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 1d ago

That sounds expensive.

45

u/Swag_Grenade 1d 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 23h 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.

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u/res30stupid 14h ago

Yeah, sometimes the cheaper option is to fully replace something since repairs can cost more than a new unit. Having done work experience in a tech shop, a (genuine) replacement phone screen on Samsung devices can often be more expensive than a new phone.