The moments that made us: 125 years timeline

1900: The University is founded by Royal Charter for students from all backgrounds.

1914 to 1918: The University contributes to the war effort through research and training, with Aston Webb Great Hall used as a hospital.

1922: Sir Francis Aston wins the first of ten University Nobel Prizes, for his work on isotopes.

1930: Guild of Students built.

1939: Barber Institute of Fine Arts opens thanks to a bequest from Lady Barber, to bring works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet to campus.

1944: Winterbourne House on campus is bequeathed by gardener John Nicolson. It was initially used as student accommodation.

As nuclear power starts to take off, the University launches the UK’s longest-running MSc programme in Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors.

1951: Shakespeare Institute opens.

1960: The first patient-controlled variable rate heart pacemaker was developed and implanted.

1965: Human rights activist Malcolm X addressed the University’s Debating Society.

‘It was at Birmingham that I first saw the potential for translational science to improve the lives of women struggling with infertility.’ The doctoral research of Richard Palmer (PhD Medicine, 1963) served as the foundation for IVF treatment.

1972: Paul McCartney plays on campus.

1976: Virtuoso violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin gave the first Baggs Memorial Happiness Lecture thanks to a bequest from Thomas Baggs.

‘In the year of the first heart transplant, I found myself having a head transplant aboard a carnival float.’ Medical students Helen Whitehouse (neé Richard) and Helen Mossop (neé Wigan) (both MBChB Medicine, 1972) took part in RAG carnivals and charity fundraising. They are still friends nearly 50 years later.

The Department of Commerce and the Department of Accounting and Finance merge to form Birmingham Business School.

Alumnus Dr Rodolfo Neri-Vela (PhD Electronic and Electrical Engineering, 1979), is the first Mexican in space.

‘The lake at the Vale froze over and we slid on it using trays taken from the Halls of Residence – great fun!’ Ann McLaughlin (BA French Language and Literature, 1985)

1992: The Guild President and a group of women students successfully campaign for women to be allowed to wear trousers to graduation.

2000: We are one of the first universities to set up a fair access scheme for local students, generously supported by alumni and friends (now known as Pathways to Birmingham).

'A2B didn’t just open the door to higher education, it enabled me to walk through it with purpose.'
Manmohanjit Sandhu (BSc Biomedical Sciences, 2023; MSc Biomedical Innovation, 2024) Director and Co-founder at TargEye.

2012: We offer a training base for the Jamaican athletics team ahead of the London Olympics.

2015: One of the world’s oldest Qur’an fragments is discovered in the University Library.

2018: Our new campus in Dubai welcomes its first students. 

Other campus developments see the opening of the Bramall Music Building, new library and the Green Heart. The Gun Barrels pub is replaced by a new Sport & Fitness centre.

‘One thing I learnt at University is how to make connections and get to know people – something that’s followed me throughout my career.’ Baljinder Singh Atwal (LLB Law, 2015).

2020: The University’s contribution to tackling the Covid pandemic included Professor Alan McNally’s leadership of the UK’s mega test centre, the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab.

2022: Our campus serves as a major venue and athletes’ village for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

2025: Thousands of alumni around the world celebrate our 125th birthday on campus and overseas.