2nd World Science Fiction Convention


The 2nd World Science Fiction Convention, also known as Chicon I, was held September 1–2, 1940, at the Hotel Chicagoan in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The event had 128 participants.
The guest of honor at the second Worldcon was E. E. "Doc" Smith. Also attending were Jack Williamson, and Forrest J Ackerman. The event was chaired by Mark Reinsberg with Erle Korshak and Bob Tucker as equal partners. It was organized by fans Russ Hodgkins, T. Bruce Yerke, and Walt Daugherty. This was the first Worldcon to include a masquerade.

Masquerade

Chicon featured two masquerades, an unofficial event held in Myrtle R. Douglas' hotel room and an official masquerade as part of the program. The official event, called the "Science Fiction Masquerade Party", was held in the evening of the first day, with Jack Speer and Milton A. Rothman as the co-masters of ceremonies. This was the first Worldcon to include an official masquerade.
The winner of the Masquerade Party was David Kyle wearing a Ming the Merciless costume, for which he won an Amazing Stories original cover painting. The Ming costume was created by Leslie Perri, originally for Donald A. Wollheim. However, he considered it too undignified but brought it with him to the convention and Kyle wore it instead. In second place was Robert A. W. Lowndes wearing a Bar Senestro costume.
Other costumed attendees included guest of honor E. E. "Doc" Smith as Northwest Smith, Smith's daughter Honey as Clarissa MacDougal, George Tullis as Johnny Black, Cyril M. Kornbluth as The Invisible Man, three versions of Buck Rogers, and both Forrest J Ackerman and Myrtle R. Douglas wearing the "futuristicostumes" they had previously worn to the first Worldcon.