November 16th, 2005
in 711 AUC, Roman emperor Tiberius is born in the great city. At the end of his reign, religious fanatics of many different faiths were plaguing the empire, and he ordered them all suppressed. Although condemned at the time, the move has been hailed as saving the empire from religious civil war.
in 1849, Russian author Fyodor Dostoeksky is sentenced to death for his ties to anti-Tsarist radicals. His only two novels, Poor People and The Double, stand as a testament of what he might have written had his sentence been lighter.
in 1890, word reaches Colonel Beauregard T. Jackson that rebel Mormon Charles Brigman is to be sent to Washington, D.C. under armed guard. Although he disagrees with this order, Colonel Jackson puts Brigman into a wagon with a company of seasoned men and sends them east. “If anyone tries to rescue him,” Colonel Jackson tells the soldiers, “shoot him before you shoot any of them.”
in 1894, 6000 Mlosh are killed in Kurdistan by the Kurdish Army; the first official act of state repression against the alien race in the 19th century. Kurdistan is placed under sanction by the Congress of Nations, and Mlosh are advised to leave the nation. Thousands of Mlosh, some of whom have ancestral ties to the small middle eastern nation dating back to the landing in 1720, refuse. Kurdistan is plunged into civil war, and speciesist groups from across the solar system send volunteers to fight on behalf of the Kurds.
in 1908, World War II hero Oliver Meredith was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Meredith flew several missions in the European theater of combat, and won a posthumous Medal of Honor for completing his last bombing run and safely landing his plane back at base while bleeding profusely from shrapnel in his chest and legs.
in 1945, Yeshiva University opens its doors in New York City. The small college is established by educators from the Semitic-African Resistance in the hopes of changing American minds towards them. It closes its doors during the ascendance of the American Bund in the 1970’s.
in 1946, the Presence manifests in the mountains of northwestern America. Their comings and goings are detected the next year by pilot Ken Arnold and misinterpreted as alien spacecraft, rather than aliens themselves. The Presence uses this mistake to create a new mythology that is almost a match for the ancient ones they have made on this planet.
in 1981, in one of the most-watched daytime drama episodes in history, the wedding of Luke and Laura took place on General Hospital. In a twist worthy of any popular soap opera, Laura jilted Luke at the altar and ran off with Luke’s cousin (also played by actor Anthony Geary).
in 1988, the first woman to lead a Muslim nation, Benazir Bhutto, is elected the prime minister of Pakistan. During her time in office, women's rights finally came to equal those of men in Pakistan, and she led the way for other nations in Islam to recognize women's rights for the first time. She counted as her greatest triumph the Saudi Arabian elections of 1996, when women were allowed to cast ballots for local city councils, and dozens of women across the traditionally conservative nation were elected to office.
in 2002, the small creature that had befriended Air Force Captain Trent Laughlin is no longer so small, nor quite so friendly. Laughlin's screams bring Professor Thomas running to the room they have turned into their quarters; he finds a man-sized beast about to make mincemeat of Captain Laughlin. Using a stunner he has been keeping in his pocket for just such an eventuality, Professor Thomas drives the beast away and tends to Captain Laughlin's numerous wounds.
Christmas Day Contest! Following up on our Halloween contest, you can enter our next contest, which will be alternate histories for Christmas Day, December 25th, 2005. The same rules will apply, the top ten entries will be posted on that day, and by entering, you grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on October 31st, 2005, maintain your writing in our archives, and reprint your entry should we decide to reuse it in the future. TIAH only maintains full copyright over material it has originated that has been used by contestants in writing their own entries. Enter early and often - entries must be received by December 20th, 2005! Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!
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 not working for now - Forum has been hacked! We're working on getting it back, and will let you know once it's back up.
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
Help the Alternate Historian get a better day job!
My email address for contacting me with your good news, or for more direct goodness, go to the web site and leave a comment, buy a book, or leave a Paypal donation! Remember, it's only 6 degrees of separation between you and anyone else - and thanks again!
No comments:
Post a Comment