With a long, storied history, Columbia University sits atop the rankings as one of the most prestigious universities in the US. Whether it’s celebrity alumni or even more famous mascots, Columbia has a list of facts unlike any other.
1. The MGM Studio’s Lion was inspired by Columbia’s Lion mascot.
2. Out of all the university halls in the US, Columbia’s Havemeyer 309 lecture hall is home to the most hollywood movies, like Spiderman, Kinsey, Ghostbusters, Mona Lisa’s Smile.
3. First Year March - During orientation week, freshmen must exit Lerner Hall through it’s back doors and enter campus their main gate to be introduced as Columbians for the first time.
4. 40s on 40s - Forty days before graduation, tradition holds that seniors drink 40oz malt liquor on the steps of Low Library to celebrate their final weeks on campus.
5. Rockefeller Center was built on the land that was once owned by Columbia.
6. Columbia is the 2nd largest landowner in NYC after the Catholic Church.
7. Columbia is the only school to have 2 graduates in the Baseball Hall of Fame - Lou Gehrig and Eddie Collins.
8. Many celebrities like Julia Stiles, Jake Gyllenhaal and James Franco all graduated from Columbia.
9. Columbia played Princeton in a baseball game at Baker Field for the first sporting event ever televised in 1939.
10. Though the word “trivia” has been used many times in the past for its definition, it was used for the first time to describe the game in Columbia
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