April 15
Purdue Fun Facts
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Last week, I went to visit my daughter at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.
Purdue is a land-grant university. Land-grant universities came about in 1862 when President Lincoln (via The Morrill Act) granted federally controlled land to states to develop or sell to raise funds to establish and endow “land-grant” colleges. The mission of these colleges was to focus on teaching practical agriculture, science and engineering as a response to the industrial revolution. This was in contrast to the historical practice of focusing on Liberal Arts in the university curriculum.
Here are a few Purdue fun facts:
Purdue University alumnus, John McNamara, was one of the original M’s in M & M candies.
Amelia Earhart prepared her plane for her last around the world flight at the Purdue University Airport. She was working at Purdue as a visiting career counselor for women at the time.
The first (Neil Armstrong) and the last (Eugene Cernan) astronaut on the moon were both Purdue graduates. There are also 22 other Purdue alumni who are astronauts.
Kermit the Frog was named after a Purdue professor of philosophy who was a childhood friend of Jim Henson.
Daily Inspiration
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
Abraham Lincoln
Those are neat facts!
Dachshund Nola
Ah…my dad is also a graduate of Purdue! But he ain’t famous or nuttin. Him gots his masters in engineerin’ from theres.
Best of luck to your daughter in school. I hears Purdue ain’t dat easy.
Puddles
Wow! Some impressive alumni from Purdue!