When Facebook converted all brand pages to the timeline format at the end of March, I was tasked with filling in important milestones in Accounting Today's history, which dates back to our very first issue on Oct. 12, 1987.
And when I say "tasked," I really mean "jumped at the chance." For example, that first issue? Featured a drawing of the then-chairman of the American Institute of CPAs, whose laid-back "So what?" pose contradicted the headline of "Accounting Confronts Change" -- all under a logo reminiscent of a 1980s Sega videogame title screen.
This is what makes nostalgia fun: hindsight and the ability to laugh at antiquated design (and fashion) choices.
When Accounting Today asked, in 1995, "Will the Internet affect accounting firms?" there wasn't exactly a crystal ball projecting the fundamental role of our technology editor, or even the emergence of all this social media business. And even if there was, it was probably running on DOS. The question might seem silly now, but that same year we introduced The Electronic Accountant, a CD-ROM precursor to today's Web site. Don't say we weren't on the cutting edge of the AOL era!
The same is true for the turn of the century, when Accounting Today preceded the majority of the media hype by exploring the encroaching Y2K problem back in 1996. And it wasn't the only thing we were on top of: Over that earlier chairman's shoulder was another headline: "Uncertainties Cloud AICPA's Celebration." That's right: we were talking about the cloud back in '87.
As we add more milestones to our page, we want to hear from you! When did you start subscribing to Accounting Today? What are some of your favorite memories? And what was your AOL screenname? Tweet me! @atomorrow.
