The 9th World Science Fiction Convention, also known as Nolacon I, was held 1–3 September 1951 at the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The chairman was Harry B. Moore. The guest of honor was Fritz Leiber. Total attendance was approximately 190. The at-the-door membership price was US$1, the same price charged from the 1st through the 12th Worldcon.
Notable events included world premiere screenings of The Day The Earth Stood Still and When Worlds Collide, plus a continuous two-day long party in Room 770 at the St. Charles Hotel that became legendary following the convention. Mike Glyer's long-running newszine File 770, named in commemoration of this party, has won the Hugo Award for Best Fanzine a number of times.
Hugo Awards were not presented at this Worldcon as the awards were not proposed until 1952, with the first Hugos actually presented in 1953 at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention. However, in 2001 at the 59th World Science Fiction Convention held in Philadelphia, a set of Retro Hugo Awards were presented to honor work that would have been Hugo-eligible had the award existed in 1951.
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