The Great Cornell Pumpkin Prank

On the morning of October 8, 1997, it was observed that a pumpkin had mysteriously been placed overnight atop the spire of Cornell University's McGraw Tower. The Common Curator had just begun work at Big Red, and recalls the great buzz that the pumpkin created across campus--and beyond. Twenty years later, the identity of the perpetrator(s) of one of the greatest college pranks is still not known with certainty, although various explanations have been put forward.

Initially, it was unclear if the object was actually a pumpkin, as the tower is 173' tall. For pumpkin skeptics and conspiracists, a recent Cornell Chronicle article features a photo of the "Certificate of Authenticity" from the Kingsbury Commission (which intensively studied the matter) that unequivocally states: "It's a pumpkin." A thorough and fascinating summary of the events, and speculation, surrounding the incident has also recently been published by Atlas Obscura.

To mark the 20th anniversary, Cornell University Library is hosting a "PumpkinCam Redux," with much--but not all--of the content of the original website. Bits and cucurbits both decay, after all. Happy Halloween!

Note: the photo above is a Cornell University file photo.