If you've ever heard of Penn Six, then you may have heard this phrase in conjunction with our name. But just what does it mean? Well, we've decided that after 100 years, it's high time. It all started much sooner than you'd have us believe.

Pennsylvania Six-5000 and its twelve-man ideal originated as far back as Jesus in ancient Judea. His twelve apostles were actually a very musical bunch. In 1400, the city of Bononia, Italy named its famous twelve gates after historical members of the group, led by Manuel Chrysoloras. In ancient Egypt, magicians in an early a cappella group had a tradition during rehearsals where a random member, chosen by a dodecahedron, was required to obtain tasty snacks for the group during breaks. This tradition continued on to more contemporary circles such as colonial America, where closer ties to our "Penn Six" are observed. Exclusive a cappella groups in Jamestown often had primary and backup divisions, hence "six and 1/2 dozen of the other." Records show William Penn's original proposal to the King of England was submitted by a small band of six Quakers, intended to "settle this Pennsylvania for the mass of 5000 which Jesus fed, etc."

So how does it all tie in? Well, we'll tell you. Early a cappella enthusiasts at Penn in 1894 founded a group with a lame moniker, the Penn Collegians. Although Mr. Franklin charted the University in 1740 as a non-sectarian institution, a few members of the group realized the significance of twelve members due to their Presbyterian upbringing and made this a requirement. In 1933, an aspiring young musician by the name of Glenn Miller was accepted into the group. We cannot underscore his importance to the group. His style and ideas brought new life to a fading outfit; in his honor, the Collegians were eventually renamed Pennsylvania Six-5000. This was after Miller's swing hit of the same name, which was based on his girlfriend's old phone number at the University, when Philadelphia used the now obsolete "736" exchange.

Today, Penn Six is one of the most popular a cappella singing groups at the University of Pennsylvania. With a balanced blend of humor and music, the group has gained recognition on a nationwide level. An aim of the group is to keep its membership diverse in order to keep a fresh perspective. Auditions are held every fall to accept new members -- the competition is fierce, with around 100 men auditioning each year for 2-5 spots. We perform at a wide variety of events, from Bar Mitzvahs to Alumni Receptions, Middle Schools to crazy drunken college crowds.

Penn Six does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, hometown, academic program, height, weight, cola preference, or facial hair.

The group went online on December 5th, 1994. Since that time, we estimate that the home page has served well over 1,090,065,069 visitors and counting.