After exhaustive research (read: 10 minutes on Google), I found that Northwestern isn’t the only place where things didn’t happen 110 years ago. Dozens of blogs and travel articles have mentioned seeing the exact same sign, everywhere from Ireland to the Philippines, and none seem to explain why the sign is there. Apparently, most writers fell into the same trap I did, and thought the plaque was genuine, including a mention of the sign in New York that claimed it was “affixed to the brick wall…in the 19th century.” It turns out, the signs are mass-produced (along with matching coat racks!) and easily available online, so anyone with $15 and a lame sense of humor can decorate their homes with this “rustic” “amusing and cute” plaque. (Amazon’s words, not mine).

But that still doesn’t explain why one of the signs wound up on our fair campus. So I asked one of the guys Northwestern pays to know this kind of thing, Associate University Archivist Kevin Leonard. Surprisingly enough, I’m not the first person to ask about it, but Leonard still had no clue about the sign’s origins.

“Anything we could tell you would just be guess work,” Leonard said.

Apparently, the plaque has been there for at least 10 years, but so far nobody has accepted responsibility for placing it there. Leonard said the University thought they had found who put it there, but the suspect has strongly denied it. “It just appeared one day,” Leonard said. “…And nobody’s touched or moved it since.”

Bored? Obsessed with trivia? Want to see how stupid a question I’ll answer? Send queries to ubernerdnbn@gmail.com.

Greetings, junkies of semi-useless information! With reactions to this year’s Homecoming parade grand marshal ranging from “OMG! That’s SO kewl” to “Who?” it just seems right to kick off my blog with the answer to another popular response: Who chooses the grand marshal, anyway?

Each year, the Northwestern Alumni Association looks at the list of alumni expected to come back for a reunion and tries to find notable alumni among the group. That list is turned over to the Homecoming Student Committee, which selects a few they’d like to see as grand marshal. The NAA takes that list, makes some phone calls, and finds one that’ll take the job.

Last year’s grand marshal, Stephen Colbert, was so successful that the NAA and the student committee searched for another nationally known figure, as opposed to the local alumni who have taken the job in the past, according to Katie Wesner of the NAA. Even though Clinton Kelly graduated in ’93, meaning he wasn’t scheduled to return for Reunion Weekend, he was scheduled to be in Chicago this weekend for another appearance. Wesner said this made Kelly one of the top choices, and when asked to act as grand marshal he was “happy to do it.”

Special thanks to: Judy Moore from NU Media Relations.

Is something on your mind, but too lazy to find the answer? Send your questions to ubernerdnbn@gmail.com.