AA International Conventions

1 - 1950 - A.A.'s first International Convention Cleveland
In July 1950, Alcoholics Anonymous' 15th anniversary is marked with an international convention in Cleveland, with some 3,000 people in attendance. One of the most significant events is the adoption of the Twelve Traditions. The convention, held at the Cleveland Public Auditorium (right), also features the last public message to the Fellowship by Dr. Bob, who stresses, in his brief remarks, kindness and "keeping it simple."

2 - 1955 - A historic International Convention St. Louis
In July 1955, some 5,000 people attend the second International Convention in St. Louis (right). President Dwight D. Eisenhower recognizes the occasion with a congratulatory telegram. Among the important events at this 20th anniversary gathering is Bill's presentation on A.A. history and the importance of understanding it. In addition, the second edition of the Big Book is launched. The Al-Anon Fellowship, now four years old, participates in five workshops.

3 - 1960 - The third International Convention Long Beach
Long Beach, California, plays host to A.A.'s 25th Anniversary celebration in July 1960. Some 8,900 attendees are joined by many of the Fellowship's pioneers - among them Bill and Lois, Sister Ignatia, Marty M., Dr. Jack Norris, Warden Clinton Duffy, and Dr. Harry Tiebout, a psychiatrist who championed A.A. and brought Marty M. into the program.

4 - 1965 - Ten thousand-plus in Toronto
In July 1965, more than 10,000 members from around the world meet in Toronto for the 30th Anniversary International Convention. Some 250 members of A.A., Al-Anon, and Alateen, plus 24 internationally known nonalcoholic authorities on alcoholism, are featured speakers at 69 jam-packed sessions. As the Convention ends, attendees clasp hands and recite the newly developed Declaration of Responsibility, led by Bill and Lois. The Convention program and souvenir book are shown at righ

5 - 1970 - Unity in Miami
Miami is the site of the Fellowship's fifth International Convention in July 1970, the keynote of which is the Declaration of Unity: "This we owe to A.A.'s future: To place our common welfare first; to keep our Fellowship united. For on A.A. unity depend our lives, and the lives of those to come." Attending are 11,000 people from 50 states and 27 countries - as reported by Box 4-5-9, "the biggest assemblage of alcoholics the world has ever seen - all of them sober!" The convention marks Bill W.'s last public appearance at an A.A. gathering.

6 - 1975 - Delegates descend on Denver
"Let It Begin With Me" is the theme of the Fellowship's 40th Anniversary International Convention, held in Denver, Colorado in 1975. Some 19,500 attendees stream into the city, and Host Committee members register arrivals at the rate of 400 per hour. At the formal opening session, a replica of the Big Book dominates the dais and gives new meaning to the word "big." It is 28 feet tall.

7 - 1980 - Celebrating New Orleans-style New Orleans
In New Orleans, the sounds of jazz welcome some 22,500 paid attendees as they arrive at the Superdome on July 3, 1980 - the first evening of the 45th Anniversary International Convention. A procession of nations, with A.A. members from around the globe carrying their national flags, is the prelude to two days of workshops, a three-day alkathon (round-the-clock meeting) at the Marriott Hotel, and the appearance at the Sunday morning Spiritual Meeting of Lois W. and "Smitty," the son of the late Dr. Bob.

8 - 1985 - A.A.'s golden anniversary Montreal
The Fellowship's 50th Anniversary International Convention in Montreal in 1985 draws more than 45,000 members of A.A., Al-Anon, and family and friends - more than twice the attendance of the record-setting 1980 convention in New Orleans. Delegates from 54 nations give the gathering a truly international feel, and meetings in the Olympic Park Stadium are simultaneously translated into French, Spanish, and German. One of the honored guests is Ruth Hock Crecelius (a nonalcoholic), who is presented with the five millionth copy of the Big Book, the original manuscript of which she had typed almost half a century earlier when she was Bill W.'s secretary at their small office in Newark, New Jersey

9 - 1990 - Bursting at the seams in Seattle
Some 48,000 people converge in Seattle for the Fellowship's Ninth International Convention in 1990, far exceeding the anticipated head count. The theme is "Fifty-five Years - One Day at a Time." More than 250 standing-room-only meetings are held at Seattle Center and around town - at the time, the largest convention ever hosted in Washington's largest city. Nell Wing, Bill W.'s longtime secretary and first archivist for G.S.O. New York, was presented with the Ten Millionth copy of A.A.'s Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, at a special ceremony

10 - 1995 - Celebrating 60 years San Diego
The theme of the 60th Anniversary International Convention - "A.A. Everywhere-Anywhere" - is borne out as nearly 56,000 people from the U.S., Canada, and 85 other countries gather in San Diego, California, in June-July 1995. Among the highlights are an opening-night waterfront dance with fireworks exploding across the bay, an opening meeting that sees Jack Murphy Stadium filled to capacity, and oldtimers recounting stories at the "Forty Years or More Sober" meeting, Saturday night's featured event. Shown at right is the Convention's souvenir book.

11 - 2000 - Greeting the millennium in Minneapolis
Some 47,000 people celebrate freedom from the bondage of alcoholism at the eleventh International Convention, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the summer of 2000. The theme is "Pass It On-Into the 21st Century." One memorable event is Walk-the-Walk, in which a stream of attendees from 86 nations walks the blue line laid down from the Convention Center to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on their way to the opening ceremony. The twenty millionth Big Book is presented to Al-Anon Family Groups in a special ceremony.

12 - 2005 - A.A.'s 70th birthday in Toronto
Over 44,000 A.A. members congregate in Toronto for the 2005 International Convention to celebrate the 70 years that have brought A.A. from a bond between two sober alcoholics to a worldwide Fellowship of more than 2 million members. The theme is "I am Responsible," reprising the theme of the 1965 International Convention, also held in Toronto, where A.A.'s popular "Responsibility Declaration" was first devised.

13 - 2010 - "A Vision For You" San Antonio
A.A. members and guests from around the world celebrate A.A.'s 75th year in San Antonio, Texas, with the theme "A Vision for You." Marathon meetings begin at midnight on Thursday, July 1, and run around the clock until Sunday morning, when the closing meeting takes place in the Alamodome.