Hackers’ delight: A history of MIT pranks and hacks

MIT’s legacy as one of the world’s most prestigious technical universities has a curious byproduct — a history of clever pranks, or “hacks.”

Take a look at the University’s long history of clever public disruptions.

Latest: According to Rachel D., an MIT Admissions blogger, Lobby 7 was converted into the anti-gravity Battle Room from the novel ‘Enders Game’ on the same weekend the movie adaptation was released. Outside, Killian Court was draped with banners signiying three different armies in the sci-fi story: Grffin, Dragon, and Tiger.

The day after the “Breaking Bad’’ finale, students turned the school’s Alchemist into an homage to Heisenberg, the alter-ego of show’s main character.

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Unknown persons converted the scaffolding construction workers are using to install a new skylight in MIT’s Great Dome into a Pac-Man reference. (Lights along the L-shaped scaffolding, representing the dots from the game, are seen better at night.) This may be the most recent stunt by MIT’s student body, but it’s far from the first.

In 2012, MIT hackers turned the Green Building, the tallest building in Cambridge, into a giant, playable, full color game of Tetris. The project was the result of almost five years of planning, according to MIT’s school newspaper.

In April 2012, an odd addition appeared on the Stata Center roof in MIT.

Hackers placed a Dalek, a cyborg from the British series “Doctor Who” on top of the school’s Computer Science and Artificial Laboratory.

In 2010, Cantabrigians noticed a strange sight atop an MIT building: A police call box reminiscent of the time machine used by science fiction hero Doctor Who.

In 2009, MIT students built an upside-down room at the Wiesner building on Ames Street in Cambridge, according to the Cambridge Chronicle. The students furnished the room with a pool table, framed painting, and leather seats.

The upside-down room even featured a cat.

2009

An anonymous group of students scaled the Great Dome of the campus and installed the first seven notes of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The prank highlighted the resemblance of the dome’s horizontal lines to a blank piece of sheet music.

2009

A half scale replica of the Apollo Lunar Module was placed on the Great Dome to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

2009

MIT students placed a replica of an MBTA’s Red Line car on the Great Dome. The solar-powered installation rode around the entire circumference.

2007

MIT pranksters transformed a statue of John Harvard — the namesake of Cambridge’s other well-known university — into a video game character from “Halo 3.”

2006

A fire truck appeared on the top of the Great Dome, one of the signature buildings on the campus.
As you’ll see in the coming slides, putting things on top of the dome is a recurring theme for MIT pranks.

2006

A Civil War-era cannon was moved from rival CalTech to the area outside MIT’s Green Building.

2003

A replica of the first airplane appeared on the Great Dome to celebrate the 100th anniversary of controlled powered flight. The Wright Brothers’ plane replica included a dummy figure.

2001

A snowman appeared on top of the dome.

1999

The pranksters turned the dome into Star Wars character R2D2.

1994

A police car was put on top of the dome.

1985

A speed limit sign geared toward an advanced audience.

1982

MIT made its mark on the Harvard-Yale football game by burying a weather balloon and then inflating it during the match. It exploded.

Recently, MIT interrupted another Harvard-Yale game by tossing out stuffed beavers from a balloon above.

1979

A plastic cow from Hilltop Steakhouse was hoisted up to the top of the dome.

1972

The piano launch from the roof of Baker House. The piano launch is now an annual event at MIT.

Early 1970s

Pranksters embracing their school’s reputation for braininess customized a street sign.

Early 1970’s

Another street sign from the same era warned motorists they were entering MIT’s territory.

1962

Pranksters turned the MIT dome into the Great Pumpkin.

Hackers reprised the pumpkin prank in 1994 by hanging cloth from the dome and putting orange filters over the lights.

1928

This hack involved a cow on a dorm roof.

1926

A car — most of it, anyway — was put on a dorm roof.