The Phi Beta Kappa key is one of this nation's most distinctive symbols and, in fact, traces its origins to the era of the American Revolution. Conceived in 1776 by a group of talented undergraduates at the College of William and Mary as an emblem of their secret "philosophical society," the key proclaims Phi Beta Kappa's centuries-old conviction that "The love of wisdom (is) the guide of Life." As the Society they created encompassed more of the nation's finest colleges and universities, its key became a universally recognized mark of academic achievement in the liberal arts and sciences.