Scholars, 63 Olympic Medalists, 10 current Fortune 500 CEOs, and 35 billionaires.
== History ==
=== 19th century ===
Cornell University was founded on April 27, 1865, by Ezra Cornell, an entrepreneur and New York State Senator, and Andrew Dickson White, an educator and fellow state senator. The university was established as New York's land-grant institution following authorization by the New York State Legislature. Ezra Cornell provided his farm in Ithaca, New York, as the initial campus site and contributed $500,000 as an initial endowment (equivalent to $12,769,000 in 2024). White agreed to serve as the university's first president.
White oversaw the university's early development, including the construction of its first two buildings, and traveled to recruit students and faculty. The university was formally inaugurated on October 7, 1868, with 412 male students enrolling the following day.
Cornell developed as a technologically innovative institution, incorporating academic research into campus infrastructure …
