Discon

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The 21st Worldcon and first in the Baltimore/Washington area, Discon was held August 31–September 2, 1963, at the Statler-Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC. The GoH was Murray Leinster. Isaac Asimov was Toastmaster and it was chaired by George Scithers.

The Hugo rules were changed at the Discon Business Meeting so that series became ineligible for Hugos: only individual works were henceforth eligible.

DC in 1963 was unopposed in the 1964 Worldcon Site Selection. The 1964 Worldcon Site Selection and 1963 Hugos were held.

Chairman George Scithers wrote an extensive report on the convention, telling the whole story. It's a wonderful example of what running a Worldcon was like in simpler days — when the entire program fit on two pages of the program book. Opening Ceremonies included a sword fight between Fritz Leiber and L. Sprague de Camp.

The committee was tiny, just eight people, and their titles were...amusing:


More Reading[edit]

The Program[edit]

Jon and Joni Stopa in their award-winning Discon masquerade costume, “The Succubus and her Mate.”

Saturday[edit]

  • 9:00am Registration
  • 12:30pm Opening of the DisCon
  • 12:45 Jim Blish:
    AN ANSWER OF SORTS
  • 1:30 Bob Silverberg & Ed Emsh:
    RING AROUND AN ILLUSTRATION
    Problems in writing a story around an illo; or, pleasing editor’s whimsy for fun and profit.
  • 2:00 Ted Cogswell & Cohorts:
    HIPPOCRENE AND HYPERSPACE
    Cogswell struggles with the Muses, best two falls out of three.
  • 2:30 Introduction of notables, auction, and break.
  • 3:15 Larry Ivie & Dick Lupoff:
    SF ILLUSTRATION & ART IN THE COMIC BOOKS
    (Me to Your Leader Take)
    All in color for a dime: the rise and fall of the comic book.
  • 4:30 Willy Ley:
    MYSTERIES OF ASTRONOMY
    A spring day on Pluto, and such.
  • 7:30 The Convention Members:
    THE COSTUME BALL [Admission by badge]
    Scenes to numb the senses and appall the mind, with music by Ira Sabin and his Orch.

Sunday[edit]

The difference in treatment of a theme.

The art of putting art on stencil and other aspects of good mimeography.

Monday[edit]



Chicon III Worldcon - Bidding - Hugos Pacificon II
first Discon Discon II
1963
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