Thursday, May 20, 2004

"Ramblin Wreck" Song Contributes to World Peace

Thanks to daBuzz and Buzzfan over at the Hive for this story. In the ACC Football magazine there is a story about ACC school traditions.

The phrase Rambling Wreck is an important part of Georgia Tech's tradition, as well as the title of the school's fight song, which begins "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer". The song became so famous that Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev sang it at their historic 1959 meeting in Moscow........... the story goes that during the infamous "kitchen debate" (Nixon & Kryzewsksischev ;-) arguing about the respective abilities of Americans and Russians to own and furnish homes during a tour of an appliance display at a US Trade & Cultural Fair in Moscow), it was decided that the mood needed to be lightened. Singing a song was suggested, but Nixon knew no Russiian songs. Khruschev, however, knew "RWFGT". So....they sang it together.