Plato Founds the Academy

Around 387 BCE, Plato established the Academy in Athens — basically the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. It taught philosophy, math, astronomy, and political theory. Aristotle studied there for 20 years. The Academy lasted until 529 CE when the Roman Emperor Justinian shut it down, making it the longest-running educational institution in ancient history. Archaeological excavations have confirmed the location in a grove sacred to the hero Academus.