What news event did you first hear about on a BBS? reddit / bbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- G_Porgie · 2016-11-07 15:14 I remember three major news stories that I first heard about while either participating in multiuser chat or on Echomail forums: - The Rodney King trial wrap-up (officers not facing meaningful discipline) and subsequent riots. First read about it on a pretty active echomail form (my system was an echomail hub at the time, so new postings hit my system pretty quickly). - The OJ Simpson verdict. Was in a chat forum on a local "teen" BBS at the time (E-Zoot represent!) when the verdict came down. Weird thing at the time was that many people in that forum seemed like the verdict was the correct one - quite different from the common sentiment now. - The death of Kurt Cobain. Again, I was in a chat forum (different BBS at the time, I think) when I'd heard of that happening. Tuned into radio right away to hear the details of it. Was pretty selfishly upset that I'd never get to see Nirvana live (though, since then I've never seen Foo Fighters, or whatever Krist Novoselic has been doing since then live, so maybe I never would have anyway). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ScootyPuff-Sr · 2016-11-07 16:45 I don't remember getting any news event reports on a BBS, but I sure do remember the "green card lottery" Usenet spam... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TheStarkFist · 2016-11-07 19:03 - The monthly meetup at the pool hall was cancelled. Thereby foiling my plan to meet this flirty gal from the teleconference. Turns out she was ghastly. - WTC Bombing 1993. Probably *heard/saw* it first on TV, but the first discussions about terrorism links were on a BBS. - Helios Creed had a new album out and a tour in the works. I think I read that on FidoNet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lagavulin16yr · 2016-11-07 23:47 I believe it was Cobain, also. Flashbacks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dflyguy · 2016-11-08 00:41 I remember logging in and seeing an ascii artwork of Jerry Garcia with RIP and thinking who the hell is that. I then made the mistake of asking who he was in the chat room. I was young, what can I say? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- derfherdez · 2016-11-08 16:20 news on a BBS? the latency was far far too high. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- G_Porgie · 2016-11-08 16:23 True - though generally when I was BBSing, I usually had some mix-tape blaring on my ghetto blaster, so even with the latency, that was still the first place I'd heard of a few news stories. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- samalex01 · 2016-11-27 01:34 Hmm, I first started calling BBSes in the late 80's, and back then it was mostly local news. I learned lots about the local high schools since we had lots of high schoolers on the local boards. I guess nationally I heard of John Candy's death on a BBS first. I also was on IRC which was a service on one of our local BBSes when the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing happened. Turned on the news and watched it live along with about 15 others on iRC. And though not national news I remember everyone on our local boards being excited about RHPS being released on VHS and Laserdisc for the first time. seems like it was the talk of our local BBS echo for months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- darxide23 · 2016-12-03 08:44 9/11. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- iheartbaconsalt · 2017-03-25 07:21 I was logged into the Virtual Village BBS in Dallas during the OKC bombing in April of 1995. It came up in chat! I was a silly little college kid then. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- G_Porgie · 2017-03-25 17:14 Shit - I remember that. I think I found out about the bombing the same way - and I live in Canada. I guess news still travelled *somewhat* quickly back then.