On a slightly more upbeat note, there were the Very Vaguely Creepy threads, which I believe were up and running right about the time I signed up. Some very interesting reading, and a few genuinely creepy stories.
Part I (A monster-500+ posts)
Part II
There’s also some other threads that are variants on this theme, but none took off like these (especially the first)
loverock (please note capitalization was never mastered) was mostly likely a group effort, at least it was before it ended. He gave us the virgina to begin, and it only got worse, devolving into an attempt to write sentences where no word was without error.
Ultimately, it was learned that loverock was really a group of people posting under one name. At some point, I think that everyone registered at the time was sent an e-mail with the password to the account, as an invitation to use loverosk as a sock. (I didn’t use it.)
My only question about loverock, is whether the people who used loverock were ever identified, though I imagine that it will remain a mystery never fully explained.
I know this is IMHO, but that’s not what really happened.
In this Pit thread, you will find plenty of information. Specifically, Ed Zotti’s post on page two explains what really went down.
Jeez, looking back, the SDMB has had more train wrecks than Amtrak and Burlington Northern ever dreamed of!
On the other hand, it’s also had
“May 5, 1945 - We Will Remember.”
The WTC crash thread.
Nazi Groundhogs from Hell
Who’s naked?
And tons more than I can remember. Plus lots of good advice, commiseration, fighting ignorance, and just plain silliness.
Cool Place.
I hadn’t gotten an e-mail this morning telling me people had posted to this thread, so I had gone here to bump it.
Much to my surprise, people seem to be enjoying it a lot. 
I actually do remember Melingate, now that I think about it. I even remember a petition thread where people said they’d never come back if Melin wasn’t allowed to post again. I wonder how many people actually left for good because of that.
The Left Behind skirmish does sound very interesting. Wish I would have noticed that while it was going on!
Maybe tonight I’ll actually have time to click on all of these links, though by time that happens, I’m sure there’ll be waay more posts, too. It’s a deadly spiral, I’m tellin’ ya.
There was an old altercation back in the AOL days. I was posting back then but I missed the beginning of it and never really caught up to what it was all about. It was like coming home to find your family hurling plates and vases at each other and storming out of the house and never being able to figure out what happened.
A guy named George (HpstrDufuz I think?) and a handful of others started adding “CPB” to the bottom of their sigs and from some thread I got the impression it stood for “Cold Prickly Brigade” and was in reaction to a different handful of people who had informally designated themselves as the “Warm Fuzzy Brigade”. Someone styled himself as the “Head NIC of the CPB”, as I recall. Doesn’t sound like much, but somehow it got personal and vindictive and some people either quit the board or went away for a long time before returning. I think DrainBead (Libby) was one of them, and George himself. Possibly RangerJeff also started posting a lot less after that?
Can’t forget the Great Smiley Election.
I think the “Ask the Gay Guy” threads are worth remembering, but then I’m an egotist. 
Esprix
Oh, and don’t forget the “Ask the Gay Guy” threads. 
Esprix, you attention grabbing whore.
If this is still too touchy let me know.
Anthracite started a series of stories based on the Lovecraft style using some of the mods and long time players as the characters in the stories. The stories seemed very popular, and there was much anticipation on how they were going to come out. Then they stopped. The reason was something that happened in the Pit I think. What the hell happened? Who were the players? Why? Was it Jealousy, envy, spite, malice-- what? I have been very curious as to what happened, but afraid to ask for fear of causing more trouble around that topic. But as a lot of time has passed is it safe to ask now?
A thread which links to all the other JDT threads is here. The thread that started the Left Behind invasion is here.
Around March 2001, there was a one-trick poster called fatherjohn who was obsessed with SUVs. He often “proved” his arguments about SUVs sucking by linking to this parody site, which he didn’t seem to understand was a parody. He responded with things like “SCORE!” and “:rolleyes: Pot? Kettle? Whatever.” and talked about himself in the third person. He was banned because he was thought to be JohnJohn/Cyberian returned, but he might not have been. Not that it’s any big loss. fatherjohn threads include:
Sensitive ass SUV drivers (Page 4 and on)
Silly Useless Vehicles
Stickers to Put on Offensive Cars - Illegal?
busted
No such thing as race? (Not an SUV thread)
Free Electricity From the Sun (Mostly not an SUV thread)
What a great thread! Very cool idea, SNenc!
“Ask the Gay Guy” threads prompted a lot of great “Ask The…”
One I recall was when posters were able to ask a member with a disability and in a wheelchair questions. (I might add that I started the Ask the Lesbian thread. )
There was another great thread where everyone posted what his or her grandparents did for a living.
Tibs.
Dang it! i was being productive today until i entered this thread. Now i’ll go back to doing nothing as i read all the threads of christmas past.
Also, don’t forget March 2001, when Tars Tarkas registered!!
The SDMB Iron Chef series was loads of fun.
Also, Fenris’ recent Origins of the Mods was great.
Hmm…, I posted this once, about an hour ago. Well, anyway, I wanted to mention ChiefScott’s months long quest to find out why certain cans of Kiwi shoe polish had holes in the top. Which reminds me, brithael s***s!
ChrisCTP posted a thread, How Cool Is That?, in which she related the first known IRL meeting of posters when she met with boli. About the same time, in another thread, a couple of New York Dopers realized that they worked in the same building. Very soon thereafter New York, Chicago and Houston Dopers held their first meetings and the DopeFests were born.
What were the original usernames for:
Persephone
Ayesha
Eve
Little Nemo?
Here’s Fenris’ Origins of the Mods. Or is it Birth of the Mod? Or Mods? Or something.
And the Iron Chef threads:
Iron Chef Comes to SDMB January 2001
SDMB Iron Chef Part Deux March 2001
SDMB Iron Chef Part San June 2001
SDMB Iron Chef Part Quattro June 2001
SDMB Iron Chef Part Wu October 2001
SDMB Iron Chef: The Battle Continues October 2001
SDMB Iron Chef Episode II: Attack of the Scones November 2001
Flatterer…<blush>
Esprix
Let’s see, the JanL saga-or Guin is accused of “slander”.
DanielintheWolvesDen’s banning
I’ll think of more-I gotta go, my sister wants the computer.