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The Virginia Military Institute is founded in Lexington, Virginia.

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state-sponsored and -supported military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts.

While Abraham Lincoln first called VMI "The West Point of the South" because of its role during the American Civil War, the nickname has remained because VMI has produced more Army generals than any ROTC program in the U.S.

Historical Significance

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.

Events Before

  1. First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

    Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

  2. Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail demonstrate their telegraph machine in New Jersey

    Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter.

  3. First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Je

    First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey, by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail

  4. Coronation of Queen Victoria, aged 19, during a five-hour ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London [1]

    The coronation of Victoria as queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18.

  5. Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown while trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to th

    Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown while trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to the 1842 Mines Act, which bans women and children from working underground. [1]

Events After

  1. First recorded bowling match in the US takes place at Knickerbocker Alleys, New York

    First recorded bowling match in the US takes place at Knickerbocker Alleys, New York

  2. American naval expedition under Charles Wilkes is first to identify Antarctica as a new continent

    American naval expedition under Charles Wilkes is first to identify Antarctica as a new continent

  3. French "The Three Musketeers" novelist Alexandre Dumas (37) weds French actress Ida Ferrier (29), until her death in 185

    French "The Three Musketeers" novelist Alexandre Dumas (37) weds French actress Ida Ferrier (29), until her death in 1859

  4. Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in W

    Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand and shares sovereignty between the two groups

  5. British Queen Victoria (20) marries her cousin Albert (20) of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later the Prince Consort at St Jame

    British Queen Victoria (20) marries her cousin Albert (20) of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later the Prince Consort at St James' Palace

More from the 1830s

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

German Zollverein (Customs Union) comes into effect

The Zollverein, or German Customs Union, was a coalition of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories.

First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 11, 1839?
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state-sponsored and -supported military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively.
Why is The Virginia Military Institute is founded in Lexington, Virginia. significant?
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.

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November 11 in HistoryYear 1839