Journey Of Faith; You'll Never Be Rich

September 20th, 2005

in 1204 AUC, Roman General Aetius routes the Huns at the river Marne in Gaul. Their leader, Attila, managed to escape and soon raised another army to bring against the Empire. Barbarians outside the Empire rallied to him as the only alternative to the Romans, and he soon built a kingdom that rivaled Rome itself.

in 1, Muhammed began his hijra from the pagan believers of Mecca. His journey of faith began the religion that now all the earth now embraces as the one true faith; Allah be praised.

in 1565, the French Huegenot settlement of Fort Caroline in the Floridas was attacked by Spanish commander Pedro Menendez de Avilas. He considered the French Protestants as little more than animals, and intended to slaughter them all. The Huegenots managed to beat back his soldiers with heavy losses. Their valor on this day bought them new respect in the French court; King Charles even gave them funds to rebuild their fort.

in 1946, overly optimistic film promoters in the south of France attempt to revive a film festival they had originally planned to start in 1939. The Cannes Film Festival, while it drew a few bedraggled French and Itallian celebrities, never gained any prominence and was shut down after two years.

in 1955, the show You’ll Never Be Rich began its long run on CBS. Starring The King of Chutzpah, Philip Silversmith, the show ran until 1960 and still makes millions laugh in reruns today.

in 1963, President John Kennedy of the U.S. proposes to his Soviet counterpart that the great super-powers combine their resources and launch a joint effort to land men on the moon and build a permanent presence their for humanity. “Why,” he asked Soviet Premier Kruschev, “should man’s first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition?” The Soviets agreed, leading eventually to the International Lunar Settlement, which now boasts 413 year-round residents.

in 1972, Paul McCartney, former bandmate of superstar Pete Best, was arrested for growing marijuana on his small farm in rural Wales. He is able to get off with a light sentence, but the experience focuses McCartney, and he begins working on music of a more classical vein.

in 4697, after 2 days of scanning, Captain Wu and the rest of the Star Fleet are unable to find any trace of the Y’T’T’li. The entire system remains on high alert, but Wu and his ships return to earth to inform the Fleet’s commanders.

in 2002, when the two visitors at Andrews Air Force base slip out of their quarters for another late-night trip around the classified areas of the base, they are shot at by a pair of MPs. The bullets seem to go right through them, and the MPs fall into a deep sleep afterwards.

in 2004, an Elder asks to speak with Captain Marcus of the ELS-1. Captain Marcus agrees to a video-conference, and the two of them sit down to discuss matters. “We cannot allow you to challenge us,” the Elder tells Marcus. “It would disrupt our existence.” Captain Marcus replies, “I can disrupt your existence pretty handily with our weapon; this is non-negotiable. Leave my planet.” The Elders agree to a temporary withdrawal from earth, and the ELS ships monitor them closely.


TIAH HALLOWEEN CONTEST

In order to provide for the upkeep of our new historian, Today In Alternate History is sponsoring its first contest - make a donation at our Paypal link, then email us up to 3 alternate history entries for October 31st, 2005. The best 10 entries will make up the entire content of the post on October 31st, Halloween day. Boring contest information is available on our Forum link below. Enter early and often!

Also, we still have our standard offer - everybody who donates $10 or more through our Paypal link will become alternate history entries on the site. When you donate, I will email you asking your preference for a day & timeline; if you don't reply to me, I'll place you in a day that seems to fit your name :) Thanks for your continued support!

Forum Link - Boring legal info on the TIAH Halloween Contest!
Fresh New Poll - Shall we use future dates in our entries?

Warp and Protocols still available; also, see the script I submitted for Bravo's Situation: Comedy. Speaking of which, the winning writers have been announced; not the ones I voted for, but you can see the one I did at http://www.marktreitel.com

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!