U of T History

Coloured sketch of Andrews Building

Concrete Magic

U of T Scarborough’s Andrews Building has become a Canadian landmark

Hands holding a tablet with

Nite of Nights

An annual revue, written and performed by engineering students, lampoons its way into a second century

Illustration of a giant vial of insulin and a tiny figure standing on the cap looking down a hole in the centre, through which shines a light

The Miracle of Insulin

A century after U of T scientists discovered the life-saving extract, researchers are finding new ways to improve the lives of people with diabetes

Black and white photo of students marching in line and carrying chairs. Two students upfront are carrying a metal rack.

Walk on the Wild Side

In 1976, a strange band of characters jostled their way up St. George Street with beat-up blackboards and battered chairs

Headshot of Margaret Addison in reading glasses.

Margaret Addison Hall

This grad devoted much of her career to supporting young women at U of T, so Victoria University named a residence after her

Photo of Ursula Franklin in a lab surrounded by equipment

Warrior for Peace

U of T physicist Ursula Franklin staunchly opposed weapons of mass destruction. As Cold War tensions rise, her work remains as relevant as ever

Back profile of a student wearing a black leather jacket with

Skule

Where did this misspelled moniker come from?

Farmerettes from U of T dug a few “trenches” of a different sort.

Farmerettes Help at Home

In 1917 and 1918 hundreds of U of T women spent the summers picking and packing fruits and vegetables, filling in for farmers who were away at war

Photo of Teefy Hall.

Teefy Hall

John Read Teefy was the driving force behind the affiliation of St. Michael's College with U of T

Club members makes phagnum moss dressings for soldiers, in U of T’s Physics Building in 1915

A Club for Women

Canada’s first university women’s club sought to improve the lives of women and children

McLuhan at the CBC in Toronto, January 1966 Photo: Henri Daumain, for Life Magazine, Courtesy of The Estate of Marshall McLuhan

Marshall’s Laws

Fifty years after the publication of his most famous works, we’re still making sense of all Marshall McLuhan had to say

Photo of some of the tents used by the airmen-in-training

Training Days

Cadets get ready to serve in the First World War, on St. George Campus

Bissell (third from left) views downtown Shanghai with Geoff Andew, executive assistant to the president of UBC, and thier Chinese hosts. The group spend three days in Shanghai

Beijing Diary

Claude Bissell’s visit to China, at a time of political isolation between the West and China, foreshadowed the spirit of international exchange at U of T today

Robarts Library

Claude Bissell on Campus

Claude Bissell’s final term as U of T president ended almost 40 years ago, but his remarkable contribution as a scholar, administrator and leader is recognized on the St. George Campus today, with buildings, portraits and other tributes honouring Bissell’s legacy

The beginning of the gay rights movement in North America: Christopher Street Liberation Day, New York City, June 28, 1970

Out and Proud

How students, faculty, staff and alumni brought queer activism to the University of Toronto and changed the campus forever

Animal Instincts

The evolution of zoology. From an ex-minister who denounced Darwin to today's research juggernaut, zoology at U of T has come a long way in 150 years. And just look where it's going now

A Feast of Thought

These 20 thinkers brought their stunning intellect to U of T's table and enlivened the world of ideas

Curing Injustice

Brilliant and determined, three U of T trailblazers challenged the prejudices of their day and changed the profession of medicine

The Troubled Healer

In his tireless quest to conquer contagious diseases, John Gerald FitzGerald, architect of Canada's modern public health system, sacrificed his own health – indeed, his life

Good Chemistry

Henry Holmes Croft established the university's first chemistry laboratory. It remains a place for another kind of alchemy - the mixing of ideas

The Age of Dissent

Socialists, peaceniks, feminists, rabble-rousers: They came in search of an education. They left having taught the old school a thing or two

Three of the women who graduated from University College in 1885, members of the first graduating class that included women: from left to right, Margaret Langley, May Bell Bald, and Ella Gardiner. Two daughters of the Globe publisher George Brown, Margaret and Catherine, also graduated in 1885, but their pictures were not included in the composite.

Fairly Determined

Members of the so-called gentler sex were banned from attending classes until 1884. But once women set foot in the classroom, there was no stopping them