The Kappa Sigma fraternity has an illustrious six hundred year history, starting as a secret society of brothers in Bologna, Italy and becoming the most preferred colligate fraternity in the world, with over 250,000 initiated members.

In Italy: In the year 1400, renowned scholar Manuel Chrysoloras and his students formed a society of brothers in Bologna, Italy in order to protect themselves from the tyrannical governor of the city Baldassarre Cossa, who was widely known for extorting and robbing students. Although the group was initially united under the guise of protection, they also devised certain signs, words, and symbols to create a ritual that would unite them as a true brotherhood.

In America: Modern day Kappa Sigma was founded one chilly evening in the fall of 1869, as five students attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville gathered in the room of William Grigsby McCormick, at 46 East Lawn, and planted the seed of Brotherhood. For many weeks the bonds of friendship had drawn these five together; now the need became clear for a formal structure to contain their feelings. Thus, not only did the Founders formalize their friendship, but they also created a fraternity steeped in the traditions of the past and dedicated to the Pursuit of Learning. The new brothers recorded their bond in a Constitution and in an Oath that set forth the ideals and principles to all Kappa Sigmas today.