Argentina’s revolution against colonial rule touched off a long six-year war with Spain starting in 1810. Even after gaining their independence, Argentina split into loose confederation semi-autonomous districts, led by the largest, Buenos Aires. It was hardly the model of stability, but even in those uncertain times several far-seeing individuals thought it worthy to establish a university to further develop culture and science in the country.

On this day, August 26, in 1821, with Buenos Aires still a province, its government minister Bernardino Rivadavia, opened the University of Buenos Aires, the first university in the land.

Today the university is the largest in Argentina, and the largest by enrollment in all of Latin America. Divided into 13 departments by academic field, and containing six hospitals and ten museums, it is ranked in the top 250 best universities nationwide. Four Nobel Prize winners came from UAB, including César Milstein, who pioneered the field of immune system and antibody research in the 1980s.