July in A.A. History (day unknown)

In 1955, Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. published the second edition [right: 4^th printing, 1960] of Alcoholics Anonymous, which included a new Foreword and thirty-three new stories.

In 1959, the name of Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. was changed to Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. A.A.W.S. assumed responsibility for non-Grapevine publishing operations and for managing the General Service Office (G.S.O.), which had for many years been known as “headquarters.”

In 1962, the cartoon strip “Victor E.” [left], created by editor Jack M., first appeared in the A.A. Grapevine. It ran until the late 1970s, when Jack’s declining eyesight forced him to stop. Since then, all appearances of Victor E. have been reprints.

In 2021, a revised Preamble was published in the July 2021 issue of the A.A. Grapevine [right: cover]. In “A Letter From the Editor,” it was explained that,

    After two years of discussion by the Fellowship, and after much thoughtful deliberation at the 2021 General Service Conference, the AA Preamble has been updated. The new version can be seen on the inside cover of this issue.

    The 71^st General Service Conference (GSC) had previously adopted an Advisory Action that changed the phrase “men and women” to “people.” This decision sparked significant controversy; however, subsequent GSCs have chosen not to revert to the original wording or consider alternative proposals.