An invitation to the first SCA gathering at UC Berkeley on May 1, 1966.
The Barony of the Cleftlands would like to wish the Society for Creative Anachronism Happy 52nd Birthday!
An abridged history from the annuls of Wikipedia:
The SCA’s roots can be traced to a backyard graduation party of a UC Berkeley medieval studies graduate, the author Diana Paxson, in Berkeley, California, on May Day in 1966. The party began with a “Grand Tournament” in which the participants wore helmets, fencing masks, and usually some semblance of a costume, and sparred with each other using weapons such as plywood swords, padded maces, and fencing foils. It ended with a parade down Telegraph Avenue with everyone singing “Greensleeves”. […] The name Berkeley Society for Creative Anachronism was coined […] when the nascent group needed an official name in order to reserve a park for a tournament. “Berkeley” was dropped as the group expanded.