Red Hat Linux release names and possible explanations

Here is what I have gathered about Red Hat's Linux distribution naming scheme and various other release infos. Note that this page may not be 100% accurate... it may even be a lot less since the Red Hat's developers (yeah Erik, especially you! ;-)) seem to be wanting to keep their secret...
I hope you will find interesting infos though, and if you know anything that could complete this page, please tell me.

The "official" (non beta) releases are the ones that aren't grayed out. Those are the versions of Red Hat Linux you have probably seen the most.

Turn off the name explanations
(much easier to see just the release infos)

Version	Name	Release date
6	Zod	Oct 24 2006
6 test 3	FC6 Test 3	Aug 24 2006
6 test 2	FC6 Test 2	Aug 07 2006
6 test 1	FC6 Test 1	Jun 21 2006
Both Sasha Bordeaux and General Zod are both DC Comics characters.
5	Bordeaux	Mar 20 2006
5 test 3	FC5 Test 3	Feb 20 2006
5 test 2	FC5 Test 2	Jan 16 2006
5 test 1	FC5 Test 1	Nov 23 2005
n/a
4	Stentz	Jun 13 2005
4 test 3	FC4 Test 3	May 10 2005
4 test 2	FC4 Test 2	Apr 11 2005
4 test 1	FC4 Test 1	Mar 15 2005
n/a
3	Heidelberg	Nov 08 2004
3 test 3	FC3 Test 3	Oct 11 2004
3 test 2	FC3 Test 2	Sep 20 2004
3 test 1	FC3 Test 1	Jul 13 2004
n/a
2	Tettnang	May 18 2004
2 test 3	FC2 Test 3	Apr 28 2004
2 test 2	FC2 Test 2	Mar 29 2004
2 test 1	FC2 Test 1	Feb 12 2004
n/a
1	Yarrow	Nov 5 2003
9.0.95	Severn	Oct 13 2003
9.0.94	Severn	Sep 24 2003
9.0.93	Severn	Jul 21 2003
n/a
9	Shrike	Mar 31 2003
n/a
8.0.94	Phoebe	Feb 19 2003
8.0.93	Phoebe	Jan 20 2003
8.0.92	Phoebe	Dec 23 2002
n/a
8.0	Psyche	Sep 30 2002
n/a
7.3.94	(null)	Aug 19 2002
n/a
7.3.93	Limbo	Jul 29 2002
7.3.92	Limbo	Jul 04 2002
n/a
7.3	Valhalla	May 06 2002
n/a
7.2.92	Skipjack	Mar ?? 2002
7.2.91	Skipjack	Mar 22 2002
Skipjack and Enigma are both encryption algorithms.
7.2	Enigma	Oct 22 2001
Enigma is the name of an UFO museum in Roswell, New Mexico (UFO Enigma Museum).
7.1.94	Roswell	Aug 21 2001
7.1.93	Roswell	Aug 02 2001
July 2nd 1947, an object crashed near Roswell, New Mexico; the Air Force later insisted it was a weather balloon, but eyewitness accounts gave rise to speculation it might have been an alien spacecraft. July 2nd 1957, the first submarine that is powered by liquid metal cooled reactor is completed: The Seawolf.
7.1	Seawolf	Apr 16 2001
In 1905, the american warship "U.S.S. Michigan" was renamed to "U.S.S. Wolverine", and many american submarines have been named "U.S.S. Seawolf" ("SS 28" in 1911, "SS 197" in 1938 and "SSN 575" in 1955).
7.0.91	Wolverine	Feb 02 2001
The "Fisher" and the "Wolverine" are both animals that belong to the weazel family (like the badger and... the skunk!). (details here)
7.0.90	Fisher	Jan 31 2001
Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Sir Alec Guinness (Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi) were both actors in Star Wars movies. (Star Wars cast)
(Fisher and Guinness are also both beer brands, but since the previous link was done like that, it was probably not meant to be the main linking here)
7.0	Guinness	Sep 25 2000
The "Pinstripe Porter" is a beer from the "Carnegie Hill Brewing Company" and "Guinness" a typical one from Ireland (I love it, it's a meal by itself ;-))
6.9.5	Pinstripe	Jul 31 2000
"Zoot" is the name of suits from the 30's, and some of them had a "Pinstripe"! (see here for "zoottux", no kidding!)
6.2	Zoot	Mar 27 2000
That was an easy one for a Monty Python freak like me! Zoot (played by Carol Cleveland) and Piglet (Avril Stewart) are two characters from the castle of Anthrax in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". (see the cast and script)
6.1.92	Piglet	Feb 09 2000
"Piglet" is the pig character from "Winnie the Pooh" and "Eric Cartman" the "pig" ;-) character from "South Park", two TV shows.
6.1	Cartman	Oct 04 1999
"W97M_CARTMAN" and WM/Lorax.A (very old) are both Microsoft Word macro viruses.
6.0.50	Lorax	Sep 06 1999
"Hedwig" and "The Lorax" are both characters by Dr. Seuss.
6.0	Hedwig	Apr 19 1999
"Starbuck" is a character from the Broadway play "110 In The Shade", and so is "Hedwig" in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch".
5.9	Starbuck	Mar 17 1999
Captain "Apollo" and lieutenant "Starbuck" were the two main characters from the TV series Battlestar Galactica.
5.2	Apollo	Oct 12 1998
The "Apollo theatre" is located in Manhattan, New York.
Both The Manhattan Project" and "Project Apollo" have existed.
5.1	Manhattan	Jun 01 1998
"Hurricane" and "Manhattan" are both cocktails.
5.0	Hurricane	Dec 01 1997
The "P-51 Mustang" (american) and the "Hawker Hurricane" (british) are two WW2 fighter planes.
4.9.1	Mustang	Oct 16 1997
4.9	Mustang	Oct 07 1997
"Mustang" and "Thunderbird" are both Ford snazzy cars, but very rare here in europe! (cute pictures here and here)
4.8.1	Thunderbird	Sep 16 1997
4.8	Thunderbird	Aug 27 1997
"Biltmore" and "Thunderbird" are both golf courses in Phoenix, Arizona.
4.2	Biltmore	May 19 1997
The "Biltmore" house is a french renaissance style chateau built in the late 1890s by George Washington Vanderbilt (we probably got close to a "Whistler release instead at that point! :-))
4.1	Vanderbilt	Feb 03 1997
"Colgate" and "Vanderbilt" were both rich American industrialist families and have universities named after them.
4.0	Colgate	Oct 03 1996
"Rembrandt" and "Colgate" both manufacture dental care products (yeah, toothpaste!).
3.0.4	Rembrandt II	Aug 09 1996
3.0.4	Rembrandt	Jul 30 1996
"Pablo Picasso" and "Rembrandt" are two famous painters.
3.0.3	Picasso	Mar 15 1996
?

Thanks to Google and to all the folks of the various Red Hat mailing-lists.
Last updated : (see at the very bottom of the page)
Stephen John Smoogen, a former Red Hat, Inc. employee, has also got a similar page.