The 2nd World Science Fiction Convention (

Worldcon Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...

), also known as Chicon I, was held on 1–2 September 1940 at the Hotel Chicagoan in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States. The convention was chaired by Mark Reinsberg with Erle Korshak (secretary) and Bob Tucker (treasurer) as equal partners. It was organized by fans Russ Hodgkins, T. Bruce Yerke, and Walt Daugherty.

Participants

Attendance was 128.

Guests of Honor

* E. E. "Doc" Smith

Other notable participants

Also attending were

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006) was an American list of science fiction authors, science fiction writer, one of several called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the t ...

and

Forrest J Ackerman Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction writer, and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films; a ...

Programming and events

Masquerade

This was the first Worldcon to include a masquerade. Chicon featured two masquerades, an unofficial event held in Myrtle R. Douglas' hotel room and an official masquerade as part of the program. The official event, called the "Science Fiction Masquerade Party", was held in the evening of the first day, with Jack Speer and Milton A. Rothman as the co-masters of ceremonies. This was the first Worldcon to include an official masquerade. The winner of the Masquerade Party was David Kyle wearing a

Ming the Merciless Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, television series and film adaptation. Ming is depicted ...

costume, for which he won an ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...

'' original cover painting. The Ming costume was created by Leslie Perri, originally for Donald A. Wollheim. However, he considered it too undignified but brought it with him to the convention and Kyle wore it instead. In second place was Robert A. W. Lowndes wearing a Bar Senestro costume (from the novel '' The Blind Spot'' by Austin Hall and Homer Eon Flint). Other costumed attendees included guest of honor E. E. "Doc" Smith as

Northwest Smith Northwest Smith is a fictional character, and the hero of a series of stories by science fiction writer C. L. Moore. Story setting Smith is a spacecraft, spaceship pilot and smuggler who lives in an undisclosed future time when humanity has colo ...

(from C. L. Moore's series of short stories), Smith's daughter Honey as Clarissa MacDougal (from Smith's own '' Lensman'' series), George Tullis as Johnny Black (from

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American author of science fiction, Fantasy literature, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of ...

's series of short stories), Cyril M. Kornbluth as

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...

(from

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

' novella of the same name, wrapped in bandages as in the 1933 film version), three versions of

Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...

(Jack Speer, plus convention organizers Erle Korshak and Mark Reinsberg), and both

and Myrtle R. Douglas wearing the "futuristicostumes" they had previously worn to the first Worldcon.

References

External links

World Science Fiction Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Science Fiction Convention 002 1940 conferences 1940s in Chicago 1940 in Illinois Culture of Chicago Science fiction conventions in the United States September 1940 in the United States Worldcon