Those of you from the Boston area are familiar with the bridge that spans the Charles River between Harvard and MIT, and you may know that its measurements are marked off in smoots. What you may not know is that the hero of this nomenclature is the very Oliver Smoot, who is a resident of Scripps Ranch and serves on the Scripps Ranch Friends of the Library board.

The long and short of the story is that in 1958, as part of a pledge prank, an MIT fraternity chose the shortest pledge to be used as a measurement across the bridge. Ollie was selected not only for his stature of 5’7” but also for the uniqueness of his last name.

So, in the dead of night, the pledges began the task of measuring the span of the bridge with a human yardstick. Smoot lay down on the bridge, his fraternity brothers marked his head and feet, then he moved down one length, and the process was repeated until the entire length of the bridge had been measured. Each 10 smoots were marked with paint.

Ollie recounts that the pledges had no idea what a chore this would turn out to be. At first, Smoot gamely did push-ups to move himself to the next space. However, that gave way to exhaustion, and at some point, the pledges had to pick him up and carry him forward. He also remembers it was cold and windy above the water. The final count was 364.4 smoots plus one ear.

The pledges also had no idea of the long-term consequences. The markings are maintained and used in police reports to identify locations on the bridge.

A plaque in 2008 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the incident and is dedicated to Oliver Reed Smoot from the MIT class of 1962. In 2011, smoot was added as a new word in the American Heritage Dictionary. In Google World, smoot is listed as a measurement.

Included in a long list of accomplishments, Oliver Smoot was chairman of the American National Standards Institute and president of the International Organization for Standardization—no surprise there!

Win a Prize by Guessing the Length of the Evans Pond Bridge

Boston has a bridge measured in smoots, and so does the library! Follow the right hand path to the far side of Evans Pond and there you will find a bridge! Estimate the number of smoots (including fractions) and submit your guess at the SRFOL table at the Book Sale on August 24. All participants who match the same length in smoots to the unofficial SRFOL measurement will win a prize. At the SRFOL table, you will find Ollie himself as well as the tickets to submit your estimation. Winners will be notified via email and can pick up their prize at the library.

Programs sponsored by SRFOL are highlighted.  For complete details and updates, check our website.  

• Cyanotype Workshop with ArtReach: Thursday, August 1, 4–5:30 pm; kids and teens. Registration required.
• Forces in Action with the Fleet Science Center: Saturday, August 3, 3–4 pm; middle school age. Registration required.
• Girls Who Code: HTML Workshop: Monday, August 5, 5:30–7 pm. Registration required.
• Art Smarts: Wednesday, August 7, 4–5 pm; ages 5¬–17. 
• Family Arts Project: Paper Painting with Matisse: Thursday, August 8, 4–5:15 pm; kids and teens. 
• Mini Movers and Music: Mondays, August 12 and 26, 11:30 am–12:15 pm; ages 0–5. 
• Pajama Signing Story Time: Tuesday, August 13, 6–6:30 pm. 
• Craft programs with Toshwerks: Wednesdays, August 14 and 28, 4–5 pm; ages 8+. Registration required.
• Family Art Project: Molas: Thursday, August 22, 4–5:15 pm; kids and teens. 
• Radio Telemetry with EcoLogik: Thursday, August 29, 4–5:30 pm; kids and teens. Registration required. 
• Explore the Shore: Thursday, August 15, 4 pm to 5:15 pm
• Chess Club: Saturday, August 3, 17 and 31, 11 am to 1 pm
• Lego Builder Club: Tuesday, August 6, 13, 20 and 27, 3 pm to 4:30 pm
• Do Your Homework: Monday to Thursday, 3 to 6 pm

The next meeting is on Thursday, August 22, from 12 noon to 1:30 pm in the Seminar Room at the Scripps Ranch Library. Masks are optional. Attendees may bring their lunch but must remove all garbage. Because parking is limited, please consider carpooling. Group will be discussing Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Hotel.

Angie Stava, Catalog Librarian at the Central Library, recommends: A Woman I Know: Female Spies, Double Identities, and a New Story of the Kennedy Assassination by Mary Haverstick. "This is the true story of Mary Haverstick, a filmmaker who was halfway into making a documentary about Jerrie Cobb, one of the first women trained as an astronaut but denied going to space because of her gender... Through exhaustive research, Haverstick uncovers the real story—that Jerrie was almost certainly one of the most active, dangerous CIA spies in the early 1960s." To read Angie's full review, check out the July 14, 2024 issue of The San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Check out the book here:

“A Woman I Know: Female Spies, Double Identities, and a New Story of the Kennedy Assassination,” by Mary Haverstick

https://sandiego.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S161C1762862

Check out these read-alikes:

“Agent Sonya: Moscow’s Most Daring Wartime Spy,” by Ben MacIntyre

https://sandiego.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S161C1483017

“The Devil’s Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America’s Secret Government,” by David Talbot

https://sandiego.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S161C335027

“The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War,” by Ben MacIntyre

https://sandiego.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S161C528246

Recommended Reads is an ongoing partnership with The San Diego Union-Tribune. Every other week, Behind the Desk goes in-depth on the books we recommend. Read the Sunday Paper to see our most recent reviews or view our past archive on the SDPL website: sandiego.gov/sdplreviews

These Comic-Con Library Cards are now available at all SDPL locations! 

Sign up or replace your existing San Diego Public Library Card to carry the official commemorative 2024 Comic-Con library card while supplies last.  

This design was created by the amazing John Jennings, the award-winning illustrator behind the graphic novel adaptations of Octavia Butler's Kindred and Parable of the Sower.