On this day in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa was founded. On December 5,
1776, while fellow Patriots were held captive in British
occupied New York, five students at the College of William and
Mary gathered to start a new fraternity - Phi Beta Kappa. They
intended to follow what they considered to be definitively
American principles, such as “freedom of inquiry” and “liberty
of thought and expression.” The Greek initials, ΦBK, actually
stand for a motto that translates to “Love of learning is the
guide of life.” Now PBK is the nation’s oldest and most widely
known academic honor society, with 280 chapters amongst the
elite academic institutions in the nation. Their mission is to
celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and
sciences. They have been publishing The American Scholar since
1932. Check out the History channel’s timely reflection here.