Early Conventions
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The first ten years of SF conventions were a mixed bag, but even the largest was small by modern standards, and some were literally a few guys getting together for a day. But travel was difficult and the tendency of the time was to call nearly any planned get-together (of fans from different cities a "convention" (or a "conference." See the Fancyclopedia 2 article on “con” for the baroque early terminology).
Anglofan historians tend to take a hard line on what was or wasn’t a convention (they would omit the First Convention if they could). We are inclined to take the participants’ estimation, even if they declared conhood after the event.
| Year | Date | Convention | Size | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | |||||
| October 22, 1936 | First Convention | 12–18 | Philadelphia | later called the First Eastern | |
| 1937 | |||||
| January 3, 1937 | Other First Convention | ~20 | Leeds, UK | ||
| February 21, 1937 | Second Eastern | 30–40 | New York | ||
| October 30, 1937 | Third Eastern | ~30 | Philadelphia | ||
| 1938 | |||||
| April 10, 1937 | Second British Convention | 43 | London | called Necronomicon in '57 | |
| May 29, 1938 | Newark Convention | >100 | Newark, NJ | aka Fourth Eastern aka First National | |
| October 16, 1938 | 1938 Philadelphia Conference | > 25 | Philadelphia | ||
| 1939 | |||||
| May 21, 1939 | Third British Convention | ~40 | London | ||
| July 2–4, 1939 | NyCon | 150– |
New York | the first Worldcon | |
| Fall 1939 | Philcon 1939 | Philadelphia | |||
| Early June 1939 | OSA Pow-Wow | 3 | Tulsa, OK | Oklahoma state convention | |
| 1940 | |||||
| Early 1940 | Washington Confabulation 1 | 3 | Washington, DC | ||
| April 1940 | Third Chicago Conference | 4 | Chicago | ||
| September 1–2, 1940 | Chicon | 128 | Chicago | ||
| November 10, 1940 | Phillycon 1940 | Philadelphia | |||
| December 6, 1940 | First Sydney Conference | 10 | Sydney, NSW, Australia | ||
| 1941 | |||||
| Late February 1941 | Boskone I | ~25 | Winchester, MA | at the Swishers’ home | |
| April 6, 1941 | Second Sydney Conference | ~12 | Sydney, NSW, Australia | ||
| May 4, 1941 | All-Eastern Science Fiction Conference | Newark, NJ | May not have been held | ||
| Summer 1941 | Washington Confabulation 2 | 6? | Washington, DC | issued Washington Manifesto | |
| July 4–6, 1941 | Denvention | ~100 | Denver | ||
| September 20–21, 1941 | Bombcon | 13 | London | ||
| November 16, 1941 | 1941 Michiconference | Jackson, MI | |||
| 1942 | |||||
| Belatedly announced, called off in favor of Boskone II | |||||
| January 4, 1942 | Third Sydney Conference | 8 | Sydney, NSW, Australia | ||
| February 22, 1942 | Boskone II | 25 | Boston, MA | ||
| September 27, 1942 | 1942 Michiconference | ~25 | Jackson, MI | ||
| November 22, 1942 | Bloomington Conference | 9 | Bloomington, IL | possibly a poker game | |
| November 29, 1942 | Hastings S-F Conference | v. small | Hastings, MN | possibly a drinking party | |
| Late 1942 | Pacificon Jr. | Los Angeles | |||
| 1943 | |||||
| February 28, 1943 | Boskone III | 14 | Boston, MA | ||
| Spring 1943 | Live Oak Conference | 3 | Live Oak, FL | A Cosmic Circle event | |
| April 23–26, 1943 | Midvention | 14 | Leicester, UK | i. e. over Easter | |
| April 26–27, 1943 | Midgicon ("Midget Chicon") | 8 | Chicago | Al Ashley et al. on bookbuying spree, moots Slan Center | |
| May 16, 1943 | Staplecon 1 | ~12 | San Francisco | ||
| June 26/28–July 1, 1943 | Mainecon or Maine Stf Conference | 3 | Rockland, ME | Art Widner, Russ Chauvenet bike to Norm Stanley’s | |
| Early July 1943 | Mainecon, Jr. | 2 | Rockland again | visit by Claude Degler | |
| Mid-1943 | Schenectacon | 2-4 | Schenectady, NY | ||
| October 30, 1943 | 1943 Michiconference | 22 | Battle Creek, MI | ||
| November 21, 1943 | Staplecon 2 | San Francisco | |||
| "Around the end" of 1943 | Fancon | Bloomington, IL | |||
| Late 1943? | Councilcon | Newcastle, IN | Possibly occurred only in Claude Degler’s imagination | ||
| December 31, 1943–January 2, 1944 | Norcon | small | Manchester, UK | ||
| 1944 | |||||
| April 8–9, 1944 | Eastercon | London | |||
| May 28, 1944 | Staplecon 3 | 9 | San Francisco | ||
| June 17–19, 1944 | Michicon 4 | 23 | Battle Creek, MI | ||
| August 27, 1944 | Dovention | 11 | Dover, NJ | ||
| September 1–2, 1944 | Midvention 2 | 6–8 | Leicester, UK | or "Midventionette" | |
| October 7–9, 1944 | Little Chicon | "small" | Chicago | ||
| 1944 | Bufflocon | Buffalo, NY | Slan Shack visiting Ken Krueger | ||
| December 29, 1944–January 1, 1945 | Norcon 2 | small | Manchester, UK | Announced — did it occur? | |
| 1945 | |||||
| February 3–4, 1945 | Boskone IV | 5 | Winchester, MA | at the Swishers’ home | |
| July 7–8, 1945 | 1945 Michiconference | 15-20 | Battle Creek, MI | ||
| September 2, 1945 | Boskone V | 9 | Salem, MA | AKA First New England SF Conference | |
| 1946 | |||||
| March 3, 1946 | FPWESFC | Newark, NJ | |||
| April 6–7, 1946 | First Post-Radar-Contact-with-the-Moon Con | 16 | Chicago | ||
| July 4–7, 1946 | Pacificon | 130 | Los Angeles | ||
| October 12–13, 1946 | Centracon | 25 | Chicago | ||
| October 27, 1946 | Phillycon 1946 | Philadelphia | |||
See also the Fancyclopedia 2 (1959) articles on Con, fan visits and fan gatherings.
| Fanhistory | 1936—1946 |
| This is a fanhistory page. Please add more detail. |
