History of St John's College, Cambridge in Timeline

St John's College, Cambridge, is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1511 by Lady Margaret Beaufort. As a charitable corporation, its aims are to promote education, religion, learning, and research. It's one of the largest Oxbridge colleges and ranks highly academically, demonstrated by the 2022 Tompkins Table where it was ranked 6th with over 35% of its students earning first-class honours. St John's is the second wealthiest college in Oxford and Cambridge, after Trinity College, Cambridge.

1911: George Howard Darwin

In 1911, George Howard Darwin was awarded the Copley Medal.

1921: Joseph Larmor

In 1921, Joseph Larmor was awarded the Copley Medal.

1925: Sir Francis Bell, Prime Minister of New Zealand

In 1925, Sir Francis Bell was the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

1928: Charles Algernon Parsons

In 1928, Charles Algernon Parsons was awarded the Copley Medal.

1931: Arthur Schuster

In 1931, Arthur Schuster was awarded the Copley Medal.

1932: Splitting of the Atomic Nucleus

In 1932, Ernest Walton of Trinity College and John Cockcroft of St John's College split the atomic nucleus.

1951: Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded

In 1951, Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physics for splitting the atomic nucleus in 1932.

1952: Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac

In 1952, Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was awarded the Copley Medal.

1959: Transfer of School of Pythagoras and Merton Hall Ownership

In 1959, the School of Pythagoras and Merton Hall, which had been owned by Merton College, Oxford, since 1266, became the property of St John's College.

1960: Harold Jeffreys

In 1960, Harold Jeffreys was awarded the Copley Medal.

1960: Foundation of the Samuel Butler Room Society

In 1960, graduate student members submitted an application to the College Council for official separation from the Junior Combination Room (JCR), leading to the foundation of the Samuel Butler Room Society (SBR).

1972: Nevill Francis Mott

In 1972, Nevill Francis Mott was awarded the Copley Medal.

1974: William Valance Douglas Hodge

In 1974, William Valance Douglas Hodge was awarded the Copley Medal.

1977: Frederick Sanger

In 1977, Frederick Sanger was awarded the Copley Medal.

October 1981: First women admitted to St John's College

In October 1981, St John's College first admitted women, including K.M. Wheeler as a fellow and nine female graduate students.

1986: Rudolf Ernst Peierls

In 1986, Rudolf Ernst Peierls was awarded the Copley Medal.

1987: Completion of the Fisher Building

In 1987, the Fisher Building, named after Cardinal John Fisher, was completed at St John's College, housing teaching rooms, conference facilities, and a student-run college cinema.

1990: Abdus Salam

In 1990, Abdus Salam was awarded the Copley Medal.

1997: Tompkins Table Ranking

Since 1997, St John's has had an average position of 12.8 in the Tompkins Table of undergraduate degree results.

2000: St John's Regains Control of School of Divinity

In 2000, St John's College regained control of the School of Divinity when the University of Cambridge's divinity faculty moved to a new building.

2004: Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India

In 2004, Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister of India and served until 2014.

2006: Cuppers trophy win

In 2006, St John's College Rugby Club, The Red Boys, began their six-year Cuppers trophy winning streak.

February 2007: Ruth J. Simmons lecture

On 16 February 2007, as part of the commemoration of the bicentenary of the 1807 Act, President Ruth J. Simmons of Brown University gave a public lecture at St John's College entitled "Hidden in Plain Sight: Slavery and Justice in Rhode Island". St John's College also hosted an academic conference and a Gospel Mass in the College Chapel with the London Adventist Chorale.

2007: Chris Dobson's Governorship at Shrewsbury School

In 2007, Chris Dobson, a former Master of St John's, became an ex officio governor of Shrewsbury School.

2008: Roger Penrose

In 2008, Roger Penrose was awarded the Copley Medal.

2008: Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarship first awarded

In 2008, the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarship was first awarded.

2010: David Roxbee Cox

In 2010, David Roxbee Cox was awarded the Copley Medal.

2010: Losing the Division One League title

In 2010-11, St John's College Rugby Club, The Red Boys, lost the Division One League title to Jesus, ending their nine-year winning streak.

April 2011: Queen Elizabeth II visits St John's College

In April 2011, Queen Elizabeth II visited St John's College to inaugurate a new pathway in First Court, near the ruins of the Old Chapel.

2011: Loss to Jesus

In 2011, St John's College Rugby Club, The Red Boys, lost the Division One League title to Jesus, ending their nine-year winning streak. That year also marked the end of their six-year Cuppers trophy winning streak, which began in 2006.

2011: St John's College Quincentenary Celebration

In 2011, St John's College celebrated its quincentenary, an event marked by a visit from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

2012: All Saints' Yard Renovation Completion

In Michaelmas Term of 2012, an extensive renovation project on All Saints' Yard, costing approximately £9.75 million, was completed.

2013: Founding of St John's Voices

In 2013, St John's Voices, a mixed-voice adult choir, was founded to allow female members of the college to participate in the college's choral tradition.

2014: Prince William's affiliation with St John's College

In 2014, Prince William was affiliated with St John's College while undertaking a university-run course in estate management.

2014: Cripps Building Refurbishment

In 2014, the Cripps Building at St John's College underwent an extensive refurbishment program, including renovated accommodation and structural repairs.

2014: Cuppers trophies

Since 2014, the Red Boys have won four Cuppers trophies.

2015: Gramophone Editor's Choice

In 2015, the Choir of St John's College received a Gramophone Editor's Choice selection for their collection 'The Call'.

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May 2016: Signum Records Venture

In May 2016, the Choir of St John's College released a collection of music by Jonathan Harvey on Signum Records, reaching number two in the UK specialist classical charts.