Either one of two things. I remember a period of a couple days where the new sign-ups had a glitch with registering, (It was a 'John, this is funky' type thing) that might be the day where everyone was 'activated'. Or, heavy troll activity (doubt it, trolls aren't that coordinated). Hard to say, but if my memory is correct, I'd say the first.
I did notice on the "signups" page that, though there are bumps and "valleys", FR continues to attract more and more people--"slow" signup days are busier than the "busy" days even just from a year ago. Amazing!
I'll take this time to say you guys do an amazing job. Keep up the excellent work, and have a good New Year!
CHEERS TO FR, JIM ROBINSON, AND HIS BAND OF MERRY MODERATORS!