Churchill Headlined MIT's Mid-Century Fete
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Then between gigs as Britain’s prime minister, Churchill was widely admired for his leadership during World War II. In his talk, Churchill acknowledged that he was not very savvy about technology. “I have no technical and no university education, and have just had to pick up a few things as I went along,” Churchill demurred. (That got a laugh.) Read the transcript of the famous talk.
The MIT community filled the 13,000 seats of the Boston Garden, the city’s largest venue. According to local media reports, it was a moment of high excitement throughout MIT and Boston.
An accompanying TR article describes a few details of the day including the experiences of Jack Baker '49, who served breakfast to the 74-year-old Churchill at the president’s house, where he was staying. The article, “The Most Important Meal of the Day,” provides personal insights on Churchill’s visit including his jokes with the students about hearing a lively party on campus during the night. The students gamely replied: "What we all really heard, sir, was more likely Wellesley girls."
This year, the Next Century Convocation on April 10 will recall the 1949 convocation and celebrate the scholarly accomplishments of MIT faculty and students. Watch the New Century Convocation page for details.
Comments
jim shepherd
Fri, 05/06/2011 10:07am
Yes, first the Marine Corps hymn - then, God Save the Queen: same music. The crowd, as well as the Marine Corps band, went wild.