Founded in 1636 Harvard university a private university in cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

Massachusetts Bay Colony and was named for its first benefactor, John Harvard of Charlestown, a young minister who, upon his death in 1638, left his library and half his estate to the new institution. Harvard's first scholarship fund was created in 1643 with a gift from Ann Radcliffe, Lady Mowlson.

During its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model but made up with the Puritan philosophy of the first colonists. Although many of its early graduates became ministers in Puritan congregations throughout New England, the College was never formally affiliated with a specific religious denomination. An early brochure, published in 1643, justified the College's existence: "To advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches."

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/docs/nlcarchives/Carnegie/Harvard1916thmb.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/docs/nlcarchives/Carnegie/carnegiephotosDL.html&h=123&w=200&sz=19&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=iebvHagopUdolM:&tbnh=64&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dharvard%2B1916%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chem.tamu.edu/rgroup/russell/lineage/jConant.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.chem.tamu.edu/rgroup/russell/lineage/line.htm&h=1232&w=903&sz=104&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=Ekg9iH2fV_cGqM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dharvard%2B1916%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.physics.harvard.edu/images/circa1900.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.physics.harvard.edu/miscpages/circa1900.html&h=381&w=500&sz=93&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=-_sA8BHMj8lmDM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dharvard%2B1900%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/assets/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_harvard_1_e.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_harvard_1_e.html&h=370&w=310&sz=34&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=NKFEI0FJaUJbiM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dharvard%2B1900%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG