Eric J. Cromer 4403 11th Street East Moline, IL 61244

Dear Eric:

I am very sorry to have been delayed so long in responding to your letter inquiring about our ASME "Egg Drop" contest. I hope, however, that the following information will be of value.

The very first egg throwing contest that we held was the result of a discussion held between myself and another faculty member in the spring of 1967 in which we were trying to find some way to build a little excitement into our senior design courses during the late spring doldrums. We prepared a little announcement and handed out raw eggs to each member of both classes with a challenge to see which student would make the lightest weight container sufficient to protect an egg thrown a minimum of 30 feet. In that contest, two parallel lines 30 feet apart were marked on the la floor representing the starting line and the minimum throwing distance. This contest was a great success and generated a very large number of interested spectators.

A consequence of this event was the second egg throwing competition held the following year on May 13, 1968. As a variation the contest was changed to require hitting a vertical target in advance of hitting the floor. I am pleased to have the opportunity to include an announcement which we found among our souvenirs regarding the "Second Annual Egg Throwing Contest".

As a result of these successes the egg throwing contest was taken over as an ASME egg throwing contest. I am also pleased to attached a copy of a ditto master describing the Fourth Annual event. I apologize for the poor quality of the announcement which represents a reproduction of a faded ditto master.

I was fascinated by how much interest these contests generated and also by the increasing level of sophistication being shown in designs each year. We did find it necessary to outlaw blister-paper because it presented an extraordinarily light-weight, but overly popular solution. We also had to outlaw helium balloons, fly rods and other ingenious devices that extended beyond the concept of passive-packaging devices. With a reasonable amount of fanfare, notices, officials to weight eggs and measure distances, it was possible to generate both a carnival-type atmosphere and one that offered considerable creative opportunity to student inventors.

I hope this belated information will be helpful to you and that you will have a very exciting and successful egg throwing competition. I also wish you the very best for a fine ASME season and I look forward to the opportunity to visit your section in the autumn.

With best wishes,

Yours very truly,

Paul W. Braisted
Vice President, ASME Region VII

ANNUAL ASME EGG THROWING CONTEST RULES

1.	The purpose of the egg throwing contest is to design and build a container for an egg which will keep the egg from breaking.
2.	The egg (in the container) must be thrown against the target area and drop to the floor.
3.	The egg a) must not break (cracks will be considered breaks) hit within the target area (if the target is missed, two additional throws will be allowed using the same egg).
4.	Each person may enter only one container and may use only one (fresh) egg.
5.	The contestant must supply the containers; ASME will supply the egg (Grade A large).
6.	Anyone (students, faculty, otherwise) may enter.
7.	There is no entry fee, just come with your container.
8.	Bubble paper, helium balloons, fly rods, and other ingenious devices that extend beyond the concept of passive-packaging devices may not be used.
9.	Prizes will be awarded to the three lightest, successful containers (weighed without the egg) and for the most creative container (as determined by the judges).
10.	All portions of the package to be weighed (minus the egg) prior to the first throw.
11.	The package must be of a type that can permit the egg to be removed after the trip for examination.
12.	Failure is defined as cracked or leaking.
13.	A maximum of three throws to be permitted to hit the target.

Prizes: First $10 Second $5 Third $2.50 Most Creative $5

Entrance required by all MAE 220 and 243 students.