How this ‘End of Earth: 2 miles’ road sign became a part of Upper Peninsula lore Updated Jan 26, 2021; Posted Jan 26, 2021 The now-iconic End of Earth sign was a prank pulled off by Michigan Tech students. Photo courtesy of Michigan Technological University Archives/Copyright John Marchesi Facebook Share HOUGHTON, MICH. -- The sign stood by the roadside for only a few hours, but for more than three decades it has been remembered as one of the best pranks ever pulled off by Michigan Technological University students. As Michigan Tech Magazine recently told the story, in 1984 longtime friends and MTU students Tim Cocciolone and John Marchesi created a fake highway sign that embodied the wild, remote spirit of their school’s location in Houghton, in the U.P.’s Keweenaw Peninsula.