This Week In Illinois History: World’s First BBS Goes Live (Feb. 16, 1978)
The hardware built by Chicago’s Randy Suess in 1978 to operate the first computerized bulletin board system.
Credit Wikipedia user Jscott (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Great Blizzard of 1978 was one of the worst storms in Illinois’ history. One-hundred-mile-an-hour winds whipped up snow drifts as high as 12 feet. Wind chills were so low they caused railroad tracks to buckle and break. Northern Illinois, especially Chicago, ground to a halt. And a couple of snowed-in computer nerds created a major technological achievement.
It was Feb. 16, 1978, just after the great blizzard, when two Chicagoans, Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, launched the world’s first computerized bulletin board system (BBS).
shelter in place is the kind of order that we associate with bad weather and disasters. in november a train carrying hydrogen fluoride jumped the track near west point, kentucky. authorities told everybody in a five-mile radius, they had to shelter in place. in richmond, california, they had to shelter in place when a refinery caught fire. when that blizzard swallowed new england in february this year the governor ordered statewide bans on driving. technically you did not have to shelter in place but for 24 hours could not drive anywhere. it s the first time we d seen a ban like that in massachusetts since the great blizzard of 1978. what happened in boston today has really no precedent in our country. shelter in place orders affecting this many people in this big an american city for this long, freezing a big city like this, emptying it out. it s so weird that we do not know how to measure the consequences.
mile radius to shelter in place. when that blizzard swallowed new england in february this year the governor ordered statewide bans on driving. technically you did not have to shelter in place but for 24 hours could not drive anywhere. it s the first time we d seen a ban like that in massachusetts since the great blizzard of 1978. what happened in boston today has really no precedent in our country. shelter in place orders affecting this many people in this big an american city for this long, freezing a big city like this, emptying it out. it s so weird that dwe do not know how to measure the consequences. afterall this emptiness and have boston looking like a zombie movie when authorities lifted this order in place, somebody in
good morning to you, good morning to everybody. 30 million people across the northeast dealing with a foot of snow or more and 11 million people according to the national weather service dealing with two feet or more, here in central park and enjoying 11.4 inches and upped their snow totals. only one storm related death to report. that happened in upstate new york, travel bans are still in effect in massachusetts and connecticut. and this travel ban in boston, the first time they ve dealt with one like this, since the infamous blizzard of 1978. people in new york, saying hundreds of cars have gotten stuck on the long island expressway getting stranded and some drivers that chose to get out on the roads are frustrated and others chose to hunker down and they re waking up to a winter wonderland. we were going to drive out to the country, but we stayed here now and such a great day to be in the park with the dog. we ll get out later with the saucers, the sleds and remember what it s l