On February 15, 1879, the UT Board of Trustees adopted recommendations of the faculty related to advanced degrees. The PhD was to be conferred upon “graduates of this University or other institutions of like grade, who shall have completed with distinction a two-years’ course of professional study under the direction of the Faculty, and submitted … Continued

In 1968 Bob Johnson was the first-ever draft pick (the second player chosen in the draft) of the AFL expansion team (now NFL team) Cincinnati Bengals. In 1973 the UT band put on a halftime performance during a nationally televised Bengals game.

The early literary societies (e.g., Chi Delta) had limited dramatic productions as part of their activities, and the first plays on campus are believed to have been presented about 1836. The first organization exclusively devoted to drama was the Kit Kat Klub Dramatic Club, formed in 1898 by male students. The Rouge and Powder Club … Continued

Electrification of the campus began in the summer of 1889 and was completed for the 1889–90 school year. The lights were powered by a dynamo located in the Mechanical Building. Gas lighting had been installed in 1875-76 and was discontinued in 1884.

The Physics and Geology Building (now the Earth and Planetary Sciences Building), completed for classes in 1930, was the first on-campus building to have an elevator.

ESPN broadcast its first same-school doubleheader from Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2011. The men’s basketball team played Vanderbilt at noon, and the Lady Vols played Vanderbilt’s Lady Commodores at 8:00 p.m.

The first EPSN GameDay show was broadcast on Saturday, September 9, 1995, in connection with the Tennessee vs. Georgia football game. ESPN sent two crews—one produced the actual game, while the other produced the college football preview show, College GameDay. The on-campus studio for the GameDay show was the east pedestrian ramp at Thompson-Boling Arena. … Continued

Dr. Vena Long, professor of mathematics education and associate dean for research and professional development in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, was named TGA’s first executive director in March 2007. A fourth generation teacher—on both sides of her family—Long came to UT in 1999 after teaching mathematics education at the University of … Continued

The first externally funded scholarship came in 1902 from Dr. W. S. Nash, who gave $50 a year as a scholarship for a student studying mechanical engineering and who otherwise could not attend college.

The first building allocated for use as a faculty club (1936) was the Shields House at 1600 Melrose Avenue, the present site of the John C. Hodges Library.