Chicon History

Chicon 8 is (surprise!) the eighth Worldcon to be held in Chicago.

The very first was held as long ago as 1940 – just the second Worldcon ever, following the first Worldcon in New York in 1939 – and featured E. E. “Doc” Smith as Guest of Honor, with just over 100 members in attendance.

Since then, Chicago has hosted the Worldcon approximately once a decade (we missed the 70s), settling on the Hyatt Regency Hotel as a natural home since Chicon IV (the hotels used for Chicon I and TASFiC (the second Chicon) have both been demolished – it isn’t our fault).

On the rest of this page you’ll find links to scans of the Souvenir Books and some other items from the previous Chicago Worldcons.

Chicon	Site	Guest(s)	Chair	Attend.
2: Chicon 1 – 2 Sep 1940	Hotel Chicagoan	E. E. “Doc” Smith	Mark Reinsberg	128
10: TASFiC 30 Aug – 1 Sep 1952	Hotel Morrison	Hugo Gernsback	Julian May	870 / 1175
20: Chicon III 31 Aug – 2 Sep 1962	Pick-Congress Hotel	Theodore Sturgeon	Earl Kemp	730 / 830
40: Chicon IV 2 – 6 Sep 1982	Hyatt Regency Chicago (HRC)	A. Bertram Chandler Frank Kelly Freas Lee Hoffman	Ross Pavlac Larry Propp	4,275
49: Chicon V 29 Aug – 2 Sep 1991	HRC	Hal Clement Martin H. Greenberg Richard Powers Jon & Joni Stopa	Kathleen Meyer	5,661
58: Chicon 2000 31 Aug – 4 Sep 2000	HRC Fairmont Hotel Swissotel	Ben Bova Bob Eggleton Jim Baen Bob & Anne Passovoy	Tom Veal	5,794 / 6,574
70: Chicon 7 30 Aug – 3 Sep 2012	HRC	Mike Resnick Peggy Rae Sapienza Story Musgrave Jane Frank Rowena Morrill	Dave McCarty	4,743 / 6,197
80: Chicon 8 1 – 5 Sep 2022	HRC	Steven Barnes Tananarive Due Edie Stern Joe Siclari Erle Korshak	Helen Montgomery	? / ?

Chicago in 2022 bid website

Chicon 7

Chicon 7 program book cover by Rowena Morrill	Chicon 7 pocket program
Chicon 7 Sunday Funnies edited by John Purcell	Chicon 7 artist showcase edited by Sara Felix and Colin Harris
Chicon 7 Hugo Award designed by Deb Kosiba

Chicago in 2012 bid website

Chicon 2000

Chicon 2000 publications

Chicon 2000 program Variant 1, cover by Bob Eggleton	Chicon 2000 program Variant 2, cover by Bob Eggleton
Chicon 2000 Programming Participants’ Guide and Biographies cover by Marianne Plumridge	Chicon 2000 Pocket program, dining guide, and events and exhibits book
Chicon 2000 Sampler Variant 1, cover by Bob Eggleton	Chicon 2000 Sampler Variant 2, cover by Bob Eggleton
6 in 60 Chicago history fanzine	Chicon 2000 memory book cover by Bob Eggleton
Chicon 2000 Hugo program	Chicon 2000 Hugo Award designed by Johnna Klukas

Chicon V

Chicon V program book	Fantastic Chicago edited by Martin H. Greenberg
Chicon V pocket program
Chicon V Hugo program	Chicon V Hugo Award

Chicon IV

Chicon IV program book, 1982

Chicon IV Hugo Award

Chicon III

Chicon III program book, 1962

Chicon III HUgo Award

TASFiC

Chicon

Chicon program book, 1940

E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Guest of Honor Speech