The most recognizable landmark at Georgia Tech is the Tech Tower, atop the oldest building on campus, where five-foot letters spell out the word TECH. More than a century ago, before Tech graduates helped assemble Atlanta's modern skyline, twin towers dominated the city's northern landscape. The second tower burned in 1892 and was never replaced.

Buzz is number one in the hearts of the Georgia Tech family. No one is really sure how and when the term "Yellow Jacket" came into being, although speculation points to the gold and white jackets Tech supporters wore to football games in the early 1900s. Various versions of Buzz have been used over the years. The present charismatic Buzz was designed to adapt to all aspects of Tech life, from riding in the Ramblin' Wreck to studying for finals.

Georgia Tech's fight song that begins "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" has contributed significantly to international recognition of Tech's name. An old folk ballad, "The Sons of the Gamboliers," inspired its words and music. The date of the song's introduction on campus is unclear, but the words first appeared in Tech's 1908 yearbook with all the expletives discreetly deleted. By 1959, the fame of the song was such that then-Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev sang it at their historic meeting in Moscow. The song's copyright, once owned by an early Tech bandmaster named Frank Roman, was later owned by former Beatle Paul McCartney. The copyright has since entered the public domain.

In 1961, a beautifully restored 1930 Model A Ford, resplendent in its coat of white and gold, made its first appearance on Grant Field. That automobile became the embodiment of the name "ramblin' wreck" that applied at various times to the student body, athletic teams, and the famous fight song.

A legend in his own time, George P. Burdell was created in 1927 as a practical joke. Incoming freshman Ed Smith received two application forms by mistake. He used one for himself and, on the second, gave the first name and initial of a relative who was the headmaster of his prep school, George P. Butler. The origin of the surname, Burdell, is somewhat unclear. One version of the story says that Burdell was the maiden name of Smith's best friend's mother; another version claims it was the name of Smith's cat. By secretly signing George P. Burdell's fictional name in addition to his own name on all of his class rolls, Smith developed George into a "legitimate" student. He even turned in separate exam papers for George, changing the handwriting and answers enough to convince many professors that George P. Burdell was actually a student in good standing. In 1930, George received a bachelor's degree from Tech and later a master's degree. During World War II, he continued his education at Harvard University before serving with the Eighth Air Force in England. Creative students have devised ways to keep George an active participant in the Georgia Tech system throughout the Institute's long history. He has appeared in Tech commencement programs and was paged at the 1990 Citrus Bowl when Tech beat Nebraska 45-21 for the National Championship.

One of the most vivid memories students take with them from Tech is the piercing shriek of the steam whistle, which sounds at five minutes before each hour from 6:55 a.m. until 5:55 p.m. As a tradition in the Tech community, the whistle is blown when Tech scores a touchdown or wins a football game. Additionally, the whistle is blown at the spring remembrance ceremony "When the Whistle Blows" - once for each person recognized and again at the end of the ceremony in one long blow for all Tech friends and alumni.