Aaah... the mists of time... before there was a BoTM, when the earth was still flat, the exuberance of having a new forum that began to unearth these seemingly 'lost' classics of our youth was more than enough. Then there was a deluge of historic metal (thanks to Ebay mostly) and I guess that deluge needed managing. Why it became a 'competition' (on a popularity model) is beyond me and a total anathema to my way of thinking, but I'm sure the reasoning, if any, was innocent enough. I think it became self-driven and mutated by unwitting participation of the voter - if you hadn't just 'discovered' or built something for showing that month then you would/could at least have a say on what history should look like represented. IMHO there was no need to have a 'popularist winner' each month, but as a vehicle to magnetise and inspire, of course the dynamic has proven to be strong for many people and we've undoubtedly been treated to hundreds amazing sights in a compact format. Maybe one day, some archivist will collate it all together and make a half-decent coffee table book...