“Prepare to have your intellectual gears shifted and your curiosity sparked as we take you on a whirlwind tour of 20 fascinating facts about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Hidden beneath the walls of this hallowed institution lie secrets that will make you question reality, marvel at human ingenuity, and perhaps even chuckle at the quirky side of genius. From robotic cheetahs to hackers’ pranks, this journey promises to entertain, enlighten, and leave you in awe of the incredible world of MIT. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a rollercoaster ride through the wild wonders of MIT!”
1-5 Fun Facts About MIT
1. MIT’s motto is “mens et manus,” which translates to “mind and hand.” The institute’s curriculum emphasizes a combination of rigorous academics and hands-on learning experiences.
2. When it comes to Nobel Laureates, MIT is basically a Laureate magnet. They’ve got a whopping 98 of them in their faculty, staff, and Alumni. It’s like a Nobel Prize party over there!
3. With over 250 professional certificate programs, MIT offers a wide range of in-demand topics for learners, including additive manufacturing, machine learning, startup strategy, and systems thinking.
4. As an institution, MIT holds an impressive number of active patents, currently amounting to 3,781. It ranks second globally among universities in terms of utility patents.
5. MIT OpenCourseWare, an initiative that provides free access to MIT’s course materials, has over 4 million subscribers, making it the largest .edu channel on YouTube.
6-10 Interesting Facts About MIT
6. In a powerful example of triumph over adversity, a 9-year-old Black boy named Ronald McNair was denied access to a segregated library in South Carolina. Despite this setback, He got a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT and even became an astronaut on the Challenger space shuttle. And guess what? The library that rejected him now proudly bears his name. Talk about turning the tables!
7. MIT has a knack for pushing boundaries and finding innovative solutions. One notable creation is a cooling system that requires no electricity. Tested in the scorching Chilean desert, this system achieved a remarkable cooling effect of 13 degrees Celsius compared to the hot surroundings.
8. Katharine McCormick, an MIT-educated biologist, inherited a substantial family fortune and funded the development of the first birth control pill in the 1950s.
9. The inventor of Apple Jacks cereal is currently a professor of biological engineering at MIT. The cereal was initially created by this individual during their summer internship.
10. In 2014, former MIT employee Ethan Zuckerman publicly apologized for inventing the first popup ad in 1997.
11-15 Awesome Facts About MIT
11. Bose Corporation, known for its audio equipment, has MIT as its majority owner. In 2011, Amar Bose, the company’s founder, donated the majority of his shares to MIT, his former employer and alma mater. An annual cash dividend is paid to support MIT’s research and education mission.
12. The first recorded online transaction is said to have taken place between Stanford students buying marijuana from MIT students.
13. Qian Xuesen, a Chinese rocket scientist who graduated from MIT and Caltech, made significant contributions to engineering and aerodynamics. He worked on the Manhattan Project but was later deported to China during the Red Scare. He is now popularly known as the “Father of Chinese Rocketry.”
14. A bunch of clever MIT minds figured out that by buying a whopping $600,000 worth of lottery tickets, they could secure a 10-15% return on investment. Over five years, they managed to amass a mind-boggling $8 million from the Massachusetts’ Cash WinAll lottery. Who needs luck when you’ve got the brains of MIT?
15. If you’re a student at MIT, don’t forget to pack your swim trunks because swimming is a graduation requirement.
16-20 Surprising Facts About MIT
16. MIT doesn’t just hand out degrees; they also award pirate certificates! Yes, you heard that right. To earn this swashbuckling honor, students must complete courses in archery, pistol shooting, sailing, and fencing.
17. Will Smith reportedly declined an offer to attend MIT due to his early success in the entertainment industry.
18. Gza, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, is known for his interest in science and has spoken at Harvard and hosted a physics lecture at MIT.
19. The gaming world owes a lot to MIT. The first-person shooter game, Maze, was born there in 1973. It introduced innovative features like corner peeking, AI-bots, and even allowed 8-player online play. The game became so addictive and popular that DARPA had to intervene and ban it from ARPANET due to the sheer amount of network activity between MIT and Stanford players.
20. A carton of milk purchased by a student at MIT in 1994 was forgotten and rediscovered ten months later. Rather than discarding it, the student threw a “birthday” celebration for the milk. This unusual event garnered a cult following, and the expired dairy product, affectionately known as “The Milk,” celebrated its 21st birthday in 2015.
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 20 Interesting MIT Facts
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