The AFOL History Project @ Jain's Guidehttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/1223352000utf-8The AFOL History Project @ Jain's Guide is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.Jason Whittenburgjason@jainsguide.comCopyright 2008 Jason Whittenburg, Some Rights ReservedZend Framework - Zend_Feed 1.5.1enGoogle honors the LEGO brick's 50th anniversaryhttp://www.techweb.com/showPressRelease.jhtml?articleID=X670091A LEGO brick-inspired 'Doodle' appears today on the Google homepage to the mark the 50th anniversary of the world-famous creative building brick.2008-01-28HispaBrick 2007http://personales.ya.com/hispabrickThe 1st AFOL event in Spain, it was held in December 8 and 9. 2007-12-08LEGO officially announces end of 9V train systemhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/LEGO announced final decision to end manufacture of the 9 volt train system with electrified rails.2007-10-01Next-Gen goes uphttp://www.next-gendesign.comA TFOL building site goes up.2007-08-22Brickshelf reviveshttp://www.brickshelf.comAfter a week of furious activity in the community, Brickshelf is officially resurrected.2007-07-20Brickshelf dieshttp://www.brickshelf.comThe AFOL community was thrown into confusion when Brickshelf, the most prominent community site for displaying images of MOCs, seemed to die. Upon accessing the site, the following message appeared: "Brickshelf has discontinued operation. We apologize for any inconvenience."2007-07-14Brickworld 2007http://www.brickworld.usThe first Brickworld event took place in Wheeling, Illinois June 21-24. The head event coordinators were Bryan Bonahoom and Adam Tucker. Richard Stollery was the keynote speaker.2007-06-21JLUG goes downhttp://news.lugnet.com/off-topic/debate/?n=28497JLUG.com, the adult oriented LEGO site, went down due to a database failure.2007-06-19Stajinaria.net goes onlinehttp://news.lugnet.com/off-topic/debate/?n=28507Stajinaria, an adult-oriented LEGO forum, goes online. It was created as a response to JLUG.net going down.
2007-06-20Eric Brok passes awayhttp://www.ericbrok.com/legomind/index.htmEric Brok, a Dutch AFOL active in De Bouwsteen, succumbed to the effects of cancer. Eric was an early pioneer in the on-line community with his site LEGO on my Mind, one of the first LEGO Ambassadors, and designer of the set 10190, Market Street.2007-06-11Brickfest 2007http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2007 was held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon from 03/30 to 04/01. This was originally slated as Brickfest PDX 2007, but re-labeled as simply Brickfest 2007 when the August convention was cancelled.2007-03-30Brickfest 2006http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2006 was held at the Sharaton Premiere at Tyson's Corner, Virginia. The lead organizer was Joe Meno. There were approximately 420 people in attendance. The public expo drew about 3500 people. This was the first Brickfest since the launching of LEGO Mindstorms NXT, and many of the MUP and MDP members were there to talk about it. Allan Bedford, author of The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide, was also there, signing copies of his book.2006-08-25MechaHub goes livehttp://news.lugnet.com/build/mecha/?n=14520Bryce McGlone announces a new site dedicated to LEGO Mecha2006-06-14Bill Swanberg arrestedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_SwanbergBill Swanberg was arrested after stealing more than $200,000 worth of LEGO from Target stores by replacing bar codes.2005-11-17PennLUG is foundedhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pennlug/PennLUG is formed, first meeting in York, Pennsylvania2005-09-15Brickfest 2005http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2005 was held on the campus of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia from 08/12/04 to 08/14/004. The lead organizer was Christina Hitchcock. Approximately 330 people attended. The public expo drew about 3000 people. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen owner of the LEGO Group and grandson of the founder, attended. Jake McKee and Mark Hansen announced the release of LEGO Digital Designer. With LEGO Digital Designer, customers can design custom sets online, and LEGO will pack it up and send it them. 2005-08-12LEGO sells ownership of Legoland parkshttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/LEGO announces its sale of majority ownership of the Legoland theme parks to the Blackstone group.2005-07-13First issue of BrickJournalhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=2964Joe Meno releases the first ever BrickJournal issue in a free, downloadable format.2005-06-22Star Destroyer Speed Build Tournament - Celebration IIIhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/At Star Wars Celebration III in Indianapolis, Indiana, a team of 8 AFOL's and 2 kids win first place in a single elimination tournament. The objective is to build the 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer faster than the competing team. Eight teams start on April 22. The "Indy AFOL Knights" finish their 3rd ISD the next day to take first place.2005-04-23LEGO Ambassador program announcedhttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/?n=3116Jake Mckee heralds the creation of the LEGO Ambassadors, a group to help foster communication between the fan community and the LEGO company.2005-01-06Classic-Space Forum goes livehttp://news.lugnet.com/space/?n=37547The Classic-Space Forum is launched, a site for discussing all things space.2004-12-19Russian community DoubleBrick goes onlinehttp://www.doublebrick.ruThe first Russian AFOL community, DoubleBrick.ru, is launched. 2004-11-07Brickfest 2004http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2004 was held on the campus of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia from 08/12/04 to 08/14/004. The lead organizer was Christina Hitchcock. Approximately 250 people attended. The public expo drew about 2000 people.2004-08-13The L PRIZE is announcedhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=2606Tim Courtney, Contest Director of the L Prize, announced the "L PRIZE ": a new and exciting open competition that was to be officially launched at SIGGRAPH 2004, and concluded in February 2005.
The L PRIZE was to foster advances in LEGO CAD technologies by stimulating competition and bringing the contestants and the user communities together.2004-06-28First MALUG meetinghttp://www.malug.hu/tiwaka/tiki-index.php?page_ref_id=281First MALUG meeting with 4 attendees.2004-05-08LEGO Locks Colors and Finalizes Color Changehttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=47149After much debate and many AFOL objections, the changing of LEGO's colors is announced as final by Jake McKee. The three main colors changed are light gray, dark gray and brown. Additional less mainstream colors such as purple are also confirmed changed, but are largely disregarded by AFOLs as unimportant. The term 'Bley' (from "blue" and "grey") becomes almost universally recognized among fans to indicate this changing of the greys.2004-05-05MALUG Forum goes onlinehttp://www.malug.hu/forum/index.phpThe website for Hungarian AFOLs goes on line.2004-03-03Brickfest 2004 PDXhttp://brickfest.comBrickfestPDX was held in February 2004 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. It was the first Brickfest to be held outside Virginia. Approximately 200 people attended. The public expo drew about 1200 people.2004-02-20Travis Kunce passes awayhttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=44534The hobbyist community is stunned with the loss of Travis Kunce, one of the best and brightest space-theme builders.2003-12-23LEGO Acknowledges A Changed Color Palettehttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/?n=533Jake McKee confirms the change in colors that LEGO enthusiasts had just begun reporting days earlier. He states that products from 2004 onward will use the new color palette, including new grays, as well as some other colors (the other major one not announced at this point being brown). LEGO hobbyists nearly unanimously argue against the decision, causing probably the largest outcry in the history of the community.2003-11-183vil Emerges from Deep Spacehttp://news.lugnet.com/space/?n=282013vil, a LEGO space building theme, is introduced by Mark Sandlin. The theme centers around evil-looking ships, almost always featuring prominent skulls.2003-09-21Classic-Castle goes onlinehttp://news.lugnet.com/castle/?n=18015Classic-Castle, a LEGO Castle resource and fan site, goes online.2003-09-15Brickfest 2003http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2003 was held in August 2003 on the campus of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. The lead organizer was Christina Hitchcock. Approximately 220 people attended. The first public expo drew about 1000 people.2003-08-08LEGO Road Showhttp://www.suave.net/~dave/pre_roadshow.cgiThe 2003 LEGO Road Show kicked off with a practice run in Enfield, CT, before touring North America. AFOL representatives from NELUG were present (rather last minute) to help demonstrate to the company what might be expected from participating enthusiasts.2003-06-20Bricks Magazine Delayedhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/brickmedia/?n=4Tim Courtney, posting on behalf of BrickMedia, LLC announced that there were delays in the production of the preview issue of Bricks Magazine, and that the first full issue was to have been available mid-summer 2003. Sadly, due to various difficulties, the magazine never made it to production.2003-05-20Eastern Block is Bornhttp://www.jainsguide.com/report/report/id/95The Eastern Block sub theme is born when Chris Giddens creates the ZOG-312003-05-03MOCpages goes onlinehttp://www.mocpages.comSean Kenney launches MOCpages, a site for LEGO Hobbyists to showcase their creations. Initially, this did not include image hosting, which was recommended through BrickShelf.2003-04-01Bricks Magazine Charter Subscription Offeredhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/brickmedia/?n=3Bricks Magazine offers a charter subscription - $12 USD for 6 issues, announced by Matt Gerber as Editor-in-Chief. Many fans signed up, although it ultimately fell through.2003-03-17International LEGO Train Club Organization (ILTCO) goes publichttp://www.iltco.orgA briefing is presented at BricksWest which outlines the charter of ILTCO. ILTCO is intended to be a central organizing and collaborative body for LEGO train enthusiasts. Additionally, LEGO is able to leverage ILTCO as a central point of communication for the myriad of disparate LEGO clubs.2003-02-17First ISD Team Buildhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/A team of 13 AFOLs at BricksWest built the 10030 ISD in 103 minutes, starting a trend at LEGO events trying to break the existing record for fastest team build.2003-02-14BricksWest 2003http://www.jainsguide.com/history/BricksWest 2003 is held in Carlsbad California, organized by Matthew Gerber.2003-02-14COLTC Foundedhttp://www.coltc.orgThe Central Ohio LEGO Train Club was founded by Paul Janssen, John Bucy and others.2003-02-09Bricks Magazine Announcedhttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=40446"Bricks" was to be the first LEGO fan magazine ever published, created by the LEGO fan community for the LEGO fan community. The announcement was made by Matt Gerber on behalf of BrickMedia, LLC.2003-01-04Yoda Eyes Prankhttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/direct/?n=5028&t=i&v=aTroy Cefaratti posted a fake LEGO set by Ken Koleda entitled Yoda Eyes and fooled quite a few people with this silly prank2002-08-08The Moonbase Project is Bornhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=1704Jon Palmer introduces the moonbase project: an easy to follow standard that would allow builders from around the world to build separate "modules" that could be connected seamlessly in a large Moonbase layout. The idea was an instant hit. Moonbase modules were being created within days and after only 2 months the first massive Moonbase layout was put together across the country at a LEGO fan convention in Seattle.2002-07-26Brickfest 2002http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2002 was held in August 2002 on the campus of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. The lead organizer was Christina Hitchcock. Approximately 180 people attended.2002-07-19Jon Palmer's Alphabet Projecthttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/moc/?n=67Jon Palmer decides to create a starfighter model for every unused letter of the alphabet in the spirit of the Star Wars universe. Jon Palmer's Alphabet Project displays that small can also mean elegant, fighters can take the same design and planning as large capital ships.2002-02-08BrickBay becomes BrickLinkhttp://www.bricklink.comBrickBay changes its name to BrickLink after receiving pressure from the online auction site eBay.2002-01-28The Brick Testament appears onlinehttp://thebricktestament.comBrendan Powell Smith announces the start of his Brick Testament project. The BT has received extensive media attention beyond the AFOL community and has resulted in three published books.2001-10-03Fibblesnork domain goes roguehttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=1251The Fibblesnork domain, home to Todd Lehman's Fibblesnork guide and Cool LEGO Site of the Week, expires and is purchased by web squatters who link the URL to adult content.2001-08-26LEGO showcases Monty Python "Camelot" videohttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/direct/?n=3219As part of LEGO's Studios campaign, Brad Justus announces the professionally done animation of Monty Python's "Camelot" song.2001-08-22Brickfest 2001http://brickfest.comBrickfest 2001 was held in August on the campus of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. The lead organizer was Christina Hitchcock. Approximately 150 people attended.2001-08-15LEGO Train Summit held in NYC with LEGO Directhttp://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=9509A small group of Train AFOLs from around the United States were invited to meet with LEGO Direct (Brad Justus, Peter Andersen, Jorn Kristian Thomsen, Jake McKee and Steven Hawco) in New York city and talk about the future of LEGO trains. The AFOL attendees included John Neal (GMLTC), Steve Barile (PNLTC), Conan Collopy (GMLTC), John Gerlach (GMLTC), James Mathis (PNLTC), Dan Parker (PNLTC), Larry Pieniazek (poly-LTC), Mike Poindexter (BAYLTC), James Trobaugh (NGLTC)
2001-02-03Fleebnorks introducedhttp://news.lugnet.com/people/?n=1461Mark Sandlin introduces the world to Fleebnorks, which would later become a staple of the LEGO space community.2001-01-10LEGO announces its plans for bulk orderinghttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=880LEGO announces its nondescript plans for what would eventually become bulk ordering and LEGO Factory. Fans rejoice at the prospect.2000-12-06LEGO Shop@Home goes onlinehttp://shop.lego.comLEGO begins offering online purchasing through their website.2000-10-17Brickwise Shopping Report goes online @ LUGNEThttp://guide.lugnet.com/shop/Brickwise Shopping Report goes online @ LUGNET, intended to feature various sales and deals from around the internet.2000-09-04The Galactic Shipyard goes onlinehttp://zemi.net/shipyardJon Palmer launches the Galactic Shipyard for profiling extremely large ships.2000-08-05BrickBay launcheshttp://www.bricklink.comDan Jezek unveils BrickBay, an online marketplace dealing exclusively in LEGO. Eventually, it would become BrickLink, the best known hobbyist source for buying LEGO.2000-06-19Brickfest 2000http://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=623The first "BrickFest" event is held on June 9 to June 11 on the campus of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. It was the first major attempt at a purely LEGO hobbyist gathering. The lead organizer was Christina Hitchcock. Approximately 60 people attended.2000-06-09Mark Sandlin unveils the SpiffCrafthttp://news.lugnet.com/space/?n=2396Mark Sandlin gives us one more little update that becomes one of the most recognizable crafts in the history of .space, based on the classic Calvin and Hobbes' Spaceman Spiff's spaceship.2000-06-09The Guild of Bricksmiths is announcedhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=537The Guild of Bricksmiths is announced-- a select group of hobbyists designing custom LEGO model kits.2000-03-31Brickshelf announces public gallerieshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/brickshelf/?n=44Kevin Loch announces that BrickShelf will host people's images for free. Prior to this, it was difficult to host LEGO images without various restrictions.2000-02-10DixieLUG is foundedhttp://www.dixielug.orgDixieLUG is founded, first meeting in Macon, GA2000-01-22The idea for Castle World is proposedhttp://news.lugnet.com/castle/?n=1670Pawel Nazarewicz posits the idea of having a large LEGO-castle themed site, which received its name some 3 days later on Jan 22nd by co-creator Craig Hamilton.2000-01-19LEGO begins offering bulk orderinghttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/announce/?n=14LEGO Direct announces that bulk sales are available from LEGO. At this stage, these were accessory sets of many of an individual part, such as 50 2x4 bricks.2000-01-14Brad Justus announces LEGO Direct on LUGNEThttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=11596Brad Justus introduces himself and the newest venture from LEGO, LEGO Direct, to reach out to the LEGO community and open dialog between the company and its fans.1999-12-091000steine.de goes onlinehttp://www.1000steine.deThe German LEGO fansite 1000steine.de goes online, although the domain name was registered some time later on January, 6th 2000.1999-11-28From Bricks to Bothans (FBTB) goes onlinehttp://www.fbtb.netTim Saupe launches his LEGO Star Wars fansite, From Bricks to Bothans. Initially the site was a blog for LEGO Star Wars information hosted on AOL.1999-10-27MIT MindFesthttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/One of the first national gatherings for AFOLs in the USA, the MIT MindFest was the inspiration for the first BrickFest event in 2000. The event was held at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA. MindFest's primary goal was to serve educators working with LEGO, but a high degree of AFOL participation gave the event an additional LEGO hobbyist focus.1999-10-22Tom McDonald discovers spamcakehttp://news.lugnet.com/space/?n=55Tom McDonald discovers spamcake. Its importance was unrealized... until later.1999-09-24Datsville is born!http://news.lugnet.com/cad/dat/models/?n=268Following the desire for a community DAT project, John VanZwieten launches the Datsville project, first known as LCadville.1999-09-01First NELUG Meetinghttp://www.nelug.orgNELUG has its first meeting in Melrose, MA with 5 members attending.1999-08-10LDraw.org goes onlinehttp://www.ldraw.orgLDraw website goes online1999-07-07Idea for Jambalaya first proposedhttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=5215Todd Lehman pitches the idea of a traveling box of LEGO where people can trade their less desirable pieces, resulting ultimately in the Jambalaya boxes.1999-07-05Legoland California openshttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/The first Legoland outside of Europe opens in Carlsbad, California.1999-03-20German AFOL forum goes onlinehttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/German LEGO Fan Forum goes online, founded by Michael Schian (became part of 1000steine.de in 2000)1999-02-05LUGNET goes livehttp://news.lugnet.com/space/?n=1LUGNET, a LEGO community site is launched, featuring a hierarchy of newsgroups, and allowing email subscriptions and a web interface.1998-09-18kl.net (BrickShelf) begins hosting instruction and catalog scanshttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/Kevin Loch opens his personal website up to hosting scans of LEGO instructions and catalogs from the past. Eventually, this would become known as the BrickShelf Library for instructions and catalogs. Many people contribute by submitting scans of their instructions and catalogs.1998-04-19James Jessiman passes awayhttp://www.ldraw.org/Article222.htmlThe worldwide community of LEGO fans lost a bright light in the passing of James Jessiman, creator of the LDraw file format and original LDraw program1997-07-25First Bring Your Favorite Minifig To Work Dayhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/Before becoming an annual event, people are encouraged to bring their favorite minifigs to work (or school) all on the same day.1996-12-13Acronym "AFOL" is first usedhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/04c106513528bd1c?hl=en#e6eb68cc2f5c38eaMatthew Verdier first coins the acronym AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) based on a post by Jeff Thompson, noting that it sounds like "A FOOL".1995-06-14The USENET newsgroup rec.toys.lego is voted inhttp://www.faqs.org/ftp/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/rec/rec.toysIn October 1993, about 9 months after alt.toys.lego, a proposal was drafted to create a more widely propagated group for LEGO, rec.toys.lego. Voting concluded on December 21st, and results were announced on January 3rd, 1994.1993-12-21Legoland Park in Billund is openedhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/Legoland Park in Billund is opened. 3,000 people visit on the opening day.1968-06-07Ole Kirk Christiansen dieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Kirk_ChristiansenOle Kirk Christiansen dies, leaving his son Godtfred in charge of the LEGO company.1958-03-11The LEGO Brick patent is filedhttp://v3.espacenet.com/origdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US3005282&F=0&QPN=US3005282The original LEGO brick with its stud-and-tube coupling system is born1958-01-28LEGO officially registered as a trademarkhttp://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bllego.htmThe word LEGO was officially registered as a trademark in Denmark.1954-05-01Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is bornhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is born in Billund, Denmark. His last name is incorrectly transcribed onto his birth certificate with a "K" rather than a "C".1947-12-27Fire destroys the LEGO factoryhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/When a factory fire destroyed the LEGO factory and its contents in 1942, Ole rebuilt all the production models himself to get the company back up and running.1942-04-03LEGO becomes "LEGO"http://www.jainsguide.com/history/Searching for a name for his company that started making toys in 1932, Ole Kirk Christiensen decides on "LEGO".1934-12-01LEGO starts producing toyshttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/The LEGO company is founded by Ole Kirk Christiensen as a toy company, with the "LEGO" name coming two years later.1932-09-10Godtfred Kirk Christiansen is bornhttp://www.jainsguide.com/history/Godtfred Kirk Christiansen is born in Billund, Denmark.1920-07-06Ole Kirk Christiansen is bornhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Kirk_ChristiansenOle Kirk Christiansen is born in Filskov, Denmark.1891-04-07Kanohi-Power Startshttp://news.lugnet.com/technic/bionicle/?n=1149Michael Edwards and Christian Gemunden announce a new Bionicle fan site, Kanohi-Power.com.2001-08-10BZPower Launcheshttp://bzpower.com/story.php?ID=415The Bionicle fan sites Kanohi-Power and BZ Community join forces to become BZPower.com.2002-07-20BZ Community LaunchesA new forum for Bionicle fans is launched.2001-07-21Train April Fools Prankhttp://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=5208One of the most successful April Fools hoaxes, Ben Beneke releases a fake 2001 train catalog with many enticing models that got fans drooling.2000-03-31BrickShelf Imposes Moderationhttp://news.lugnet.com/publish/?n=3461Thanks to some inappropriate content being posted, BrickShelf starts requiring content to be moderated before becoming public.2002-06-25First Cool LEGO Site of the Weekhttp://www.lugnet.com/cool/site-001.htmlEd Boxer's LEGO Castle is awarded the first Cool LEGO Site of the Week.1996-06-02BrickFair 2008http://www.brickfair.com/BrickFair 2008 begins, hosted at the Sharaton Premiere in Tysons Corner, VA.2008-08-29BrickCon 2008http://www.brickcon.org/BrickCon is held at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA.2008-10-02BrickWorld 2008http://www.brickworld.us/BrickWorld 2008 kicks off in Wheeling, IL.2008-06-19LUGNET hosting changeshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3251Administration of LUGNET formally passes from Todd Lehman to Rene Hoffmeister.2006-06-17Kjeld Steps Downhttp://www.lego.com/eng/info/default.asp?page=pressdetail&contentid=12504&countrycode=2057LEGO announces that Kjeld Kristiansen is stepping down from his role in the management of the company, and Jorgen Vig Knudstorp is taking over as the new CEO.2004-10-21The Brothers Brick Beginshttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2005/07/The Brothers Brick, a new LEGO blog starts commenting on all things LEGO.2005-07-25LAML Radio #1http://radio.laml.org/lamlradio-1-nottingbley-castle/LAML Radio publishes its first interview.2007-11-24MLCAD Releasedhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/d9ff0e07f4c8732f/6f9f6fb0d489f6e7?hl=en&lnk=st&q=#6f9f6fb0d489f6e7Michael Lachmann releases a new LEGO CAD program, MLCAD, for creating and editing LEGO DAT models.1999-07-14LEGO Millyard Unveiledhttp://www.see-sciencecenter.org/visitors/millyard-project.aspxThe LEGO Millyard Project, a collaboration between AFOLs and LEGO, is officially completed and unveiled with sponsors Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Dean Kamen.2006-11-29BayLTC EstablishedBayLTC is founded-- a club for LEGO train enthusiasts in the San Francisco Bay area.2000-03-12BayLUG is named!http://news.lugnet.com/loc/us/ca/sf/?n=104AFOLs in the San Francisco Bay area agree on a new name for their club, and establish a website!1999-03-04Ambassadors reveal the end of 9V Trainshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3183LEGO Ambassador Eric Kingsley reveals to the community some of LEGO's plans for replacing 9v trains with battery-operated trains. Eric went on to start what would later be named the "Save 9V Trains" movement among fans, in an effort to convince LEGO to retain the 9v train system.2006-03-30LEGO Recalls Truckhttp://news.lugnet.com/mediawatch/?n=2164One of the few recalls in LEGO history, LEGO decides to recall the 3509 LEGO Explore Super Truck. The truck's wheels were found to detach more easily than expected, revealing a dangerous metal axle.2006-10-20Little Armory's First OfferingJeff Byrd begins offering custom Star Wars guns through FBTB.net, beginning the Little Armory.2002-07-18Legends Line Announcedhttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/announce/?n=38Brad Justus announces the Legends line, a series of re-released classic sets. He also unveils the first LEGO Legend, set 10000 Guarded Inn.2001-06-08LEGO Announces the My Own Creation Serieshttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/direct/?n=3848LEGO formally announces a new line of sets designed by fans, starting with Daniel Siskind's Blacksmith Shop, #3739.2001-12-14BrickFilms Launchedhttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=25465Jason Rowoldt announces a new site, BrickFilms, dedicated to keeping track of LEGO movies across the internet.2000-12-20
First Colossal Castle Contesthttp://www.classic-castle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=223&highlight=colossalClassic-Castle announces the first Colossal Castle Contest, encouraging castle MOCs both small and large.20031119EuroBricks Launcheshttp://www.eurobricks.com/EuroBricks, a popular hobbyist forum starts.20040128First LEGO KidsFesthttp://www.legokidsfest.com/The first LEGO KidsFest showcases in Hartford, CT, with the intent of being a traveling expo focused on LEGO and kids.20091120BrickFest 2009http://www.brickfest.com/BrickFest 2009 was again held in Portland, Oregon with about 240 registrants and approximately 4000 visitors on the public expo.20090327BrickWorld 2009http://brickworld.us/BrickWorld 2009 is held in Chicago, IL20090619BrickFair 2009http://www.brickfair.com/BrickFair 2009 starts, held at the Sharaton Premiere in Tyson's Corner, VA20090821BrickCon 2009http://www.brickcon.org/BrickCon 2009 is held in Seattle, WA.20091002Cycle 1 Ambassadorshttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/?n=3180The first cycle of 15 LEGO Ambassadors is announced by Jake McKee.20050201Cycle 2 Ambassadorshttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/announce/?n=92The second cycle of Ambassadors is announced by Jake McKee with 20 AFOLs chosen.20050901Cycle 3 Ambassadorshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3167The third cycle of 22 LEGO Ambassadors is announced by Steve Witt, who takes over the program for Jake McKee.20060302Cycle 4 Ambassadorshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3302The fourth cycle of Ambassadors is announced by Steve Witt, with 21 Ambassadors.20060901Cycle 5 Ambassadorshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3455The fifth cycle of 30 LEGO Ambassadors is announced by Steve Witt.20070301Cycle 6 Ambassadorshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3795The 6th cycle of LEGO Ambassadors is announced by Steve Witt, upping its ranks to 40 AFOLs.20080603Cycle 7 Ambassadorshttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/07/08/cycle-7-lego-ambassadors-announced/The 7th cycle of LEGO Ambassadors is announced, with 45 members.20090708Bionicle Discontinuedhttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/11/24/bionicle-discontinued-after-2010-news/LEGO announces the end of the Bionicle line for 2010, and its replacement with a similar constructable action figure product coming in the future.20091124BrickArms Gets Negative Presshttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2008/12/08/brickarms-in-recent-sun-edition/The UK-based SUN newspaper publishes a negative review of BrickArms' custom building elements, accusing them of being violent and discriminatory. The story spreads over the next week, and BrickArms becomes surrounded in publicity, but is forced to close down temporarily thanks to a huge inflow of new orders.20081204Neiman Marcus Features Custom LEGO Statueshttp://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Neiman-Marcus-Holiday-Gifts/ss/events/lf/101008neimanmarcus;_ylt=Ag7AdtXDwVNxzl3.zg5mhC9v24cANeiman Marcus's 2008 Christmas catalog features custom LEGO statues by Nathan Sawaya for $60,000.20081010James May Completes LEGO Househttp://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/james-may-legoBBC's Top Gear presenter James May completes a house made out of 3 million LEGO pieces for a TV show "Toy Stories".20090918Tormod Askildsen new head of Community Developmenthttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2008/01/21/news-lego-appoints-tormod-askildsen-as-head-of-community-development/LEGO announces that Tormod Askildsen is the new lead for the LEGO Community Development, taking over for Richard Stollery, and working with Steve Witt and Jan Beyer.20080121BrickArms Opens For Businesshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3241Will Chapman starts BrickArms featuring his own custom molded accessories, making a lineup of military-themed elements.20060605LEGO World 2008http://legoworld.nl/LEGO World 2008 starts20081016LEGO World 2007http://legoworld.nl/LEGO World 2007 sells out admission with more than 50,000 attendees.20071018LEGO World 2009http://legoworld.nl/LEGO World 2009 begins in the Netherlands20091022LEGO World 2006http://news.lugnet.com/events/?n=1845LEGO World 2006 begins in Zwolle, NL20061019LEGO World 2005http://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=51422LEGO World 2005 is held with over 48,000 visitors in Zwolle, NL. The show floor was more than 20,000 square meters.20051020LEGO World 2004http://news.lugnet.com/events/legoworld/?n=61LEGO World 2004 is held with more than 18,000 square feet of space, more than 40,000 visitors overall, and more than 200 adult hobbyists attending.20041021LEGO World 2003http://news.lugnet.com/events/?n=823LEGO World 2003 begins20031017LEGO World 2002http://news.lugnet.com/loc/dk/?n=221LEGO World 2002 is held at The IJsselhallen in Zwolle, NL. The 5 day event had over 35,000 visitors.20021018LEGO World 2001http://news.lugnet.com/loc/nl/?n=875The first LEGO World event is held in Zwolle, NL, with more than 27,500 visitors in 4 days. The event is a collaborative effort between the LEGO Company and 'De Bouwsteen', the hobbyist group in the area.20011020LEGO Releases its 2010 color palette.http://www.brothers-brick.com/2010/01/28/lego-releases-its-internal-color-palette-news/LEGO provides the fan community with a list of colors used in its 2010 lineup, as well as the corresponding internal names and numbers.20100128LEGO Extends LUGBULK to the USAhttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2010/01/05/lugs-can-purchase-lego-bricks-in-bulk-through-the-lugbulk-program-news/LEGO's LUGBULK buying program for LEGO hobbyist groups extends to include clubs in the USA.20100105LEGO Releases Color Charthttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=2207LEGO releases its official color palette to Peeron.com, with RGB, CMYK, and Pantone colors, and internal naming and numbering schemes.20030830Nate Nielson passes awayhttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2010/04/13/farewell-to-a-legend-mourning-the-passing-of-nate-nnenn-nielsen/AFOL Nate "nnenn" Nielson passes away as a result of an automobile accident.20100413LEGO.com Message Boardshttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=39376LEGO.com launches its kid-friendly message boards. Due to various moderation issues, the hobbyist community doesn't make much use of them, but the boards provide a discussion ground for younger children that were previously unable to legally participate in hobbyist groups.20021112BrickWorld 2010http://www.brickworld.us/bw2010/BrickWorld 2010 is held in Wheeling, IL, with 800 participants and attracting about 10,000 visitors (est).20100617Mark Benz's MOCs stolenhttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2010/02/10/lego-landmarks-taken-in-6500-vehicle-burglary-news/Mark Benz, president of BayLUG has many of his models stolen from his truck. Most were recovered more than two weeks later on the 16th.20100203Dan Jezek passes onhttp://www.bricklink.com/danjezek/Dan Jezek, author and administrator of BrickLink dies at age 33.20100924Brad Justus leaves LEGOhttp://news.lugnet.com/lego/?n=820Brad Justus, VP of LEGO Direct announces that he is leaving the company.20040128Steve Witt hired by LEGOSteve Witt starts working for LEGO and begins communicating with hobbyists, initially through FBTB.net20050516Jake McKee begins at LEGOhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=839Jake McKee, AFOL, announces his recent hiring by LEGO, eventually becoming the primary communicator for LEGO and the English-speaking online hobbyist community.20001011Jake McKee leaves LEGOhttp://news.lugnet.com/people/?n=4540After more than 5 years with LEGO working with the community, Jake McKee decides to move on.20060206Steve Witt leaves LEGOCommunity liaison Steve Witt announces that he is leaving the LEGO company after more than 5 years.20101027Eric Sophie Arrestedhttp://news.lugnet.com/mediawatch/?n=2799Eric "LegoMaster" Sophie is arrested for alleged child molestation.20101103Brickset is bornhttp://news.lugnet.com/loc/uk/?n=2219Huw & Grahame's set database, which had been growing for about a year, is officially dubbed BrickSet, a new independently compiled LEGO set database in addition to the already existing LUGNET/Pause guide.19991204KL.net becomes BrickShelfKL.net, the site of Kevin Loch's instruction and catalog library, is renamed as BrickShelf.19990902Cycle 8 Ambassadorshttp://www.brothers-brick.com/2010/12/11/2011-lego-ambassadors-announced-news/LEGO releases the list of Cycle 8 (year 2011) LEGO Ambassadors, with 68 members.20101211BrickFair 2010BrickFair 2010 is held at the Dulles Expo Center.20100805BrickCon 2010BrickCon 2010 starts, hosted in the Exhibition Hall at the Seattle Center.20100930Peeron hosts inventorieshttp://news.lugnet.com/db/inv/?n=482Dan and Jennifer Boger start hosting cross-referenced inventories on their personal site, Peeron.com.20000922Peeron takes over the BrickShelf Scan Libraryhttp://news.lugnet.com/publish/?n=4773Hoping to ease bandwidth issues for BrickShelf, Peeron begins hosting of instruction and catalog scans.20050628LUGNET Requires Email Authenticationhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=1120Following fraudulent postings by Matthew Moulton (previously banned from LUGNET months before), LUGNET implements e-mail post authentication to prevent further abuse.20010618LUGNET offers paid membershipshttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=376LUGNET begins offering formal lifetime memberships for $10 USD.19991114LUGNET begins transition away from Toddhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=2421Todd Lehman begins laying the groundwork to transition LUGNET ownership and administration to a group within the LEGO community, later named the LUGNET Transition Team.20040220LUGNET Transition Team resignshttp://news.lugnet.com/admin/general/?n=12993Following some difficulties with the community and the transition process, the LUGNET transition team resigns.20050617ILTCO displays at NMRA Showhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=2937ILTCO organizes the first LEGO display at the NMRA convention in Cincinnati. Previously, the NMRA preferred not to acknowledge LEGO trains as a legitimate hobby train scale, but instead just as a toy. At the 2005 show, 13 LEGO clubs contributed to the largest display at the entire event!20050707First LEGO Inside Tourhttp://news.lugnet.com/events/?n=1626LEGO hosts the first LEGO Inside Tour, allowing serious hobbyists a 3-day behind-the-scenes tour of LEGO in Billund.20050526BrikWars Rulebook Postedhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/aa51dea325ac9b04/518a36159878dd11?hl=enMike Rayhawk posts his revised rules to Eric O'Dell and Robert Ogrin's Lego Wars game, calling it "BrikWars".19970201Pause Magazine LEGO guide beginshttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/3cb9420a4264974c/23dc956c7419727eLou Zucaro's LEGO Set Reference Guide moves to www.pause.com, the site of Pause Magazine.19960501LEGOFest Prime is held in Chicagohttp://home.xnet.com/~countzi/brix/legofest.htmlMinx Kelly hosts one of the first LEGO events (possibly THE first) for adult enthusiasts.19950819Evil Stevie's Pirate Gamehttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/1f905927d37b02a/992fe892a88a7fe3Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games first starts discussing his Pirate Game.19980216First Bay Area LEGO Get Togetherhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/4a70e3471dec5626?hl=en#LEGO fans in the San Francisco Bay area hold a gathering at a pizza place with more than 20 attendees.19960720RTL Roll Call Beginshttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/453b2018f432217f/66ff16b0d8f0fb84?hl=enLou Zucaro begins the tradition of the RTL Roll Call, where fans introduced themselves with personal information as well as information about their LEGO habits.19950106First AucZILLA LEGO Auctionhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/39709cee3375b16c/eabd90e5b2d40dc1?hl=enTodd Lehman announces his monstrous LEGO auction, called "AucZILLA", with more than 30,000 pieces from 500 new LEGO sets. Unlike all other LEGO auctions at the time, AucZILLA introduces automated bidding, and becomes known for its high quality pieces.19950226First LEGO FAQ Postedhttp://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/96ef9d10dd9da31b#Tom Pfeifer posts the first LEGO FAQ (also later referred to as the RTL FAQ).19930407Lego Wars Rules Postedhttp://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/0a462289030952b1#Robert Ogrin posts the rules for a LEGO miniatures game called Lego Wars, developed with Eric O'Dell. The game would later evolve into BrikWars.19930421List of Part Numbers postedhttp://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/97364ed7bc8efcc5#Peter Miller compiles a list of LEGO "Design IDs", which would later be used in systems like LDraw.19931111First Set List Postedhttp://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/1e827795e6231a71/befe84c3ea16fae2?hl=enDik T. Winter posts the first attempt at a comprehensive LEGO set list, initially containing only sets from 1984-1993.19930507rec.toys.lego newsgroup is createdThe rec.toys.lego (RTL) newsgroup is created in the rec.* hierarchy of USENET. Charter: "To provide a forum for the discussion of all things and experiences relating to the LEGO(tm), Duplo(tm) and compatible construction toys. Including interesting models that one has built, experiences one has had using legos, or questions about how to build particular components."19940110Paul Gyugyi announces LegoNethttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/3a04eae2ac63d9fd?hl=en#Paul Gyugyi starts collecting memberships for LegoNet, envisioned as a hobby-oriented newsletter. Within a week, he receives nearly 100 signups.19940406Earthsea FTP site closeshttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/a3343df0f754847c/4d98307308d89559?hl=enPaul Gyugyi announces the closing of his FTP site, earthsea.stanford.edu, which had been the central repository for the community since as early as April 1993.19960619Brick Kicks replaced by Mania Magazinehttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/57791c19e54856d0?hl=en#The quarterly Brick Kicks publication is replaced with Mania Magazine, which is longer and has 6 issues per year rather than the quarterly schedule of Brick Kicks.19941114Godtfred Kirk Christiansen dieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godtfred_Kirk_ChristiansenAt age 75, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen dies, having retired from the LEGO company in 1992.19950713ILENN alpha version announcedhttp://news.lugnet.com/announce/?n=3082Kelly McKiernan launches the International LEGO Enthusiast News Network (ILENN), to consolidate news stories from websites across the LEGO hobby.20051101AuctionBrick Launcheshttp://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=40775Matt Chiles creates a new site dedicated to LEGO auctions.20030130RTL Toronto Meeting Proposedhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/ae8a779c319b44e/58f4d21d79e874da?hl=enCalum Tsang proposes a meeting in Toronto that would ultimately lead to the rtlToronto group.19970725NOVALTC has its first meetinghttp://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=1893NOVALTC (Northern Virginia LEGO Train Club) is held at Union Station. Later, the club would come to be known as WAMALUG.19990815LEGO Geek Code v1.0http://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/3c1a3ce8d221f8a9?hl=en#Derek Schin posts version 1.0 of the LEGO Geek Code, a sort of shorthand for describing your LEGO self.19950918LEGO demands removal of "Lego" from Lego Warshttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/ed2b907417d78ef7?hl=en#LEGO's legal team pressures the Lego Wars site to remove the word "Lego", because the company does not want to be closely associated with the violent terminology of "war". Steve Jackson (of Steve Jackson Games) contemplates boycotting the company.19951013LEGO publishes its increasing concern about "The Internet"http://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/6fe0d5d372ae7763?hl=en#In an article of American Computerworld, LEGO expresses its concern regarding fan websites' use of the LEGO logo and appearing official, especially in the absence of an official site. Within the next month, AFOLs start discussing various preventative measures, and LEGO's legal team begins cracking down on various fan sites, mostly demanding the removal of their logo.19950911LEGO hosts official websitehttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/9ed721d11cf07854?hl=en#Long awaited by hobbyists, LEGO creates an official website, www.lego.com. Fans are largely disappointed in the light content, but the site does provide a "Fair Play" document for fans to refer to when designing their own webpages, and even mentions RTL.19960322Fibblesnork LEGO Surveyhttp://groups.google.com/group/rec.toys.lego/browse_thread/thread/2efbb73c65756363?hl=en#Todd Lehman posts a 147-question LEGO survey for hobbyists.19960414Date FBTB forums startedDate Tim Saupe announced his leaving FBTBDate when FBTB forums were attacked/crashed and history was lost (happened at least twice?)Attendance details for LEGO World eventsAttendance details for BrickFair eventsAttendance details for Brickworld eventsAttendance details for BrickCon eventsDate of Fibblesnork GuideDate of LDraw releaseDate of SimLego's first versionStart date for Earthsea FTP Site (pre-ATL?)Start date of A.T.L. (early 1993)