100 facts about East Lansing and the school that makes it pulse
1. The city of East Lansing was founded in 1907. Prior to its founding, the city was known as Faculty Row, because the faculty of Michigan Agricultural College began living off campus.
2. The Peoples Church, 200 W. Grand River Ave. also is celebrating its centennial birthday. The current building, which houses a 100-seat chapel and 1,100-seat sanctuary, was built in 1926.
3. The only venomous snake in Michigan, the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, is native to the East Lansing area.
4. The city's oldest operating business, Twichell's Cleaners & Tailors, has remained in the same location since the 1920s at 221 M.A.C. Ave.
5. East Lansing was a dry city for many years, even after prohibition ended in 1933. The city's charter, signed in 1907, prohibited the sale of alcohol, and it wasn't until 1968 when the City Council modified the charter that alcohol could flow legally.
6. After World War II, temporary trailers were moved in on the southwest corner of Harrison Road and Kalamazoo Street to help house some students and ex-GIs because of a housing shortage.
7. The design of the "hamster cage" parking structure on Division Street resulted from the city telling the architect to make the structure "festive" and have "no brick."
8. Flat, Black & Circular, 541 E. Grand River Ave., was named No. 7 in Sports Illustrated's "The Music Issue" for campus indie-music stores in 2004.
9. In 1992, MSU hosted the final debate between presidential candidates George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.
10. The Verve Pipe, a rock band best known for the 1996 chart-topping single "The Freshman," formed in East Lansing in 2002.
11. In 1967, the city had a record 24 inches of snow fall. MSU had its first snow day, and it was the first time in history the university closed.
12. The oldest house in the city is located at 334 N. Hagadorn Road. It's the 1849-built Bigelow-Kuhn-Thomas house.
13. American elm trees were planted along Michigan and Grand River avenues in 1878, so the budding town and existing campus would be separated.
14. East Lansing was once the headquarters for Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Automobile Dealers Association, Michigan Education Association and Michigan State Police.
15. The co-founder and CEO of Google, Larry Page, is from East Lansing. His parents taught at MSU.
16. Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera completed online/correspondence courses through MSU.
17. "Close Beside the Winding Cedar" was MSU's alma mater before "MSU Shadows."
18. Grand River Avenue was initially a plank road that connected Lansing to Detroit in the 19th century.
19. Spartan Stadium is the tallest structure in the city, topping South Hubbard Hall and North Hubbard Hall.
20. Brody Cafeteria is the largest non-military cafeteria in the world. More than 2,300 students flock there every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
21. The East Lansing Softball Complex won the Outstanding Park Award from the Baseball Players Association, Inc. in 2006.
22. In 1894, a streetcar ran along Lansing's Michigan Avenue to the edge of MSU's campus at Harrison Road. The streetcar didn't go farther from there to prevent MSU students from going to "reputable" bars in Lansing.
23. Former MSU goaltender Ryan Miller opened a clothing store on 115 Albert Ave., called The Refinery.
24. Former President Harry Truman spoke at commencement in 1960.
25. The house located at 243 W. Grand River Ave. was the home of Linda Eoline Landon, the first female instructor at Michigan Agricultural College and its librarian, beginning in 1891.
26. Campus was used for two scenes in the 1999 teen movie "American Pie." One of the movie's producers is an MSU alumnus.
27. The rock on Farm Lane was originally placed near Beaumont Tower by the class of 1873, then relocated to its current location near the Farm Lane bridge.
28. The Beal Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in America.
29. Billy Downs, who founded BD's Mongolian Barbeque in 1992 and is today the world's largest Mongolian barbecue operation, is a 1988 alumnus.
30. When it opened in 1997, the 20-acre practice facility at Forest Akers Golf Courses was rated one of the top 10 new ranges in the country by Golf Range Association of America.
31. Gorsline-Runciman Co. Funeral Home has been in East Lansing since 1925.
32. Dr. Clifton R. Wharton became the first black president of MSU in 1970.
33. Only one student has ever served on the East Lansing City Council. Alan Fox, an MSU alumnus, served on the council from 1977-81.
34. For 13 straight years, MSU College of Education's elementary and secondary education programs have been ranked in the top 10 programs of their kind in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
35. The latitude of East Lansing is 42.736N. The longitude is -84.483W.
36. Harrison Roadhouse, 720 Michigan Ave., used to serve as a gas station, auto dealership, auto repair shop and public works facility.
37. "Spartacus," the 1960 film that won four Academy Awards, had a portion of its soundtrack recorded in Spartan Stadium. The movie used the crowd noise during a 1959 game against Notre Dame University, during which fans were told to yell "Hail Spartacus," among other phrases.
38. An actor in "The Godfather," James Caan was a walk-on football player for MSU in 1956.
39. City Council added drinking games as an "aggravating factor" to the noise ordinance in May 2006. The games are listed under the most severe penalty, which carries a fine of up to $1,000.
40. MSU has students from every county in Michigan.
41. According to the 2000 census, there are about 4,605 owner-occupied homes and 9,785 rental homes in East Lansing.
42. The Big Ten Conference was formed in 1895 as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. MSU (then Michigan State College) was added in 1949.
43. By the beginning of the 21st century, East Lansing had grown into the state's ninth largest city, outside of the Detroit metropolitan sprawl.
44. MSU's first classes began May 14, 1857. There were 63 students, five faculty members and three buildings, all of which are now nonexistent.
45. In 1999, about 10,000 people flooded East Lansing's streets, rioting, burning couches and overturning cars, causing about $250,000 in property damage.
46. A similar incident to No. 45 occurred in 2003, causing $90,000 in property damage.
47. In 2005, a police-estimated crowd of about 3,000 people took to the streets once again. Police released 299 cans of tear gas on the crowds that night, ending in a civil disturbance that caused $5,775 in property damage.
48. MSU is the only university in the U.S. with three medical schools - College of Human Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine.
49. In 2002, MSU was ranked No. 20 in Playboy's "Top 25 Party Schools."
50. Mark Meadows, who served as mayor of East Lansing from 1997-2005, stepped down from the City Council in 2006 to become a Democratic representative for the East Lansing area.
51. MSU's WDBM (88.9-FM), the Impact, was named college radio station of the year in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and was the first college radio station to broadcast in high definition.
52. The first East Lansing zone ordinance was adopted in 1926.
53. Hollywood producers Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., who helped create the films "Top Gun," "Dick Tracy" and "Sister Act," among others, were an MSU instructor and student, respectively.
54. MSU has the nation's largest criminal justice program.
55. City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, has two other addresses. Because the building sits on three streets, East Lansing Department of Police and Public Safety, 409 Park Lane, and 54-B District Court, 101 Linden St., have their own addresses.
56. East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, was first built as a free-standing high school. In 1969, the high school re-opened after renovations as John A. Hannah Middle School. In 2002, the building was re-opened as the East Lansing Hannah Community Center.
57. Burcham Drive was previously named North Street in 1907 because it was the north boundary of East Lansing. It wasn't until 1913 that it became Belmont Avenue, and in 1928 it became Burcham Drive again.
58. Shaw Estates was named after the 11th president of Michigan State College, Robert S. Shaw.
59. Then-Sen. John F. Kennedy spoke in front of the Union in October 1960.
60. Following the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, MSU's broadcasting tower for WKAR-TV was named the world's third tallest man-made structure in 1954.
61. Michigan Agricultural College was one of the first two land grant colleges in the country. The other was the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania (now Pennsylvania State University).
62. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was born in Lansing, attended MSU and helped the basketball team to the national title in 1979.
63. Ben Poquette, an NBA player from 1978-87, graduated from East Lansing High School.
64. "The Bachelor" star Bob Guiney was a 1993 MSU graduate. He was the backup quarterback for the MSU football team.
65. In 1907, Myrtle Craig was the first African American woman to graduate from Michigan Agricultural College.
66. MSU's mascot, Sparty, adorned Jones Soda Co. labels in 2005.
67. East Lansing's first five mayors were university staff members.
68. The same man who designed the World Trade Center, Minoru Yamasaki, also designed the Michigan State Medical Society building at Abbott Road and Saginaw Street.
69. In 1907, East Lansing was composed of less than 700 citizens and covered an area of about two square miles.
70. The Eagle Eye Golf Club, 15500 S. Chandler Road, is one of the top in Michigan and was rated fifth for best new, upscale course in the country by Golf Digest Magazine in 2004.
71. The MSU housing system is the largest in the nation, housing more than 15,000 students in residence halls and 2,000 students and families in university apartments.
72. In Michigan, the East Lansing Film Festival is the largest of its kind.
73. State Rep. Fred Miller and NPR journalist Sarah Hulett were employees of El Azteco.
74. The nation's first university ombudsman was appointed at MSU in 1967.
75. Forest H. Akers, the MSU benefactor whose name adorns Akers Hall and Forest Akers Golf Course, was expelled from MSU in 1907 for igniting a powder keg during a commencement speech from former President Teddy Roosevelt.
76. The first mayor of East Lansing was Clinton Smith, an agriculture professor. To satisfy immediate cash funding for the new city, he put up $300 of his own money.
77. The highest recorded temperature in East Lansing was 102 degrees July 24, 1934; Aug. 6, 1918; July 29, 1916 and July 19, 1894. The lowest recorded temperature was minus 37 degrees Feb. 2, 1868.
78. Chase Newman, a Michigan Agriculture College professor and member of the city's first City Council, created a system of numbering buildings and copyrighted the first official map of the city in 1913.
79. In 1990, the world's first medical cyclotron was developed at MSU.
80. 1978 MSU alumnus Frank Meczkowski created a cucumber hybrid so large a pickle from it can completely cover a hamburger patty.
81. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at MSU in February 1965.
82. Daisy Lane, Larkspur, Lilac, Marigold Avenue and Narcissus got their flowery names from developer Robert Hick's wife, Zoe's love of flowers. The area was known as the Flowerpot neighborhood.
83. Sparty was designed in 1943 by MSU art Professor Leonard D. Jungwirth, who was forced to use terra cotta due to World War II rationing.
84. Bob Fish and Mary Roszel, who own Beaner's Gourmet Coffee, are both MSU alumni, Class of 1988.
85. Gray squirrels in their black phase were introduced to MSU's campus in 1955. Now they can be found in local surrounding neighborhoods.
86. Todd Martin, who was once ranked the No. 3 tennis player in the world, hails from East Lansing.
87. In the mid-1950s, MSU was heavily involved with political affairs in South Vietnam. Wesley Fishel, professor of political science, was requested by Ngo Dinh Diem as an adviser and later, MSU was contracted to train police and write South Vietnam's Constitution. The CIA had operatives within MSU faculty until 1959. The project ended in 1962.
88. Spencer Abraham, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Energy under President Bush, is an East Lansing native and graduated from MSU in 1974.
89. Susan May Pratt, an actress who starred in "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Center Stage," went to East Lansing High School.
90. East Lansing is now more than eight times larger than its founding.
91. The Chronicle of Higher Education released a survey in 1998 that found MSU students led the nation in the number of alcohol-related arrests.
92. On an average football gameday, up to 85,000 people are on campus.
93. East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, 6400 Abbott Road, won the Silver National Aquatic Safety Award in 2004 and 2005 by Ellis and Associates for lifeguard staff.
94. The first Wells Hall, located on a site now occupied by the east wing of the Main Library, burned down in 1905. The second Wells Hall stood on the same site before it was demolished in 1966 to make way for the library.
95. College Hall was the first building built on East Lansing territory in 1856 and was the first structure in the U.S. built for agricultural science education. It was used as a classroom, chapel and community center.
96. In 1906, community members voted on naming the land area around MSU. Name ideas included Collegeville, Oakwood, College Park, Montrose and East Lansing. Although College Park received the most votes, the Michigan Senate chose East Lansing.
97. In 1946, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station crop scientist Steven Dexter discovered a way to maintain proper moisture content in popcorn so it would pop better.
98. The MSU vs. Indiana State University game in the 1979 NCAA finals in Salt Lake City received the highest TV rating and share in the history of basketball telecasts.
99. Records show in 1899, the Athletic Association of Michigan Agriculture College took steps to adopt a green monogram to be worn by varsity athletes. The colors came into wide use after Chester Brewer became head football coach and MSU's first, full-time director of athletics in 1903.
100. MSU has had five name changes since being founded in 1855. The latest was in 1964.
Published on Friday, June 22, 2007