Thelist of modernfan conventions for various genres of entertainment extends to the first conventions held in the 1930s.
Some fan historians claim that the 1936Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference, a.k.a.Philcon, was the first science fiction convention ever held. Others, such asFred Patten andRob Hansen, make this claim for the January 1937 event inLeeds,England,[1] organized by the Leeds Science Fiction League, which was specifically organized as a conference, with a program and speakers. Out of this came the first incarnation of theBritish Science Fiction Association.
While a few conventions were created in various parts of the world within the period between 1935 and 1960, the number of convention establishments increased slightly in the 1960s and then increased dramatically in the 1970s, with many of the largest conventions in the modern era being established during the latter decade. Impetuses for further establishment of local fan conventions include:
science fiction adaptations for television serials (e.g.,Star Trek) in the 1960s-1970s
the growth of role-playing (in the 1970s and 1980s) as a genre of tabletop, live-action and eventually video/computer gaming, which not only inspired roleplay of favorite characters in full-body costumes but also inspired existing franchises to adapt their themes for said methods of gaming
the growth in home taping (starting with VHS in the late 1970s) of television broadcasts, including popular serials.
the growth of computerized communication, including the Internet and Internet-dependent applications in the 1980s and 1990s.
^Thomas, Roy (2006). "Splitting the Atom: More Than You Could Possibly Want to Know About the Creation of the Silver Age Mighty Mite!".The Alter Ego Collection. Vol. 1. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 99.
^Gabilliet, Jean-Paul (2010).Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books. University of Mississippi Press. p. 265.
^Nolte, Robert (May 9, 1965). "Latest Collecting Fad: Funny Thing Happened to Comics --They're Arty".Chicago Tribune. p. n1.
