Short answers, pulled from the story.
The University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787 by Hugh Henry Brackenridge as Pittsburgh Academy. Brackenridge obtained a charter from the Pennsylvania legislature on the 28th of February 1787. The school's charter was amended in 1819 to grant university status, and it was renamed the University of Pittsburgh by act of the state legislature in 1908.
The Cathedral of Learning is the 42-story Gothic Revival centerpiece of Pitt's main campus in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. Standing 535 feet tall, it is the second tallest university building in the world. Construction began in 1926, classes were first held there in 1931, and it was formally dedicated in 1937. It contains a 22,000 square foot Gothic hall Commons Room with 52-foot arches and 31 Nationality Rooms.
Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh's Virus Research Lab, located in the basement of what is now Salk Hall. By 1951, Salk and his team began immunization experiments in monkeys. Human trials followed in 1953, and the vaccine was declared effective in 1955. By 1962, Salk's vaccine had reduced the incidence of polio in the United States by 95 percent.
Pitt was designated a state-related university by Pennsylvania in 1966. The university receives public funding, which in fiscal year 2016 totaled $154.3 million and covered about 7 percent of its operating budget. In exchange, Pitt offers reduced tuition to Pennsylvania residents while retaining independent governance under its own Board of Trustees.
Three Pitt alumni have won the Nobel Prize. Paul Lauterbur, class of 1962, received the prize for his work in magnetic resonance imaging. Philip Hench, class of 1920, won for discovering the hormone cortisone. Wangari Maathai, class of 1966, won the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Green Belt Movement.
Pitt's football program has produced Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Dan Marino, Mike Ditka, and Tony Dorsett, as well as other prominent players including Larry Fitzgerald and Aaron Donald. Coaches Pop Warner and Jock Sutherland both worked at Pitt. The program has claimed nine national championships and 88 first-team All-Americans.