Comrade Tilghman Murdered; President Truman Assassinated

November 1st, 2004

in 1210, Pope Richard of the Holy British Empire begins what will become official Papal policy until the 20th century; Jews were considered foreign entities within the borders of the Empire, leading to some of the most hideous acts of persecution since the Romans fed Christians to the lions.

in 1604 & 1611, two of Francis Bacon’s great plays make their premieres. Othello, the controversial story of a black man married to a white woman, nearly destroys Bacon’s playwriting career; when The Tempest premieres in 1611, it just revives the old rumors of Bacon’s flirtation with witchcraft, but he escapes prosecution this time.

in 1902, the Mlosh drive off the multi-dimensional creature that had attacked them in the Sahara. After a few days of recuperation, they return to their normal lives throughout the solar system, and speak of the incident in only the most oblique of terms. This has proved maddening for historians of the era.

in 1924, in one of the most senseless murders of the Prohibition period, Comrade William Tilghman is murdered in Cromwell, Oklahoma, where he served as a local sheriff. Comrade Tilghman was in the vanguard of bringing socialism to the Wild West, and had a reputation as an honest and incorruptible lawman. He was brought down by his own sense of integrity when he refused to allow rumrunners free passage through Cromwell in exchange for a hefty payoff, and they shot him.

in 1932, Werner Von Braun is recruited by the German Underground to head the engineering team deciphering the blueprints from the future that the G.U.’s time-traveling neo-Nazi benefactors have given them. Although the blueprints are much more advanced than anything he’s ever seen, the scientist’s dark genius grasps their purpose, and is able to produce weapons of awesome destructive power with the help of the neo-Nazis.

in 1950, President Truman is assassinated by Puerto Rican nationalists at the Blair House. Truman had been staying at the less-secure Blair House because of remodeling at the White House, and the Puerto Ricans had gotten his schedule from a sympathizer on the staff there. Vice-President Alben Barkley assumed the office of President, and ordered the F.B.I. to begin a series of raids to eradicate the nationalists in Puerto Rico. The island possession of the U.S. was a hotspot of political turmoil until it finally gained its independence in 1981.

in 1969, international superstar Pete Best’s album Paradise Street hits #1 on the U.S. charts. Widely considered his 2nd or 3rd greatest work, the eclectic music on the album combined tunes from his Indian heritage along with modern rock and roll and percussive instruments from around the world.

in 1955, Pascal-Edison releases the Family Portrait operating system for home users of their difference engines. The scaled-down O.S. has less capabilities than the business version, and a much cheaper price tag. Pascal-Edison sells completely out of its initial stock and continues selling the product well through the end of the decade.