The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commonly known as MIT is considered the world’s best university for technical education. Established in 1861, MIT became famous for its rapid advancement in academics, brilliant inventions, and interesting culture and environment.
The following are 6 amazing facts about MIT
1. A humble beginning
Founded by William Barton Rogers in the 19th century, MIT had a modest beginning. It did not have its own campus and was started in a rented building in Boston. In 1916, it moved to the city of Cambridge and now has a campus spread across 168 acres!
2. The rise and success
Within years, MIT established itself as a leading institution in physical sciences and engineering. MIT became famous for its research-based education, especially in computers. It played a vital role in developing the radar technology which turned the tide of the 2nd World War in the favor of Allied forces. Currently, it conducts cutting edge research on digital computing and networking.
3. Factory of excellence
MIT has produced 84 Nobel laureates, 52 recipients of the National Medal of Science, 45 Rhodes scholars and 34 astronauts. And the numbers are still piling.
4. The competition
The following figures will explain what sort of competition is witnessed to gain admission at MIT.
The 2018 freshman class already has 18,356 applications of which only 1447 were selected. It means an acceptance rate of 7.9 percent.
5. Amazing architecture
MIT has one of the best campuses around the world with amazing architecture. Its Stata Centre is famous for its ‘deconstructionist’ style. It has 18 student residences and 26 acres of playing fields.
6. Hacking
Hacking is an important part of the MIT culture. Hacking does not only mean computer hacking. It refers to the practical yet highly ingenious jokes played by its students to demonstrate their technical prowess and cleverness.
Some best hacks of MIT students are listed below:
- On April 1, 1998, students hacked the home page of MIT’s web portal and posted an announcement that MIT was bought by the Walt Disney Company for $6.9 billion.
- On September 11, 2006, students managed to place a fire truck on the great dome, in remembrance of the September 11 terror attacks.
- Students used the height of Oliver R. Smoot (president of the International Organization of Standardization – ISO) by literally using his body as a scale of measurement. The activity was a part of his fraternity pledge and young Oliver had no choice but to abide by this hilarious pledge.
The hack became so famous that the word ‘Smoot’ was included in the American Heritage dictionary and even Google Earth uses the word as a measurement.
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