So one day I realized that the shoutbox history didn't open for me anymore. At first I thought it was a compatibility problem. I just asked on the Shoutbox and, apparently the history is now staff-only. (I think one big reason I was confused is because I don't remember an announcement about it.)
So, I'm suggesting that the 'history' button be removed from beneath the SB for non-staff, just to avoid further confusion.