1875
On the night of April 25, 1875, 10 sophomores from Rutgers stole a Revolutionary War cannon from the Princeton campus, mistakenly believing that Princeton had taken the cannon from them — in the process, they initiated the legendary Princeton-Rutgers cannon war. Soon after, a group of Princeton students paid a visit to Rutgers to retaliate. But, since they couldn't find the cannon, they carried back some old muskets from a museum on campus. A committee with faculty of both universities resolved the dispute, returning the cannon to Princeton and later cementing it into the ground. And yet, the dispute continued to be an issue between the two universities. In one rather amusing episode of the conflict, Rutgers students attached one end of the cannon to a car and then accelerated so hard that the force tore the car in half. In another episode — a favorite of Orange Key tour guides — Rutgers students rather ingeniously pretended to steal the cannon by digging a large hole right next to the cannon tip and then covering the tip itself with the resulting pile of dirt. Ironically enough, despite the all the commotion, the cannon wasn't even used in the real Battle of Princeton.
1963
The Great Dinky Robbery took place on May 3, 1963, when four Princeton students rented horses and rode out of the woods to hold up the Dinky. Dressed as bandits with hats and bandanas, and armed with a .38-caliber revolver loaded with blanks, the students rode straight for the train, forcing it to a halt. After boarding and firing off a few shots, the bandits chose four girls they thought would play along with their plan and took them from the train, robbing the Dinky of its romanticized role of bringing dates to the then-all-male University. They put them on their horses before setting off to Prospect Avenue for Houseparties.
The leader of the group was George Bunn Jr. '63, well known on campus for his pranks. He once drove a bulldozer into Cottage Club, and rumor has it he also kept a pet ocelot in his room. The identities of the other three riders remain a matter of speculation. The Great Dinky Robbery was most likely the last hold-up of a train in the country, though the railroad did not file charges. The University knew the identities of the students involved but took no disciplinary action.
1968
During their undergraduate years at Princeton, Eric Johnson '69 and his friends encountered a female student from Hollins University whose car had broken down, and they convinced her to return to campus with them. They made her believe that their suite in Dodge-Osborn Hall was a hotel room and encouraged her to spend the night there, at a time when women were not allowed on campus. One friend pretended to be the manager and another impersonated a bellhop, while still another rounded out the act by pretending to be a French Zen student, another hotel guest. "She bought the whole thing," Johnson recalled, as she left the next morning unaware that she had stayed the night in a college dorm room. Johnson saw student pranks as reflections of the University's intellect and humor, saying, "You get a bunch of Princetonians together, they're going to push the envelope."
2005
Before she was caught in a bad romance, found a monster in her bed or took a ride on a disco stick, Lady Gaga was just another struggling singer — albeit, one with a pretty good set of pipes. And that's exactly what attracted the Terrace Club social chair at the time, Colora Mikrazi '06, to hire her for a performance on March 30, 2005.
"We didn't have a lot of money, and Lady Gaga, or just Gag as she was called back then, was pretty cheap," Mikrazi said. "It was a good deal: For $1,400, she danced, sang and even let me try on her wig."
The event was only sparsely attended, as many students preferred to go to state night at TI "I don't regret it at all," Chad Chad '07 said. "Why would I want to go see a dude pretending to be a girl strut around in a bustier? I got to see the real thing at TI"
Those who did go, however, remember the performance as being pretty crazy. "I was really into Indie music at the time — you know, alternative — and I couldn't stop wondering who this chick was. She was fucking nuts. She didn't have any pants!" Sam Meeeboi '06 said. "It was hot," he added.
And what did this fashion queen wear? According to Mikrazi, she had on a garbage bag she had found somewhere and twisted into a dress. Her wig, which she so generously permitted Mikrazi to try on, was bright orange - in honor of Princeton - and her shoes were 5-inch heels made out of real tiger claws.
"She seemed to really be into the whole Princeton spirit thing," Meeboi said. "I thought she was an alum."
Unconfirmed Legends:
A student led a horse up to the top floor in Brown, and because he couldn't get the horse to go down the stairs, he had to break a window and lower him via pulley. The school never found out who did it, although it was widely known among select students at the time.
A student flew a Piper over campus and dropped beer cans from the plane. He was expelled.
From their suite in Blair Arch, eight members of the men's rugby team mooned the entire cast and crew of "A Beautiful Mind."
Historic Pranks compiled by John Dec, Isabel Schwab and Lucas Briger.
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