Looking through some old photos and threads, I started to get a little curious about the gradual changes in FIRST that never really get mentioned. For example, bumpers weren’t required before 2008, but I’ve seen optional bumper rules as early as 2006. Things like that, or how FIRST originally decided on numbering rules, or stories from old times. I’d love to hear about just anything fun that you’d like to share 
FIRST has a rich history, and I’d hate for new members to miss out on the old time fun.
Here are a few things:
Team numbers used to change every year, and team numbers were assigned in alphabetical order of the main sponser. In 1999, FIRST decided to stop renumbering teams every year, thus the 1998 numbers were locked into place as long as the team stays intact. Because of the numbering by alphabetical order of sponsor, you see all of the Delphi teams (45, 47, 48) GM teams (65, 66, 67, 68), Motorola teams (108,109,111), UTC teams (175, 176, 177, 179, 180) all grouped together. Team 1 (the Juggernauts) aren’t number 1 because they were the first team ever in first, it’s just that their sponsor came first alphabetically in 1998. Who was their sponsor? Answer: 3-D Services.
The first year of the optional bumper was 2000. However, there were no rules on what the bumper could be made from. The only team I remember taking advantage of the bumper rule was 47 (ChiefDelphi) which made bumpers from carbon fiber or fiber glass over a metal frame.
Here’s a fun one: prior to 2000, the game was played on a field that was roughly half of the current field size. They used to put two fields side-by-side so they could reset one of the fields while the match was being played on the other field. In 2000, they switched to the current field size, but all drivers were at the same end. They would alternate which end had the drivers. That way, driver station could be reset while the previous match was occurring. The first year of having the opposing alliance drivers on opposite ends of the field was 2002.
Prior to 2002, each drive team had two coaches in the driver station.
Here is one that I totally forgot about until just yesterday.
In 2000 scouting/strategizing a match was extremely difficult.
Reason: (4) teams were assigned to a match, but you were not told your partners until about 5 minutes before the match.
So you only had 5 minutes, while waiting in the robot line, to strategize the match. So you had to scout really well and be ready for one of three possible alliance combinations for every match.
I can’t remember when this practice stopped (2003?) I am pretty sure that in 2001 (during 4 v 0) they scheduled (8) robots and then told you the combination when you arrived in the queue.
That was a very tough situation for scouts, but on another level, interesting and fun.
2001 was the last year of the unknown alliances. In 2002 they handed out match schedules at the beginning of the morning on Friday.
Also the alliance selection in 2001 was 1 paired with 4 and then they picked 2 more robots that were not in the top 8. 2 paired with 5 and so on.
Thanks my memory was a bit hazy on that. 
This is going to be an awesome thread for us relative n00bs 
The game that I thought (and still do) was one of the most unique in FRC history was in 2001 Diabolical Dynamics. It was the only year when there was no competition on the field. Four teams competed on the same side against the clock and their ability to score points. They didn’t have to compete against an opponent–strange concept now when you think about it.
Here’s another great one:
There were no divisions at the Championship until 2001. Before 1999, that didn’t matter too much since alliances didn’t exist and there was no alliance selection. In 1999 and 2000 there were around 200 robots at the Championship all in one giant division. Scouting and alliance selection was a nightmare.
Here’s an excellent documentary Xerox made following my team around back in 1992 if you want to know how FIRST was back in the old days.
Ed, Thank you so much for sharing this link. It was awesome to see the original goals of FIRST explained without all of the “hoopla” and “canned” expressions that have naturally evolved. The message was very direct and very real.
I wonder if your post in 2000 had any influence on divisions. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10687
Team updates used to be faxed to every team, and included both updates and Q/A.
Before motorcycle batteries, teams used cordless drill batteries. FIRST had a giant bank of chargers and you would turn in your used batteries after a match and receive charged batteries.
FIRST used to be much more restrictive on parts. You could only use parts that came in the kit, a few additional materials, and around $400 of parts from Small Parts Inc.
Prior to alliances, teams would play a few seeding matches, and then everyone at the event would play a double elimination tournament. One year at the championship, we played 5 matches total, 3 seeding and got eliminated in 2.
The control system used to be owned by FIRST. Each team would get it in the kit and have to return it after the season was over.
Our first year, Dave Lavery visited our team, wearing a Hawaiian shirt. One of the students remarked “I expected a suit”. OK, I guess some things don’t change.
Here are a series of threads about FIRST in the 1990s:
Here’s a video I made my senior year of high school for 177’s tenth season. It gives a brief overview of each of the 1995-2004 games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbfgBgXh9zo
In the '96 section, you can see an example of the “stealth bags” mentioned here http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40623.
One of my favorite game quirks came from the 2002 end game. Each alliance had a designated endzone at either end of the field. At the end of the match, you received points for every robot that was even partially in your endzone. Without a limitation on robot dimensions (other than height) you ended up with mechanisms that could span the whole length of the field. Some of these were completely passive, like a ribbon that unrolled at the end of the match. Some were essentially the precursors to minibots (with tethers of course).
and then there was what 276 did…
What about the old rotating “cop” lights with the ability to change out the colored dome to indicate what alliance you were on, last used in 2003.
I still have a blue dome sitting in one of my book shelves.
Ohhh we should bring back the FIRST 101’s!!
Some of my favorites…
In 1996 the Human players actually had to SIT on the floor, with seatbelts that strapped them into the floor!
The old days of Rumble at the Rock were amazing. This very first FIRST offseason event was held in Plymouth MA, by the recently renewed team 23! Many teams camped at this event to save money, and in 1996, there was a giant hurricane (I think it was Bertha) that made it absolutely crazy for any team that was carrying their robot in the back of a pickup truck!! (we may have raced into the venue 5 minutes before it started frantically wiping the robot off with towels because the tarp wasnt strong enough for the hurricane!)
The 1999 Game Objects might easily have been the best sleeping objects in the history of FIRST - Floppies were an almost silk material packed with styrofoam peanuts and lined with looped velcro.
I don’t know the starting or end years, but I know at least 96-99 teams were allowed to have two drive coaches. This was one of my favorite parts of the drive team, as you could get past that whole student vs mentor coach debate and just have one of each!
Again my memory is fuzzy on the years, but it might have been 1997 where FIRST allowed the dimensions to expand to 36"x36"… which horribly didnt allow robots to fit through standard doorframes!! Too many teams learned this the hard way!
1996 competition (and maybe a few years prior?) were held on a stage inside Epcot. Several mascots overheated, and some were mistaken for disney characters and ended up having to give autographs!! 1997 was the first year of Tent City outside of Epcot.
For many years, the robots didn’t have the Master Breaker switches we now know so well… we actually had giant fuses that were used to protect the robot components from damage.
We used to program in PBasic… no fancy C or Labview or Java… PBASIC… try implementing a random number generator in that!!
(BTW, there was a girl from the Thunderchickens doing research at champs on the “way back when” stories… anyone know who she is and if she finished her project?? I’d love to see it!)
Replaced by those flags that gave the queuers fiberglass splinters. And they always fell out. And the flag holder was one of the most restrictive parts in the rules ever.
The flags started in 2006 I believe. 2004-2005 was a flashing square LED which I believe was also the diagnostic light which we now have the amber one.