My school had a class called CS 418 Computer Graphics. One of the final projects was to render a scene reflected off the surface of a teapot STL. I often pondered on the coincidence.
I learned about it when I received a copy of BRL-CAD from the Army Research Lab in the mid-90s and it had a teapot, which I thought was quite odd for an application designed for ballistic research.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_vessel
> A boiling vessel is a water heating system fitted to British armoured fighting vehicles that permits the crew to heat water and cook food by drawing power from the vehicle electrical supply.[1] It is often referred to by crewmembers (not entirely in jest) as the most important piece of equipment in a British armoured vehicle