August 20th, 2005
in 1564, Protestant leader Jean Cauvin is executed by Pope Edward VI of the Holy British Empire. As the noose is slipped around his neck, Cauvin was asked by the hangman if he was afraid, to which Cauvin replied, “Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.”
in 1739, Mlosh colonists settled Alaska, merging with the Inuit people there. They also began a trade route in the North Pacific among the North Americans, Russians, Japanese and Chinese. In 1779, the Union of the North Pacific enjoyed a brief period as an independent nation before being subsumed again in 1821 by Russia, Japan, and the North American Confederation.
in the Dreaming, the people, stranded on the land, cry out to the enemies of Wandjina for aid. The enemies climb down their own ladder to the land below and gather up most of the people; some, who repent their actions, remain behind and sue for peace with Wandjina. Those who leave the land become a hunted race.
in 4572, the Star Sailor program manages to send a panda into space and return it alive. A monkey previously rocketed into space had been dead on splashdown. This cleared the way for the Chinese Space Program to finally do what it had been created for – fly a human being to the stars and return him safely to earth.
in 1882, Tchaikovsky’s 1862 Overture premiered in Moscow. Commemorating the unsuccessful Southern Rebellion against American President Walt Whitman, this incredibly percussive piece made musical history by the use of cannons as instruments. It was wildly successful, especially in the U.S., where it is still played at patriotic occasions.
in 1890, H. Philip Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Phil, as he was known to his friends, inherited a mysterious mansion from relatives while in his 20’s, and spent most of the rest of his short life there. He only surfaced to send manuscripts to the world of the strange goings-on at the mansion; in 1929, Phil and the mansion disappeared altogether.
in 1940, Leon Trotsky, Russian sympathizer of the Greater Zionist Resistance, is killed by stormtroopers as he attempts to assassinate Heinrich Himmler, security chief of the German Underground. Trotsky had been recruited by Astrid Pflaume herself, back in the 20’s, and had been successful on many other missions; his luck simply failed him this day.
in 1959, when more government soldiers arrive to see what happened to the others, Li Huang-Sen makes Po Zhizuan’s farm invisible to them. They leave, unable to explain the mystery of these deaths. Po is furious with Li and tells him he must leave the farm. His daughter, Huan Yue, says that she will be leaving with Li when he goes.
in 1968, in spite of intense pressure from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia’s First Secretary Alexander Dubcek continued to reform and liberalize life in the satellite state. Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, remembering the world’s condemnation of the Soviet invasion of Hungary the decade before, decided that diplomacy was the best way to bring this errant sheep back into the fold, and negotiated with the Czechs to slow down their movement towards democracy.
in 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez of Beverly Hills, California, were shot and killed by Michael Walters, a drifter who had come to the house for a handout. The Menendez’ sons, Lyle and Eric, wrestled the intruder to the ground, but tragically too late to save their parents. In the struggle, Walters’ gun went off and killed him, wounding Lyle at the same time. The brothers’ heroic story was made into a TV movie, starring real-life brothers Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen.
in 1996, using a few contacts he made in his youth, Dr. Melvin Courtney manages to track down an American military officer who works in the space program, Colonel Jim Carver. “Colonel Carver, I understand that you might be able to shed some light on my situation,” he says. “Indeed I can, Dr. Courtney,” the colonel says, much to Courtney’s surprise. “There’s a plane waiting for you at Heathrow. You’re coming to America.”
in 2004, the first Lalandian-style ship is fully staffed and sent to the outer reaches of the solar system to patrol. The next ship come off the line at Boeing, is tested, and then sent to join its companion. Boeing estimates that, with the assistance they’re receiving from around the world, they should have a sizable fleet out by the end of the year.
Still wishing...
As your humble alternate historian enters the downhill slope of the 40's, he still has his birthday wish - a contract with a publishing company like Workman Publishing to produce a page-a-day calendar of TIAH. If you are an editor for such a company, or can place us in touch with one, please fulfill this belated birthday wish!
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