First Fraternity Born: Kappa Alpha Society Established
Eight students. That's all it took. Eight young men at Union College decided a secret literary society wasn't enough — they wanted something different, something *theirs*. So they built Kappa Alpha Society from scratch in Schenectady, New York, with no blueprint to follow because nothing like it existed. Every fraternity hazing scandal, every Greek row, every homecoming tradition traces back to this single afternoon. And those eight students weren't thinking about legacy. They just wanted better company.
November 26, 1825
201 years ago
What Else Happened on November 26
Three men divided the entire Roman world over dinner. Octavian was just 19. Antony didn't trust him. Lepidus didn't matter much to either. They met on a small i…
A queen didn't just lose her crown — she lost her freedom. Adosinda, widow of Alfonso I's son Silo, got locked inside a monastery the moment Mauregatus seized A…
Gunpowder bombs. Dropped from Song warships onto Jin vessels crowding the Yangtze. Commander Yu Yunwen hadn't even planned to be there — he was a civil official…
Charles IV secures his throne as German king through a coronation in Bonn by Bishop Walram of Cologne. This act solidifies his authority against rival claimants…
Three times. Vlad III clawed back the throne of Wallachia three separate times — a man the Ottomans, rival boyars, and even his own brother couldn't permanently…
Captain James Cook anchored off the coast of Maui, becoming the first European to encounter the island. This arrival initiated sustained contact between the Haw…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.