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Bruins of all generations have contributed to the UCLA story,
making the university what it is today. To document this story,
the UCLA History Project is collecting anecdotes, factoids and
other tidbits to include in its upcoming book.
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Do you have
a story to tell?
We’d love to hear it. E-mail us at UCLAHistoryProject@UCLAlumni.net
with the details. Whenever possible, please include information for fact-checking
purposes, such as contact names and numbers, and publication citations.
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Here is a sample of anecdotes from UCLA’s
past:
The wrong end of Jumbo
The Barnum and Bailey Circus came to Los Angeles one day in the 1920s while
the campus was still on Vermont Avenue. When it was about to strike its tents
and leave, a large elephant named Jumbo suddenly took ill and died.
Someone from the circus asked if the university wanted the carcass,
and UCLA answered affirmatively thinking it would be a splendid specimen
for a biology class. However, the circus also made the same offer to
USC and they also said yes.
The circus, in a quandary, suggested a 50-50 division of the elephant.
UCLA got the front end with the head, tusks and trunk. It’s not
difficult to guess what USC got.
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