No Man Born Of Woman...

August 15th, 2005

in 1057, Macbeth, King of the Scots, proves that you can’t use semantics against prophesy; he defeats Malcolm Canmore in battle, proving no man born of woman could defeat him, securing his throne for the next 20 years.

in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica. He rose from somewhat humble beginnings to unite Italy under him as Napoleon I. He conquered virtually all of continental Europe during his 13-year reign of the Italian Empire.

in the Dreaming, Wandjina is cast down from Heaven to one of the native lands he is guarding. The people’s roar of triumph over their old patron is heard throughout Heaven, and there is a quake of fear among all the natives as they prepare for the next attack from the people.

in 1892, with hundreds of thousands of tons of rock in tow, the Bandai vulcanologists returned to an earth that was being wracked by eruptions and quakes. With all speed, the Mlosh and human scientists began rebuilding the earth’s mantle with the rock they had carried from the asteroid belt. The world watched in tense anticipation.

in 1935, humorist Will Rogers wraps up filming on Okie Corral, a comedy he had been cast in just a couple of months before. He was disappointed at the film’s mediocre reception, because he had given up a trip to Alaska to star in it.

in 1944, Linda Ellerbee, first woman to anchor the CBS Nightly News, was born in Bryan, Texas. When Walter Cronkite decided to retire, he wanted to pick a successor from Texas, and both Dan Rather and Linda Ellerbee fit the bill. Cronkite took the bolder course, and CBS backed his decision. Ellerbee still anchors CBS’ news program, and is now the most trusted woman in America.

in 1947, India finally throws off British rule. Their joy at independence is marred, though, as fractions develop between the Hindu and Muslim alliance, and soon there is a religious civil war raging across the huge nation. The new Prime Minister, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a Muslim who had been placed at the head of the government in the hope that this would stave off religious division, was overthrown by Hindu nationalists and murdered in the streets of New Delhi.

in 1958, Buddy Holly and Maria Elena Santiago were married in Lubbock, Texas. The new Mr. and Mrs. Holly apparently had true love ways, because they were together until Buddy’s death in 2001, and had 4 children and 7 grandchildren.

in 1961, West German workers began construction of the Berlin Wall, shutting off the fascist west from the enlightened socialism of the east. The Soviet States of America immediately denounced the construction, calling for the West to “remain open to trade, to ideas, to the world outside their narrow ideology.”

in 1969, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair began in Bethel, New York. The festival had planned for thousands to show up and had 24 big-name rock acts lined up to perform, including The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival. When traffic problems caused thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands, to turn away, the planned 3 days of the festival became 2, and it closed to a nearly empty field.

in 1996, Dr. Melvin Courtney makes several photocopies of all of his notes and creates two backup copies of the hard drive on his computer. He places a stack of photocopies and a hard drive backup in a safe deposit box and leaves another with an old friend he hasn’t seen in years. He now feels ready for the interview the next morning.

in 2000, Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter accompany their host, Li Huang-Sen, to the farm land outside of Shanghai, and the home of the old man who came to collect the debt from Li. The old man shows them into a hidden basement, where a young girl is staying. “My granddaughter is no longer able to stay here,” he tells them. “Please help her escape the country.” The Baron and his wife agree to smuggle her to America.

in 2004, a probe is launched into the Oort cloud to scan for the Elder power signature that the Lalandians have managed to transmit to earth. This will be their early warning signal in case the aliens find earth in spite of their preparations. Discussion begins in the space agencies of each major power about building a generation ship, as the Lalandians did, to escape from the clutches of the Elders. Their plan is to build the ships well before the Elders arrive, so that there is actually time to escape.


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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