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You don't really need to read this. I'm making this .doc as a means of preserving important data about 4chan, its culture and its history in case the original sources go down (and they did). Think of this as a time vault for the long future (as long as my hard drive doesn't die and somebody downloads this). For some, reading this will feel like a chore.
Most content is based from (AKA Copy pasted, mixed and made sense of) content already written by various sources. All content post 2012 is from personal, firsthand experience and second hand accounts.
This .doc contains:
A summary of 4chan's history, adapted and updated from an existing summary on GitHub's Bibanon Wiki, which was then used to update GitHub's summary as a gesture of thanks.
A small description of the users that composed 4chan and /b/ over the years, assembled in generations. Mind that this is based on archived thread and screenshots, it should not be taken as complete truth, as the margin of error may be too big.
A modified (mixed and revamped) 4chan timeline originally from Lurkmore wiki that was hanging around different sites for years, in many different versions. It includes information on 2chan and the forerunners of the imageboards and textboards.
A timeline about the known dates of all board additions.
A list all of known staff members, their activities and shenanigans. You shouldn't take this information as facts, as information about the staff is always filled with false rumours. Approach with lots of caution.
A list of sources and useful links, dead legacy links and resources.
If you have any information that you know is wrong or does not appear on this .doc please point it out or if I don't respond put it in yourself, just make sure that it mixes with the rest of the article, has a proper source (or you where there when it happened), and that it's clear it's a newer version.
This .doc is built with impartiality and objectivity in mind, while some partiality is inevitable, the main purpose of the .doc is to be an objective summary and timeline of all things 4chan.
Unfortunately, the most focused on board is /b/. It doesn't mean there isn't an interest in the other boards, as the document is meant to be as extensive as possible, but while modern day /b/ is not what it was, it still has the greatest amount of recorded history, saved images and screenshots, enough to write this summary. The rest of the boards, save some exceptions, lack such information, so most of their history them will be rather modern. Nowadays, it's impossible for one man to record the events of all the boards.
This .doc should not be attributed to anyone, as it's made by anonymous, for anonymous.
Thanks for reading. - Anonymous
"A comprehensive english based resource for the collection and distribution of yaoi and dickgirlz"
ThrustVect's 4chan History Document. Originally a Word document, it has now been converted to MediaWiki for easier reading and eventual integration into the 4chan Chronicle.
- Prologue (1995 - 2003) - The predecessors of 4chan.
- Genesis (2003 - 2004) - Early 4chan.
- Halcyon Days (2004 - 2006) - The best years of 4chan.
- Mootocracy (Oct 2005 – Aug 22 2006) - 4chan grows in popularity.
-
/b/-day (Aug 23, 2006) - 4chan's /b/ riots after imposition of rules, and form a diaspora: The /i/nsurgency.
- The Insurgency (2006 - 2009) - The 4chan diaspora holds out in new imageboard sites, where raids are encouraged. These users eventually form what is known as Anonymous.
- Project Chanology (late 2008-2010) - Anonymous makes it's first organized IRL raid against a foe that is it's perfect match: Scientology.
- The Shithole of the Internet (2006 - 2007) - 4chan's diaspora spreads it's addictive memes far and wide, ironically attracting an exponentially increasing population.
- Boxxy Civil War (2009) - An oddly captivating YouTube user named Boxxy captivates the imagination of 4chan's /b/. The site gets flooded with Boxxy reposts, and by the end of it, 4chan eventually gets DDoSed into oblivion.
- Homecoming (Sept 2009 – Jun 2011) - 4chan sees somewhat of a renaissance after the past few tumultuous years, perhaps after the /i/nsurgent diaspora slowly returns to the site.
- New Decade (Late 2011 – Early 2012) - Mobile devices change the way users browse the internet forever. 4chan is faced with being swept away by a new generation, but it holds on, and grows.
- Sedentarization (2012 - 2014) - 4chan manages to survive, and thrive in a new age, and gain new subcultures such as /pol/ and /s4s/. It celebrates it's 10th anniversary, and Moot becomes active once again.
- The Breaking Point (2014 - 2015) - 4chan faces a series of divisive and damaging scandals that threaten to end the site's existence for good.
- The Moot Point (January 2015 - September 2015) - Moot announced his retirement as admin of 4chan, and handed over administration to 3 Senior Moderators.
- The Full Circle - In a controversial announcement, Moot appointed Hiroyuki Nishimura, founder of 2channel, as 4chan's next admin. But at least, after so many people have spoken in his place, Hiroyuki was finally able to speak for himself.
- Generations - Evolving generations involved in the long history of 4chan.
- Dates of Board Additions - When boards were added.
- Staff - Those who have served 4chan.
- Sources - The primary, secondary, and tertiary sources we've managed to dig up.