Well, not to PlaneBuzz, exactly, but to PlaneBusiness.

On this day in 1997, PlaneBusiness went public. On AOL.

Yep. We had our own keyword and everything.

PlaneBusiness Banter, and PlaneBusiness.com followed shortly after, as we published our first issue the first week of September, 1997. The first PBBs were sent by email. They were not published on the website as they are now.

Until two years ago, our first attempts at this fledgling enterprise were still there — on AOL’s servers. Lost in the bowels of everything else that had come since then.

You could still put in keyword “airlinebiz” and our pitiful (by today’s standards) first venture onto the Internet was there to gaze at in astonishment.

Yes, I was always astounded when I would go back and look at it. Astounded at how fast all of what we now take for granted online has actually come about.

Then again, I still have a 9800K modem in the closet. And I remember when I thought it was latest greatest thing.

I’m off to find a Mexican chocolate cupcake. Yes, just like that one up there. Which means I’ll probably have to bake it myself.

But that’s the least I can do, considering today is such an auspicious occasion.