9 Michigan State University Facts Even Spartans May Not Know

If you have spent enough time around Michigan State University, you probably feel like you know the campus pretty well.

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You probably know about The Rock. Beaumont Tower. The Spartan statue. You probably also know at least a few shortcuts that can save you five minutes while you're racing across campus.

There are some amazing facts about the university, and some that are probably extremely easy to miss.

Michigan State Students Helped Shape the Campus

Those shortcuts you take across campus may actually be part of the reason some sidewalks are where they are today. MSU says some informal paths were created by students around the university's founding. That eventually helped shape the sidewalk system still used on campus.

East Lansing Was Once Known as Collegeville

East Lansing also wasn't always known as East Lansing. Long before its current name, MSU's home city was known as Collegeville.

Some MSU Trees Are Hundreds of Years Old

Some of the history on campus also goes back much further than most of the buildings. Michigan State says there are more than 22,000 trees on campus, with the oldest estimated to be somewhere between 350 and 400 years old.

Hidden Details Around Michigan State's Campus

Then there are the details you could walk past a hundred times and not see.

One of the spires on Beaumont Tower is taller than the others, something that was designed as a reminder to "reach higher."

There are also two Spartan statues on campus. One is outdoors, while the other is indoors.

Michigan State's Surprising Hollywood Connection

And if the Broad Art Museum has ever looked cinematic, there is a reason for that. MSU says the museum appeared in Batman v Superman as Lex Luthor's mansion.

There is a lot of history at Michigan State University, more than you might realize around campus.