McElroy History

McElroy History is a timeline of the major events in the life and times of the McElroy brothers, their families, and their many, many, many podcasts and other media projects.

Ancient Times[]

320,000,000 BCE: The Appalachian Plateau is formed.
1775: Huntington, West Virginia is founded. I mean technically it was Virginia then but be cool, ok? C'mon. Nice.
1912, April 15: According to Clint McElroy: The brothers' great great uncle Hugh McElroy, aged 37, dies when the Titanic sinks. The brothers discussed their mildly famous progenitor in Episodes 678 and 692.
1955, August 10: Clint McElroy is born.
1975: Clint gets his first radio gig, at WKEE in Huntington. His duties included "doing the news and running the church shows."^[1]

Late 20th Century[]

1980, November 8: Justin McElroy is born.
1982, March 29: Rachel McElroy is born.
1983, March 27: Sydnee McElroy, née Smirl, is born
1983, November 8: Travis McElroy is born on Justin's third birthday. This is clearly copyright infringement, but Justin is not yet old enough to press charges.
1987, April 17: Griffin McElroy is born, stubbornly refusing to complete the trifecta of November 8 brother birthdays.
1991: The Time Belt airs.
1994: Clint McElroy begins working at WTCR radio in Huntington, a job he would keep until retiring in 2017.^[1]
1995: Peace on the Playground airs.
1997, June 9: Richard Stink is allegedly born.

2000s[]

2001: A 14-year-old Griffin catches a touchdown pass while dressed as Cowabunga, the cow mascot for Clint's radio station, WTCR.
2004 or 2005: Griffin works at TCBY for the summer.
2005: Griffin works at (and is fired from) Tri-Data.
2007: The brothers (and Clint) get their Triforce tattoos.
2007: Justin joins Joystiq and the Joystiq Podcast begins.
2008: Griffin is hired (by Chris Grant) as Joystiq's weekend editor.
2009: Griffin graduates from Marshall University with a degree in journalism.
2009: Travis begins working at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

MBMBaM: Origins[]

2010[]

2010 was named ZOLO unofficially on December 27, 2010, and officially on December 30, 2015.

April 12: My Brother, My Brother and Me, an advice show for the modren era, debuts.
April 12: KFC also debuts the infamous Double Down chicken "sandwich" on the exact same date, presaging the existence of Munch Squad.
July 13: Episode 13 marks the debut of "Kiss your dad square on the lips" as the show's sign-off.
August 16: Episode 18 marks the debut of the disclaimer read by Bob Ball.
December 27: Candlenights is first ~~invented~~ discovered.

See also: Episodes released in 2010.

2011[]

2011 was named Two-Thousand-and-Heaven: Get Right with Christ retroactively on December 31, 2018.

January 17: Episode 38 marks MBMBaM's move to the Maximum Fun network, and the beginning of (It's a) Departure as the show's theme song, which it would remain for nearly another decade.
April 17: Five days after MBMBaM's one-year anniversary, they perform their first live show. It would air three days later as Episode 51.
September: Griffin and Rachel begin dating somewhere around this period.
November 15: Travis' podcast In Case of Emergency begins.
Unknown Dates:
- The Joystiq Podcast is canceled.

See also: Episodes released in 2011.

2012[]

2012 was named Twenty-Doz: Gettin' It on January 2, 2012.

February 24: The Besties begins.
April 9: Episode 99 is the first episode sponsored by Extreme Restraints.
April 16: The brothers celebrate one hundred episodes of MBMBaM, and Send in the Clowns is first sung on the podcast... by Travis.
August 13: Travis announces his engagement to Teresa McElroy on Episode 115.
October 24: Polygon is officially launched after a 10-month development period.
December 3: Griffin announces his engagement to Rachel McElroy on Episode 131.

See also: Episodes released in 2012.

2013[]

2013 was named Twenty-Dirt: Dig It Up, Get It Out on January 7, 2013.

April 1: Episode 146 features the first Guestspert, Dan Savage.
May 6: Episode 151 marks the first mention of the man who would become a Shaman and reach Level 9000, Drew Davenport.
May 20: The first Farm Wisdom occurs in Episode 153.
June 21: Sawbones begins.
October: Travis and Terasa marry.
December: Griffin and Rachel marry.

See also: Episodes released in 2013.

2014[]

2014 was named Twenty-Forward on December 30, 2013.

February 11: The first Polygon overview video is posted, covering Rust. (link)
March 10: Episode 191 marks the first appearance of Amelie.
May 15: Justin begins his long-running "FMV Quest" on Polygon.
August 4: Justin and Sydnee's first daughter Charlie is born.
August 18: The first episode of The Adventure Zone airs as a MBMBaM special.
November 24: Episode 227: Streaks on the China marks the final episode sponsored by Extreme Restraints.
December 3: The Adventure Zone begins airing as its own podcast.

Unknown Dates:
- Travis leaves the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

See also: Episodes released in 2014.

MBMBaM: Cycle 2.0[]

2015[]

2015 was named Twenty-Grift-Teen: The Con Is On on December 29, 2014.

January 12: Debut of the Midnight Amendments.
January 20: Haunted Doll Watch first appears in Episode 235.
May 4: The first Monster Factory airs.
May 11: The first Things I Bought At Sheetz airs.
May 11: Cycle 2.0 of MBMBaM is declared.
July 6: Episode 259: Birthday Surprise Hole, featuring no Yahoo!s or listener questions airs. Instead, the brothers discuss their personal lives and childhoods. It would go on to become an enduring fan favorite.
November 12: The Final Pam saga begin in Monster Factory.
November 26: Til Death Do Us Blart begins. It shall never end.

See also: Episodes released in 2015.

2016[]

2016 was named Twenty-Fix-Teen: Building Bridges on December 30, 2015.

January 7: Griffin's Amiibo Corner begins.
January 26: Shmanners begins.
January 26: Still Buffering begins.
February 17: Travis' podcast Trends Like These begins.
February 19: Travis' podcast Interrobang begins.
May 23: Episode 304 marks the debut of Munch Squad.
July 20: Griffin's Nuzlocke Run begins.
August 8: Polygon series Car Boys begins with Griffin and Nick Robinson.
October 25: Travis and Teresa's first daughter, Barbara Lee (better known as Bebe) is born.
November: Griffin and Rachel's first son Henry is born sometime in early November.
November 8: Polygon series Touch the Skyrim begins with Griffin and Nick Robinson.

See also: Episodes released in 2016.

2017[]

2017 was named Twenty-Serpentine: Keep 'Em Guessing (Zag on'Em) on January 3, 2017.

January 17: Travis' podcast Surprisingly Nice begins.
February 1: Griffin's Peacecraft series debuts.
February 23: The MBMBaM TV Series airs on Seeso.
March 1: Episode 353 marks the final (brief) appearance of Amelie.
May 11: Weekly Polygon streaming series Awful Squad begins, featuring Griffin, Justin, and sometimes Travis, as well as Besties co-stars Chris Plante and Russ Frushtick, Nick Robinson, and others.
May 23: The McElroy Brothers Will Be In Trolls World Tour begins.
June 20: The Still Buffering explosion.
August 2: Accusations of misconduct surface against Nick Robinson.
August 10: Nick Robinson fired from Polygon.
August 11: Clint signs off from his radio show for the final time.^[1] He retires to a life of making bestselling graphic novels and embarrassing his children.
August 17: The Adventure Zone: Balance concludes.
August 30: Rose Buddies ends.
September 6: Wonderful! begins.
October 3: Griffin's official Star Wars story "Stories in the Sand" is released.
Unknown Dates:
- Justin begins taking Taekwondo classes, in an attempt to Zag on 'Em for Twenty-Serpentine.
- Griffin is named a media luminary on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list, and never shuts up about it.

See also: Episodes released in 2017.

2018[]

2018 was named Collaborate-Teen: Stronger Together on January 2, 2018.

January 4: The Adventure Zone: Amnesty begins.
February 13: Justin and Sydnee's second daughter Cooper is born.
April 24: Justin and Griffin announce their departure from Polygon. Their final Awful Squad appearance occurred the same day. Their last day at Polygon was April 27th.^[2]
April 26: Justin and Griffin's final Polygon video is uploaded. (link)
June: Sydnee comes out as bisexual.
August 19: Travis' podcast Positiviteeny! begins.
August 20: The brothers skip Episode 420.
September 12: The Empty Bowl begins.

See also: Episodes released in 2018.

2019[]

2019 was named Frankenstein-Teen: Become the Monster on December 31, 2018.

September 23: The Adventure Zone: Amnesty concludes.
October 21: Episode 482 marks the debut of Minion Quotes.
October 31: The Adventure Zone: Graduation begins.

See also: Episodes released in 2019.

2020[]

2020 was first named Twenty-Funny: Fill Your Life with Laughter and Love on January 6, 2020. This name was rescinded and replaced with Twenty-Hunny: Down to Beesness on June 8, 2020.

January: Travis and Teresa's second daughter, Dorothy (better known as Dot) is born.
January 1: Still Buffering reboots and rebrands.
March 2: MBMBaM celebrates five hundred episodes the only way the brothers know how: by eating a bunch of spaghetti.
March 6: The McElroy Brothers Will Be In Trolls World Tour concludes with a win for the brothers and for stubborn, annoying persistence.
April 10: Trolls World Tour debuts on streaming, with the brothers starring as various minor characters.
April 13: MBMBaM celebrates its tenth anniversary.
September 21: The infamous Episode 528: The War With Grandpa Watch airs.
October 19: Count Donut joins the podcast in Episode 532.
December 10: Taste of Luxury debuts.

See also: Episodes released in 2020.

MBMBaM: Rebuild[]

2021[]

2021 was named Twenty-Big-Dog-Run: No Bones About It on January 4, 2021.

March: Griffin and Rachel's second son, Gus, is born.
March 29: Bad Vibes, the horror anthology podcast presented by Justin McElroy, begins airing and runs for 8 episodes.
April 5: Yahoo! announces that Yahoo! Answers will be shutting down over the course of the next month.
April 15: The Adventure Zone: Graduation concludes.
April 20: Yahoo! Answers enters read-only mode, and the brothers mourn it by finally recording an Episode 420.
April 23: The Mitchells vs. the Machines debuts, featuring extremely small parts from the brothers.
May 4: Yahoo! Answers is finally yeeted back into the void where it belongs.
May 6: The Adventure Zone: Ethersea begins.
May 17: Griffin begins making up Final Yahoo!s to cope.
June 7: Richard Stink joins the podcast in Episode 563.
June 29: The name Wizard of the Cloud is finalized in Episode 566.
December 8: Trial by Fieri begins.

See also: Episodes released in 2021.

2022[]

2022 was named Twenty-Rendezvous: Fancy Takes Flight on January 10, 2022.

March 25: Monster Factory returns after a hiatus of over a year.
April 18: Episode 606 marks the beginning of the Man vs. Bee saga, which would conclude shortly after the series' release in July.
May 4: The brothers first play Fornite on stream, in what would become Victory McElroyale.
August 15: The McElroy Family's Youtube channel begins posting video of the podcast, starting with Episode 623. Their TikTok account would soon follow suit.
September 6: Victory McElroyale returns as a mostly-weekly streaming event.
September 29: The Adventure Zone: Steeplechase begins.
October 26: A one-time-only Awful Squad reunion episode airs, featuring Justin, Griffin, and other past and present Polygon luminaries.

See also: Episodes released in 2022.

2023[]

2023 was named Twenty-Sun-and-Sea: Surf the Vibe on January 2, 2023.

January 30: Victory McElroyale shifts from playing mostly modern games to playing mostly classic NES and SNES games.
March 30: The second season of Trial by Fieri begins, with the first episode featuring all three brothers as a Max Fun Drive special.
June 5: After over two years of wondering how to end the show, the brothers debut the Sound Bath in Episode 663.
June 12: A series of episodes spent discussing Wonka begins here with Episode 664. It would be interrupted by the SAG-AFTRA strike, only to resume afterwards and continue through the end of 2023.
August 21: Plato's Rave, the longest bit and "weirdest episode" in the show's history, debuts and becomes an instant fan favorite.
November 30: The Adventure Zone marked a return to shorter arcs with the debut of Marvel crossover Outre Space.

See also: Episodes released in 2023.

2024[]

2024 was named Twenty Fungalore: He Heard Your Wish on January 1, 2024.

See also: Episodes released in 2024.

References[]

[clintradio-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Retrospective on Clint's radio career at his retirement

[2] The boys' sentimental announcement letters

[1]

[2]