Caltech Reclaims Cannon from MIT

<p>On Saturday, April 8th, Caltech students flew out to MIT with the intent of retrieving the Fleming Cannon that was stolen two weeks earlier. MIT students had taken the cannon while it was temporarily relocated to an unsecured location. This weekend Fleming Hovse responded by sending over 23 students and seven alumni. Early Monday morning, the students left a toy cannon in place of the 130-year old antique with a note saying, "Here's something more your size." This series of pranks began in 2005 when Caltech pranked MIT at their Campus Preview Weekend. This prank-counterprank tradition is sure to continue in the future.</p>

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Fleming Hovse responded by sending over 23 students and seven alumni.

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<p>so... 24 students and 8 alumni?</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Did anyone have any of the burgers that MIT students grilled for the occasion while others provided entertainment and took documentary photos? MIT students do know how to throw a nice party when their friends visit, don't they.</p>

<p>We thought the MIT crowd was extremely chivalrous and graceful throughout this whole affair. As I said in another post, neither side is perfect, owing to obvious coordination problems between two institutes. </p>

<p>As far as I am aware, Caltech students didn't partake of our hosts' treats because we were too busy with a certain moving project.</p>

<p>I have a question for the Caltech people. Isn't it true that Caltech originally obtained that cannon by stealing it in 1972 from a private school? </p>

<p><a href="http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12826.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12826.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The cannon may be 130 years old, and Caltech may be 115 years old, but if the above assertion is true, then the cannon and Caltech have only been linked for the past 34 years due to theft on Caltech's part.</p>

<p>If this is not correct, I'd like to hear the story about how Caltech originally got the cannon.</p>

<p>It was quite a tolerated theft, but yes, we obtained it from a military academy... they didn't fight back very hard because apparently they wanted to get rid of it.</p>

<p>were you here, ben golub?</p>

<p>nope, he wasn't</p>

<p>so caltech got the cannon back?</p>

<p>pebbles -- no. i kinda wish i had been. i hope to be there "next time", though i can't guarantee that much advance warning for a proper reception to be arranged ;-)</p>

<p>Aww...cannon is gone. well caltech, bring it on! lol.</p>