January 31 in A.A. History

1940: Frederic J. Haskins, in his column “Haskin’s Answers to Readers’ Questions” in Washington, DC’s The Evening Star, addresses a reader's inquiry about Alcoholics Anonymous [right]:

Q. Please give some information about an organization called Alcoholics Anonymous.—H. T. S.

A. This is a group of former alcoholics who meet in Steinway Hall, New York City, to strengthen one another’s resolutions and help other alcoholics to reform. They have recently published a book entitled “Alcoholics Anonymous.”

1946: Charles Welch [far left]—a nonalcoholic and Honorary Lifetime Vice President of the first A.A. group in Vancouver, British Columbia [center left: Welch’s home, an early meeting place for the group]—signed a certificate of “tribute” [near left] to Charles B., the group’s first alcoholic member.

2003: The second meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference (OSC) concluded.

    New committees were organized, including one to search for more online A.A. groups who might be invited to OSC, a Literature Committee, a Translation Committee and a Web Committee. Nominations were taken for candidates for the Steering Committee, to be voted on at the third OSC in July 2003. No Online Advisory Actions were voted during the second conference.

2004: The fourth meeting of the month-long Online Service Conference (OSC) concluded.

    The most significant action at the assembly was introduction of a proposed Charter for OSC presented by James C. from the United Kingdom, as chairman of the Voting Methods Committee. The Web Committee also presented its work on the OSC website for comment by the assembly. No voting actions were offered with the agenda or acted upon during the conference assembly.

By the end of the year, the OSC website (aa-onlineserviceconference.org) would go dark [right: last capture by the Internet Archive of the OSC website, 18 Sep 2004].