margie <***@gmail.com> wrote:
: When did RRC start as a newsgroup?? July ??, 19??
From the long-lost rec.roller-coaster FAQ, the first revision posted by
David Bowers in October, 1999...
==========8<----------
The official definition of rec.roller-coaster is:
rec.roller-coaster -- Roller coasters and other amusement park rides
rec.roller-coaster is an unmoderated newsgroup which passed its vote
for creation by 184:72 as reported in news.announce.newsgroups on July
21, 1991.
This newsgroup is for the discussion of any amusement park rides,
including (but certainly not limited to) roller coasters. Other
topics include park operating times/season schedules, admission
prices, latest attractions, future expansion efforts, rumors, etc.
---------->8==========
When a simiar question came up in 1999, Joe Schwartz provided a bit of the
history...
==========8<----------
7/21/91 is the date that RRC passed its vote. The group wasn't actually
created until a week later on 7/28/91.
Unfortunately, I didn't save any of the early articles. However, there are
two relevant tidbits that are publicly available. The first is the initial
request for discussion by Joe Gillon on 2/3/91:
ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/rec/rec.roller-coaster
Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups
Subject: Call for discussion: roller coasters/amusement parks
Organization: University of Michigan Cardiology Lab
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 91 21:22:40 PST
Followup-to: news.groups
Keywords: posted
This newsgroup could be used to compare notes on various coasters
or parks, to rate coasters, to update others regarding current
conditions at various parks, etc. Maybe we could even involve ACE
somehow or IAAPA (that's American Coaster Enthusiasts and Inter-
national Association of Amusement Parks and Amusements(?)).
The second one is the newgroup message that was sent by Dave "Tale"
Lawrence to create the group on 7/28/91. Dave wasn't the founder of RRC --
he's a Usenet administrator (a netgod) responsible for sending control
messages to create most of the vote-approved new groups.
ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/control/rec/rec.roller-coaster.Z
Control: newgroup rec.roller-coaster
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster.ctl
Path: rpi!tale
Subject: newgroup rec.roller-coaster
Nntp-Posting-Host: cs.rpi.edu
Date: 28 Jul 91 21:43:31 GMT
Lines: 11
rec.roller-coaster is an unmoderated newsgroup which passed its vote for
creation by 184:72 as reported in news.announce.newgroups on 21 July 1991.
rec.roller-coaster Roller coasters and other amusement park rides.
This newsgroup will be for the discussion of any amusement park rides,
including but not limited to, roller coasters. Also covered will be
operating seasons for many of the larger parks, admission prices, etc.
---------->8==========
So r.r-c has been here for almost 30 years.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
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