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Wondering about Colombia country, I was thinking why do we have Columbia University, Washington District of Columbia in USA. How is it related… So here is what I found.

1. It started as “King’s College” (1754)

• Founded in 1754 in New York City, when the area was still under British rule.
• It was established by King George II of England, so it was named King’s College.
• It was the fifth-oldest college in the U.S. (after Harvard, William & Mary, Yale, and Princeton).

2. After the American Revolution, “King’s College” didn’t sound so good

• When the U.S. gained independence in 1776, people no longer wanted anything with “King” in the name.
• The college closed temporarily during the war and later reopened with a new, patriotic identity.

3. “Columbia” = poetic name for America

• In the 1700s and 1800s, “Columbia” was a poetic or symbolic name for the United States.
• It comes from the name Christopher Columbus, the explorer often credited with “discovering” the Americas.
• So “Columbia” meant “Land of Columbus” — and represented freedom and the new nation.

4. Renamed Columbia College (1784) → Columbia University (1896)

• In 1784, after independence, it was renamed Columbia College to honor the new nation.
• Later, as it grew into a major research institution with multiple schools (law, medicine, etc.), it officially became Columbia University in 1896.

5. Today

• Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the Ivy League universities.
• It is famous for:
  • Nobel Prize winners
  • Pulitzer Prize administration
  • Core Curriculum
  • Alumni like Barack Obama and Alexander Hamilton