On Wednesday I went on a tour of Stanford University and learned an interesting tidbit that I thought connected to what we're learning in class right now and is worth sharing with you guys! As you all probably know, the big beautiful tower on Stanford's campus is known as Hoover Tower, named after Herbert Hoover... and the story behind this is kinda funny! He was in Stanford's inaugural freshman class and claimed to be the Stanford's first student ever....because he broke into the dorms the day before school started to sleep there, making him the first student ever to sleep on Stanford's campus!
The tower is named after him because he founded the Hoover Institute on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford. Also it probably helps that he went on to be president of the United States after graduating.
Another fun fact: Of the five founding principles of Stanford University, only one of them is no longer upheld: that tuition would cost $0 for all students. Bummer.
That's amusing... (are we allowed to say haha on here)
ReplyDeleteLike Mr. Stewart said, Hoover is so ridiculed and associated with the Great Depression that people disregard all else he accomplished, and that really sucks for him. Given a different time era, maybe he would've been one of the greatest presidents...and maybe not. However, it's important to note that history is really good at glorifying winners and degrading losers (unless you're talking about the Lost Cause). Another fun fact: Hoover's wife, Lou Henry Hoover, was also a very prominent and intelligent figure. She was also a proficient Chinese speaker, and a great linguist! She was the first First Lady to regularize radio broadcasting, and she loved to volunteer and help out with Girl Scouts.
Power couple woohoo
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DeleteSorry - Lou Hoover WAS buried in Palo Alto until Hoover's death.
DeleteOne story I learned was that when he was at Stanford he was the team manager for the football team. In 1892 Stanford played Cal in the first match-up in what is now simply known as "Big Game." The game was played in San Francisco, and was an huge occasion, drawing nearly 20,000 fans. Right before the game started, the team captains came to Hoover and the Cal manager, and demanded to known where the ball was. As Hoover wrote, "We had overlooked that detail and had to delay the game for a half-hour while we sent downtown for two pigskins."
ReplyDeleteYeah, Herbert Hoover delayed a college football game because he forgot to bring a ball.
Hoover actually had a pretty amusing life! There's a little uncertainty about his birthday because no one noticed the exact time he was born. Some documents said it was August 11, but most others and Hoover himself went with August 10th. He also held the Florida state record for largest bonefish caught for 11 years! There are also two asteroids named after him, named "Hooveria" and "Herberta."
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