I feel like such a noob.
I lurked for over a year before I took the time to fire up my 2400 baud modem and set up a FR account in October 1999.
You feel like a noob? At least you got around to setting up your Free Republic account during the 1990s. I didn't set mine up until February 2000.
I do contend that I made it in before the end of the 20th Century. The 21st Century did not officially begin until 2001.