Streak

A black and white illustration of a male streaker with the word "STREAK" between his legs on a white background.

In 1804, George William Crump, a Washington and Lee University senior, was arrested for running naked through Lexington, VA. (Crump later became a US Congressman.) Around 1973, colleges witnessed a new fad, groups of students running nude en masse. A reporter witnessing such a run at the University of Maryland exclaimed, "They are streaking past me right now. It's an incredible sight!" The Associated Press published it as “streaking”, and the term has been used ever since. The fad was immortalized in the novelty song, “The Streak,” by Ray Stevens in 1974, and several colleges still maintain nude run traditions.