The Commonwealth of Massachusetts approves a charter…

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts approves a charter for the incorporation of the "Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston Society of Natural History" submitted by William Barton Rogers in 1861.

Rogers seeks to establish a new form of higher education to address the challenges posed by rapid advances in science and technology during the mid-19th century with which classic institutions are ill-prepared to deal.

The Rogers Plan, as it comes to be known, is rooted in three principles: the educational value of useful knowledge, the necessity of “learning by doing,” and integrating a professional and liberal arts education at the undergraduate level.