The great Rose Bowl hoax of 1961 | Hacker News Reader

The great Rose Bowl hoax of 1961

museumofhoaxes.com

39 pointsTriinT14 comments

I first read about this is The Hacker's Dictionary. It contained an article about the amorphous definition of "hack" that includes this story and other classics: http://www.ccil.org/jargon/jargon_44.html

I love the imitation version at Hilliard, that's pretty close to where I grew up.

Should be: "The Great Rose Bowl Hack of 1961"

Three cheers for hackers!

To be semantic, isn't this a crack? After all, the key to the whole scheme was breaking into the hotel rooms of the Washington U Cheerleading team. Without burgling their rooms, none of it would have happened.

The term "hack" is slang, and therefore has several different meanings based on context. Here, "hack" just means a really difficult prank.

If it were computer "hacking", it would definitely be black-hat, since it was illegal, hurtful, and only benefited the hackers.

I wouldn't call it 'black-hat'. While there is the aforementioned illegality (breaking in), it's a bit of a stretch to call it 'hurtful' as the only reaction was a bit of hurt pride. The stadium burst out laughing, so I wouldn't call it something that only benefitted the hackers either.

In all it wasn't a malicious act nor done for profit, so I believe that associating it with the type of hackers who do behave that way is incorrect.

I love the blatant link buying at the top of the article. The ticket industry is the king of this.

Some more famous Caltech pranks at: http://www.globalprovince.com/caltech.htm

Cal-Tech's been trying to imitate MIT hacks for years: http://hacks.mit.edu/

With all due respect, I don't think MIT invented "hacks". MIT invented the name, though.

MIT is older than Caltech. But Cambridge University is older than MIT. At Cambridge, they've been pulling hacks for centuries.

I didn't say we invented hacks; I just said that Cal-Tech's been imitating ours for years. :P

Would you please care to provide some examples?

I am neither a Caltech nor a MIT alumnus. Although I have never visited MIT, I have spent some time at Caltech as a visitor. When I was at Caltech, some people told me that the difference between these two schools is the mentality and maturity of the undergrad students:

MIT -> high school

Caltech -> junior high

I didn't invent the joke. I am just the messenger ;-)

Very funny ... I resembled that remark! :)

About the imitation, I was more or less poking some good-natured fun at Cal-Tech, not actually calling them out. However, the Rose Bowl stuff in particular is derivative of the tradition of MIT hacks at the Harvard-Yale games that has been going on since at least 1948.

Yeah, I have heard of the Harvard-Yale game hacks. I have also heard of the tradition of putting stuff on top of the great dome. I like this Star Wars hack:

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1999/r2d2.html

Nonetheless, the coolest hack MIT has ever pulled off was to steal the Fleming Cannon from Caltech in 2006, imho.

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