This Day in the History of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The cornerstone was laid for Main Building (now known as South Building). The structure, however, was not completed until 1814.

The University held its first commencement exercises during which degrees were conferred. Seven men, including the first student, Hinton James, received degrees. The University was the only public institution of higher education in the United States to graduate students in the eighteenth century.