list history and genesis

The recent discussion about the list's proper function, and the recent,
unusual intervention of Paul Moriarty (BTW that was a good question you
posed to him, ScottyTee, as even WF - to his credit - acknowledged), got me
thinking about the history and origin of this list. How did it begin? (I've
only been on less than a year). Is Paul a Who fan? Or did he create the list
for someone who is, or for another purpose? Has anyone on the list has been
here since day one? How have the discussions changed over the years? Are
themes continually repeated (I don't find this in the short time I've been
on, or if they do there's always a new slant to things). I'd be interested
if we have a "town historian" amongst us who could shed light on some of
these points....Gary M.