In most of the 19th century, people saw a cannon–not a tiger–as Princeton’s mascot. The “Big Cannon” was one of two such weapons abandoned by the British Army after the Battle of Princeton.

During the War of 1812, the Big Cannon went to New Brunswick to protect the city against potential attack. A military company called the Princeton Blues brought it back to town in 1835, and students brought it to campus in 1836. In 1840, they “planted” it on Cannon Green, where it began slowly sinking into the ground, as it has for generations. It may surprise those who see it today to know that it once stood tall enough to serve as a bulletin board.

Princeton’s cannon became part of many campus rituals, including a bonfire to celebrate football victories over Harvard and Yale.