Campagnolo Record becomes gee-whiz in USA in roughly 1965; 44 years ago; 20 or so years before this REI chap was born. So what was gee-whiz 20 years before I was born - 1936? That would be the first generation of derailleurs. Can Campagnolo lovers recite all the popular first generation derailleurs?

But I agree knowing history is important for anyone - you and I should know that a first generation super champion from 1936 had an *indexed* shifter. On the other hand, my son knows how to install, replace, and maintain three different types of hydraulic braking systems. I don't.