Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)First, we grabbed a copy of MIT's newspaper - The Tech. You will never guess what was on the front page... A photo of the MIT Cube Club with a caption reading "The MIT Cube Club held its first cubing competition on Saturday. Dozens of competitors gathered from around the country in 26-100 to test their skills at solving Rubik's Cubes. Puzzles varied in difficulty; 5x5x5 cubes are seen here."
Isn't that exactly what you'd expect from MIT? Glad it didn't let you down, either.
Another item that made front page: Alpha Phi Omega's Ugliest Man on Campus competition. As if these nerds didn't have enough troubles?!?!?
The fun page included a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, and a comic section with Doonesbury and Dilbert. There was another comic that Richie had to explain to me...
Comic from MIT's The Tech, Issue 54Let me explain. That is a resistor, which is a component in electronics that restricts the flow of electricity. Richie says that resistors are always striped. The stripes tell you how much resistance the resistor has (just like a battery has volts or a car has horsepower). The drawing on the easel is how a resistor would be represented in an electronic diagram.
I'm normally quite good at getting jokes, but this one just flew over my head. Richie, however, fell on the floor, laughing.
Of course, that comic led Richie to telling a bad computer science joke...
There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those that know binary, and those that don't.
So that is a joke because one zero in binary actually means two.
Ha!
We took MIT's student-led campus tour and was entertained by all the campus has to offer.
Here is what we learned...
MIT'S founder, William Barton Rogers, thought it was important that everyone know how to swim, so every student must take a swim test in order to graduate. The Test: Swim 100 yards continuously. There is even an instructional video!
Students refer to buildings by their numbers instead of their names.
And we learned about the nonstandard unit of length, called a Smoot.
Our guide said the Smoot all began when a group of students, in their daily walk across the bridge to school, were eager to know much further they had to walk to MIT.
In 1958, an MIT Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity pledge, Oliver R. Smoot, lay on the Harvard Bridge (between Boston and Cambridge) and had his fraternity brothers measure the length of the bridge with his height. The tradition continues today with every new Lambda Chi Alpha pledge class, and you can see a marking about every 10 Smoots. Even the Cambridge Police use the Smoot markers for identifying the location of accidents on the bridge!
So how long is a Smoot? 5 feet, 7 inches
How long is the Harvard Bridge? 364.4 Smoots plus or minus one ear.
And what happened to Mr. Smoot? Oliver graduated in 1962 and became a lawyer.
Some MIT Stats:
Tuition to MIT (2009–2010) = $37,782
That doesn't include room and board = $11,360
Or books and personal expenses = $2,858
Which brings 1 year at MIT to a grand total of $52,000!
MIT is a pretty small school with 4,232 undergraduates and 6,152 graduate students (2009-2010). 2,722 of those are international students.
And admission to MIT is competitive. In 2009, 15,661 candidates submitted final applications for the freshman class, and 1,675 were offered admission. That's almost 11%.
The Ray and Maria Stata Center720,000 square feet
Designed by architect Frank Gehry
The Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Information and Decision Systems lab, the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, and offices are housed in the building.
Our next stop: Harvard
Harvard is a private university founded in 1636, making it the oldest university in the United States. The university was not founded by John Harvard, and it actually went without a name until after John Harvard's death in 1638.
Why was it named after John Harvard? Because he left his library (over 320 books) and half his money (about 800 Pounds) to the then nameless college.
John HarvardIt is good luck to rub the toe of his left foot, so they say.
What does "Ivy League" mean?
It is originally an athletic conference (not academic) that included 8 private universities in New England.
The 8 Ivy League Institutions:
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Harvard University
- Princeton University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Yale University
Harvard claims 8 U.S. Presidents:
- John Adams
- John Quincy Adams
- Rutherford B. Hayes
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- John F. Kennedy
- George W. Bush
- Barack Obama
Some Harvard Stats:
Tuition for 1-year = $33,696
Room and board = $11,856
For a total of $45,552 (And that doesn't include books or personal expenses!)
And tonight - we're going to watch Good Will Hunting. "How ya like dem apples?"
"Top 10 Ways to Act like You Tahk Bawstin!"___________________________________________
A trip to Boston would not be complete without a trip to Fenway Park. It has been home to the Boston Red Sox baseball club since 1912, and it is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use.
A few things we learned:
Red Sox fans are serious - "Red Sox Nation" - and every home game has been sold out since May 2003.
The score is still updated by hand, and apparently there are left-field ballplayers' autographs on the back of the scoreboard.
Our guide shared all the changes to the stadium that have happened over the years, and particularly all the new seats that have been added by the new owners.
With the names you'd expect... There are new press boxes, the Coca-Cola Party-Deck, the Budweiser Right Field Roof, more seats to the Green Monster, and new "Luxury Suite" boxes that are on a 10-year lease at $250,000-$350,000 a season (that's a 2.5-3.5 million dollar contract! And it does not include catering!).
But the grandstand seats are still the original 1912 solid oak seats.
In 1999, there were rumors of building a new Fenway Park with the best in new technology and seating, but Red Sox fans said Fenway was "sacred ground." In 2005, it was announced that the Red Sox team would remain at Fenway Park indefinitely. And kuddos to them. In 2012, Fenway Park will celebrate its 100th year, and they are currently completing the paperwork to become a National Historic Site.
View of the Green MonsterYou are probably wondering about this Green Monster. I was too! What is it? Why is it called the Green Monster?
Well, the Green Monster is a 37 foot, 2 inch wall in left-field. Apparently, it is a popular target for right-handed batters.
"Green Monster" is a relatively new name. Before 1947, the wall was covered in advertisements and just called "the wall."
Oh - and the Red Sox's mascot is named Wally the Green Monster. Apparently, he was a hermit living behind the Green Monster wall, and decided to come out in 1997 for the 50th anniversary of the wall he is named after - the Green Monster.
To retire a number with the Boston Red Sox, a player has to:
- be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
- play at least 10 years with the team
- and retire as a member of the Red Sox
- Bobby Doer - #1
- Joe Cronin - #4
- Johnny Pesky - #6 (He would have had 10 seasons with the Red Sox, but he spent 3 seasons in the U.S. Navy during WWII.)
- Carl Yastrzemski - #8
- Ted Williams - #9
- Jim Rice - #14
- Carlton Fisk - #27
1916 World Series ChampionsThe Boston Red Sox earned 7 World Series Championships
We love free stuff - and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts opens its doors ever Wednesday night (after 5pm) to those interested. They suggest a small donation, of course.
While The Secrets of Tomb 10A, Egypt 2000BC was fascinating, we did have some favorites... The first was the Paul Revere painting that looked like Jack Black, Richie was really taken by Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism, and I couldn't stop singing with the Seeing Songs piece. You can check out the Museum of Fine Arts here.
Paul Revereby John Singleton Copley, c1768
Doesn't he look like Jack Black?
Just down the street from where we lived on Bainbridge Island there was a church with a sign out front labeled "Church of Christ, Scientist." We always thought it was a somewhat oddly named church, seeing as most of the times "Church" and "Science" seem to be at odds on almost any issue. Well just down the street from the hostel in Boston was a magnificent building labeled The First Church of Christ, Scientist. But unlike the countless "First" Baptist churches and "First" Methodist churches, this was literally the "First" church for the religion.
We dropped by and was taken on a very informative tour of the building and was able to learn the history of the Church of Christ, Scientist. One of the first things our guide made clear was that they were in no way associated with Scientology. Phew.
The church was founded by Mary Baker Eddy after her 1875 publication of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." She believed in studying Jesus Christ as a healer, and that each person has the potential to heal. According to the website, the purpose of the church is "to re-establish the Christianity that heals mankind physically as well as morally." The church publishes The Christian Science Monitor, has over 2,000 branch churches in over 80 countries, and operates Reading Rooms that act as book stores and resource centers for spirituality. They have no ordained clergy, but instead have teachers and nurses.
The building had to be one of the most grand churches we had ever been in. We don't remember the seating capacity, but it was easily in the thousands. And there was also a parking garage underground. If you are interested in learning more, click here.
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As promised... The Freedom Trail, Continued!
We began our day by starting at the end of the Freedom Trail and working our way back. We took the "water shuttle" to Charleston - Pier 3, the Naval Yard.
STOP ONE (or should it be STOP 11?): USS Constitution "The most celebrated ship in American history."
We were taken aboard the USS Constitution by an active duty Navy Rookie (he's only been enlisted for 5 months, and we were his very first tour group). Despite the fumbled facts and nervous delivery, he did a great job. Here is what we learned...
- The oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, and still manned by an active duty U.S. Navy crew.
- Launched in Boston on October 21, 1797, she was first put to sea in 1798.
- Nicknamed "Old Ironsides" because cannonballs bounced off of her oak sides in battle during the War of 1812.
- The USS Constitution has gone undefeated in battle - sinking many ships including the HMS Guerriere and the HBM Java (Quick note: the HBM Java was destroyed at sea by Capt. William Bainbridge... Bainbridge Island's namesake.)
- Home port: Boston, Massachusetts
- It took 3 years to build at a cost of $302,718.84.
- Crew in 1812: 450 including 55 Mariners and 30 Boys
- Crew in 2001: 55 active duty men and women
- Length overall: 204 feet overall; 175 feet at waterline
- Mainmast Height: 220 feet
- Speed: 13+ Knots
- Length of Running Rigging: 8 miles
Because we arrived in the seasonal transition, the masts and rigging were down, and she is undergoing another renovation, so access was limited. Only about 20% of the original boat remains - mainly in the hull - but she is still an inspiration and grand symbol of American history.
STOP TWO (or STOP 12): Bunker Hill
"It was the first great battle of the Revolution" - Daniel Webster
It was June 17, 1775 - The Battle of Bunker Hill, which isn't really Bunker Hill, but Breed's Hill. (General Prescott changed the battle plans - and it still causes confusion to history students!) St. Francis de Sales Church stands on the true Bunker Hill.
Colonel William PrescottA simple recollection of the battle...
While the British baked bread and cooked meat, the rebels (also called patriots or Americans) gathered on Breed's Hill.
British troops began to climb Breed's Hill and didn't know that rebel troops were patiently waiting for them. To conserve ammunition, the rebels were ordered not to fire "'til you see the whites of their eyes."
Three assaults took place on the hill, and the rebels eventually ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat. Technically, the British won this round, but it left a huge dent in their unit numbers - losing 90% of their men.
The cornerstone for the Bunker Hill Monument was laid on June 17, 1825, but it took 17.5 years to complete. Why? Lack of money.
The 221-foot granite monument was designed bySolomon Willard.
STOP THREE (or STOP 13): The New England Holocaust Memorial
Designed by Stanley Saitowitz, and dedicated in 1995
The six glass towers represent the six death camps erected by the Nazis, and the features with the most impact are the 6 million numbers representing the six million Jews who were murdered.
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One of my new favorite pasttimes is posing with bronze statues.Statue of Mayor James Michael Curley
"Boston's best-loved politician"
Ebenezer Hancock House(John Hancock's brother)
Boston StoneIt was originally brought from England before 1700 and used as a millstone.
It has served as a local landmark since 1737.
STOP FOUR (or STOP 14): Paul Revere and the Old North Church
The Paul Revere Mall is not a shopping mall but a half-acre park honoring Mr. Paul Revere.
Blank "Dog Tags" - Memorial Garden in Paul Revere Mall"To honor the men and women in the Armed Forces and the civilians who have lost their lives in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars."
So you know the name Paul Revere, but what did he do and why is he important?
- A trusted messenger of the rebels (aka Patriots or Americans, basically those fighting against the British)
- April 18, 1775 - he set out to ride to John Hancock and Samuel Adams to warn them that "The Regulars are coming out!" (meaning the British).
- He was made famous by Longfellow's poem Paul Revere's Ride
The Old North Church (original name is Christ Church in Boston)
- An Anglican Church (Church of England)
- Boston's oldest standing church
- Cornerstone laid in December 1723.
- It has the tallest steeple in Boston = 191 feet
- The steeple holds the first set of bells ever brought to America (1744).
- Paul Revere was one of seven of the first bell ringers (he was 15 years old).
- The walls are 2 1/2 feet thick
- And the building is made of 513,654 bricks (made in Medford, Massachusetts)
- By the way, Paul Revere didn't place the lantern, but his friend Robert Newman, and only for a few minutes.
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