Timeline

Connecting a Complex and Changing World

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 as a bold investment in international peace, innovation, and scientific advancement that has improved the lives of Americans and the people of countries throughout the world.

These milestones and distinguished alumni represent Fulbright’s legacy of supporting American leadership, building international partnerships, and increasing shared prosperity. Fulbright shares American values and ideals of open dialogue and the spirit of exploration around the world.

1946

The Fulbright Program Is Established

On August 1, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the “Fulbright Act” into law, establishing a framework for an academic exchange program that continues to shape the world today. The act was named for Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, who sponsored the legislation.

1947

First Fulbright Exchanges Begin

The United States signed an educational exchange agreement with Burma in 1947, bringing the first foreign Fulbright participants to America. Among the first Burmese Fulbrighters were nursing students who had been trained in famed U.S. Army Medical Corps Surgeon Gordon Seagrave’s hospital.

1951

Fulbright Expands Rapidly

The first group of Turkish students and researchers began their academic fellowships in the United States in 1951. By 1953, 27 countries had signed bilateral Fulbright agreements with the United States.

1954

Future Nobel Prize Laureates Receive Fulbright Awards

Free market economist Milton Friedman was among six future Nobel Laureates who were Fulbrighters in 1954, along with physicists Philip Anderson, William Fowler, Roy Glauber and Hannes Alfvén, and immunologist Niels Jerne. More than 60 Fulbrighters have received Nobel Prizes.

1956

Fulbrighter Revolutionizes Audio Technology

Amar Bose’s Fulbright to India prepared him to launch Bose Corporation which became a leading American technology company, shaping the future of audio technology. Bose represents the American entrepreneurs who propelled technological innovation forward in the 1960s.

1958

First Fulbrighter with a Disability

Jeff Davis Duty, Jr. began his Fulbright at the London School of Economics in 1958. During his legal career, he successfully argued to allow guide dogs in the U.S. Supreme Court. The State Department supports exchange participants with disabilities through the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE).

1961

Passage of Fulbright-Hays Act

President John F. Kennedy signed the Fulbright-Hays Act, re-authorizing and expanding the Fulbright Program and establishing a broader framework for U.S. educational and cultural exchanges.

1965

Microfinance Pioneer Begins Fulbright Research

Muhammad Yunus arrived in the U.S. from Bangladesh as part of a postwar generation of scholars applying economics to real-world problems. He founded Grameen Bank and won the Nobel Peace Prize (2006) for pioneering microlending to reduce poverty. Yunus would go on to lead Bangladesh’s government from 2024 – 2026.

1968

Fulbright Sparks Artistic Vision

Dale Chihuly studied glassmaking on a Fulbright to Venice, Italy, where he developed his distinctive style. His vision helped transform the medium into a major force in contemporary art and captivate audiences worldwide. His work emerged alongside a broader movement that bridged fine art, popular culture, and commercial appeal in the 1960s.

1972

Fulbrighter Walks on the Moon

Apollo 17 astronaut and 1958 Fulbrighter to Norway Harrison “Jack” Schmitt is the only scientist and the last person to have walked on the Moon. He was later elected as U.S. Senator for the State of New Mexico.

1975

Fulbrighter Launches Modern Computing

Gordon Bell, the “father of the mini-computer,” joined start-up Digital Equipment Corporation as its second engineer, designing systems that brought American computing from research labs into widespread commercial and institutional use. He was among the first of many Fulbrighters to push the cutting edge of computing technologies.

1977

Fulbrighter Transforms Medical Science

Rosalyn Yalow pioneered the radioimmunoassay, revolutionizing medical diagnostics and making it easier to test for diabetes, pregnancy, allergies, and cancer. Following her 1977 Nobel Prize, she lectured in Portugal as a Fulbright Scholar, becoming one of many Fulbrighters to advance medical knowledge worldwide.

1978

Congress Establishes the Humphrey Fellowship

The Humphrey Fellowship, a Fulbright Program exchange, begins to bring mid-career professionals to the U.S. for training. They go on to cooperate with the United States in priority areas such as combating illicit drug trafficking, economic and trade partnerships, emerging technologies, law, and space governance.

1986

American Icons Reach the World

James Watson, discoverer of DNA’s double-helix structure, lectured in Argentina in 1986. To honor its 40th Anniversary, Fulbright sent Distinguished Lecturer Fellows abroad, including poet Maya Angelou, playwright Lee Breuer, and economist Andrew Brimmer. By 1986, more than 120 countries had established Fulbright agreements.

1992

Fulbright Expands Following Cold War

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, new formal Fulbright agreements were signed with Romania and Bulgaria in 1992. New binational Fulbright Commissions were formed after the Cold War to expand Fulbright activities across the region, including in Hungary (1990), the Czech Republic (1991), Slovakia (1994), and Poland (1995).

1993

Fulbright Alumnus Earns Top Humanities Honors

Historian John Hope Franklin received the National Humanities Medal in 1993. More than 30 Fulbright alumni have earned this recognition, including philosopher John Rawls and author John Updike. Franklin had Fulbrights to the UK in 1954 and Australia in 1960, and later chaired the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

2001

Specialist Program Begins

The Fulbright Specialist Program begins to send American professionals for short-term projects abroad as consultants at major institutions who seek American experts, strengthening shared goals across medicine, law, engineering, agriculture, and the sciences.

2007

Fulbright Alumni Serve in Congress

Fulbright alumni have long served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. The 110th U.S. Congress convened on January 4, 2007, with four Fulbright alumni serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

2011

Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships Established

The Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships were created with the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 2011 to keep America and the world healthier and safer by supporting clinical research and addressing global health challenges in strategically important locations.

2014

Fulbright National Geographic Award

Fulbright began a partnership with the National Geographic Society to select Fulbrighters to spark broader conversations through visual and multimedia storytelling around globally significant themes related to land, oceans, and plant and animal life.

2017

Classroom Diplomacy

Teacher Exchanges expand program offerings for primary and secondary teachers in the U.S. and 70 countries; over 15,000 teacher alumni have brought global perspectives to classrooms around the world.

2020

Six Fulbright Alumni Lead Their Countries

Fulbright Foreign Student Alumnus Alexander de Croo was elected as Prime Minister of Belgium in 2020, becoming one of six Fulbright alumni to lead their countries that year. Over 45 Fulbright alumni have led their nations as head of state or head of government.

2023

Fulbright Alumni Embrace America as Top Diplomats

In 2023, Fulbright Foreign Student Alumna Yoko Kamikawa was appointed as Japan’s Foreign Minister and Alexandra Papadopoulou, a former Greek Ambassador to the United States, was appointed as Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Many foreign Fulbrighters have gone on to become diplomats.

2026

Celebrating America’s 250 and Fulbright’s 80 Years

Fulbright Scholars in the U.S. visit American heritage sites and attend Freedom 250 Seminars to learn about America’s history, natural beauty, and innovations, while American Fulbrighters abroad share projects on American history and help establish centers and programs in American Studies.