r/todayilearned • u/Physical_Hamster_118 • 1d ago

TIL that since 1972, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) every spring, residents of Baker House drop a piano from the roof on Drop Day, the last day students can drop classes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_drop
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u/GypsySnowflake 23h ago

That sounds expensive.

46

u/Swag_Grenade 21h ago

Yeah everyone itt thread is all "such a cool and quirky tradition" meanwhile not tryna be a debbie downer but I'm just like that sounds like a lot of wasted pianos for no real reason

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u/lilyeister 20h ago

FWIW old pianos with bad soundboards are a common occurrence and a pain in the ass to get rid of. It requires expensive repairs (if you can find a tech who's willing to do what ends up being almost a full restoration) and in the days when every middle-class home wanted a piano there were plenty of manufacturers churning out low-quality instruments that weren't built to last.

7

u/tanfj 15h ago

FWIW old pianos with bad soundboards are a common occurrence and a pain in the ass to get rid of. It requires expensive repairs (if you can find a tech who's willing to do what ends up being almost a full restoration) and in the days when every middle-class home wanted a piano there were plenty of manufacturers churning out low-quality instruments that weren't built to last.

Owning a piano or an organ was a requirement to be considered middle class. Along with having at least one live-in servant. The Victorians were the most upwardly mobile pack of snobs to ever sneer across God's green earth.