley got divorced (1973), while Bill and Hillary Clinton got married (1975, Fayetteville, AR). Finally, the last hand-cranked telephones in the U.S. went out of service when in Maine the 440 telephone customers of Bryant Pond were switched to direct-dial service (1983).