What's black and gold, lives in a glass jar and is older than the building which it resides in? The Coaxial Battery. Sure it doesn't work. Sure it has no practical purpose. But its survived 16 years. I bet the good people at Duracell would be impressed.
Many people who have lived sheltered lives may never have seen a coaxial battery before and are probably wondering what one is. This battery is of the Duracell 9 volt variety and sitting in a small covered glass jar with a coaxial attachment. Exactly why someone decided to make this coaxial battery is a mystery lost forever in history. It even remains a mystery how this battery survived the past 16 years without being thrown out. Surprisingly it shows no signs of corrosion over the past 16 years.
Back on January 24, 1983, some unsuspecting person wrote the words on a sticker "Good 1/24/83" and attached it to a coaxial battery. Little did he know the chain of events which would result from his actions, some 16 years later. Sixteen years to that day, members of the WPI Chapter of ACM gathered in celebration of the 16th birthday of this Coaxial Battery.
While we know little about the history of the battery in the time between that fateful day in 1983 and its discovery last fall, in Fuller A23, one can assume it survived a move to Fuller sometime after the building's construction in 1990. We do know what the future will hold for this battery. Next January 24, we will gather again in honor of its 17th birthday. The following year, it might even be older than some of the freshmen. Of course we all eagerly await the 2004, when we will return in honor of its twenty-first birthday and enjoy a beer with it.
For all of you who missed the birthday bash, feel free to stop in the ACM lab in Fuller A23 to view this amazing Coaxial Battery. For any of you who know of the person who labeled it, some 16 years ago, have him or her contact us so he can see the monster he has created.