6 Prestigious Facts About Harvard

Established in 1636, Harvard University is one of the oldest and most prestigious Universities in the world. Located into Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University has countless notable alumni, including eight U.S. presidents and nearly 200 living billionaires.

Here are Six Fascinating Harvard University Facts

1. 1. Harvard University sits on more than 5,000 acres of land. (source) The land that Harvard University owns is larger than 4,000 football fields, but it wasn’t always this large. In fact, when classes at Harvard University began in 1638, there was simply a single frame house and a college yard. Today, of the 5,457 acres owned, the main campus of Harvard University only occupies about 4% of that land.

2. 2. Harvard University is home to the more than 3.5 million books and has 57 miles of bookshelves. (source) Widener Library at Harvard University is the oldest library in the country. The entire system at the University consists of 79 libraries, with the largest there being the Harry Elkins Memorial LIbrary. There are even four floors that are underground, due to that being the only space for Harvard to house all of these books.

3. 3. Eight former United States Presidents are alumni of Harvard University. (source) Harvard University has several notable alumni, including six former Presidents of the United States, including George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Barack Obama, Rutherford Hayes, John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

4. 4. Commercial filming is banned at Harvard University. (source) Meant to eliminate a distraction for students, Harvard University banned commercial filming in 1970. Since this time, any movie that has ever taken place at Harvard University was not actually filmed there.

5. 5. Harvard University has the most alumni that are now CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. (source) Today, Harvard University has 41 alumni who are now CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, which is nearly double that second-ranked University of Pennsylvania, which has 23. Some of the companies that have Harvard alumni serving as CEOs today include Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, General Electric, McDonald’s, General Mills and Kellogg, among many others.

6. 6. Only three Harvard Quarterbacks have been selected in the NFL Draft. (source) In the history of the NFL Draft, only three athletes from the Harvard Crimson have been selected as Quarterbacks, including Eric Crone in 1973 (St. Louis Cardinals), Brian Buckley in 1981 (New England Patriots) and Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2005 (St. Louis Rams). None of them were selected prior to the 7th Round, but Ryan Fitzpatrick did go on to have a long career in the league, playing for nine different franchises from 2005 to 2021.

Harvard University has such an illustrious history, dating back nearly 400 years. What other fun facts can you share about this prestigious University?