Harvard Bridge 'smoot' measurement

In October 1958, members of MIT's Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity measured the length of the Harvard Bridge in units of 'smoot' named after pledge Oliver R. Smoot; they recorded the bridge as 364.4 smoots long. The smoot markings have been repainted periodically by MIT students and the measurement has entered local engineering and campus lore. The informal unit and painted marks are still referenced on maps, signs, and by students and residents in the Boston area.