# Longest thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 26, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905 "2003-09-26T04:05:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/1 "2003-09-26T04:05:09Z")
What was/is the longest thread ever on SDMB? Could it be: GQ: Are scalar weapons for real? Were there any pre-crash humongous threads? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/2 "2003-09-26T04:09:22Z")
There was a huge thread about what would happen if other authors were to write the works of JRR Tolkien. That thread got mentioned on Slashdot, and so we got slashdotted. The servers held up astoundingly well (that is, they weren’t reduced to puddles of slag). Back a long time ago (before my time), there was a thread called Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share. There’s a forum called that now, which gives you a hint how popular the thread was. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/3 "2003-09-26T04:18:42Z")
I think the infamous “a” thread still holds the record. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/4 "2003-09-26T04:20:49Z")
“Guy Stuff” was pretty darn long, but it’s been surpassed. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/5 "2003-09-26T04:28:10Z")
The [“a” thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158752) has 5337 replies over 107 pages. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/6 "2003-09-26T07:19:15Z")
If you go to the bottom of each forum, you can sort the posts by the number of replies and see the top 20 longest threads for each forum. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/7 "2003-09-26T07:24:14Z")
I’ll move this thread to ATMB since this is a question about this message board. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/8 "2003-09-26T10:13:22Z")
Here’s the list as it stood at May 2003: [What SDMB thread had the most replies ever?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3431101#post3431101). If someone wants to update it, please feel free. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/9 "2003-09-26T12:51:07Z")
So, it ain’t this thread? Dang. ---
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/10 "2003-09-26T13:07:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Back a long time ago (before my time), there was a thread called Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share. There’s a forum called that now, which gives you a hint how popular the thread was. \*\* so who started the thread that gave its name a hole forum? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/11 "2003-09-26T17:37:55Z")
Well seeing how this tread was swept into the closet, we won’t have to worry about too many posts here. 🙂 Thanks for the info folks. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/12 "2003-09-26T18:39:20Z")
MPSIMS has several _current_ threads longer than the 1920s Style Death Ray Thread. Song Title Game - 2407 posts Oh, My Freaking God! (Looong!) - 2336 posts Predict The Next Poster! - 2137 posts Word Association Thread! - 1895 posts Quote… …unquote game - 1382 posts The hijack game. win absolutely nothing but your insanity… - 1341 posts Question and Answer thread - 1189 posts Good news/bad news – game - 1084 posts Surreal continuing story: walking through doors and passageways - 828 posts The consecutive number game - 813 posts DC Lunch Bunch - 745 posts I didn’t link, 'cause you can find them all on the front page of MPSIMS _right now_. No need to enrage the ham§sters. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/13 "2003-09-27T22:38:27Z")
How long did that “What if someone else wrote The Lord of the Rings?” thread finally get? ---
**Author:** ![LookitMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@LookitMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LookitMe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/14 "2003-09-27T23:10:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*How long did that “What if someone else wrote The Lord of the Rings?” thread finally get? \*\* 2021 replies as of this moment. Last post added was on September 8, 2003. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/15 "2003-09-28T22:10:31Z")
[defending the LotR thread] On the other hand, most of the high-post-count MPSIMS threads weigh in at about a line or two per post, while half of the posts in the LotR authorship thread (the ones adding submissions, not the “wow that’s really good” ones) can get to a full screen. So I suspect that the LotR thread is still longest, in terms of word count. [/defending the LotR thread] ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-thread/203905/16 "2003-09-29T00:24:24Z")
We’ll see about that! Using the printer-friendly version… ```auto **Thread Name replies filesize(kb) word count** a 5338 1049 120419 Song Titles 2491 411 36698 OMFG! 2395 2058 123990 Next Poster 2211 702 77218 LotR 2022 3489 403595 Word Association 2016 207 19071 ```