On The Origin Of Species By Divine Will

November 25th, 2005

in 1783, rebel dead-enders in New York City are captured by British troops, effectively ending the American Revolution. Rebel General George Washington had been captured in Virginia a few months before, and with neither command nor the promised French support, the rebels had faded before massive British onslaughts.

in 1859, protests against On the Origin of Species by Divine Will by Father Charles Darwin began in the Holy British Empire. The treatise by the naturalist/priest countered the arguments being put forth by natural philosophers that species arose by a method being called evolution rather than by the design of God. Natural philosophers across the Empire appealed to the Pope to promote science in this instance, rather than faith.

in 1876, the massacre of a Cheyenne village in retaliation for Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn galvanizes native nations across the American west into resistance against the U.S. Chief Dull Knife of the Cheyenne, who had watched small children starve and freeze to death as a result of the attacks, was so embittered that he forged coalitions among every nation he could inspire to fight, and the Great Cheyenne Alliance became a feared enemy of America until its final defeat in 1924.

in 1903, Thomas Edison assigns inventor Clyde Coleman, to the team that designs the Jove, Edison’s wildly successful electric auto line. Coleman's designs for an electric car had both shocked and delighted Edison, who felt that his radical new ideas were exactly what was needed to put the electric car line at the top of the heap.

in 1940, the German Underground and the Greater Zionist Resistance clashed in the ancient Polish city of Krakow. The fierce fighting on both sides utterly demolished the city, destroying thousands of lives and irreplaceable artifacts of Poland’s history.

in 1952, one of the few failures in literary giant Agatha Christie's career opened in London. The Mousetrap was excoriated by critics who felt that the surprise ending was brilliant, but who seemed rather disappointed that the murderer didn't get away because of a cheap secondary twist. It closed after 3 performances.

in 1971, an intense police hunt in Washington begins for hijacker Dan “D.B.” Cooper, who took his $200,000 in ransom money and parachuted from the Northwest Airlines 727 he had taken over. They found him in short order – Cooper, an inexperienced jumper, had gotten hung in a tree and was unable to free himself. He was sentenced to life in prison at his trial, and has been denied parole twice.

in 1989, the day after Communists in the People’s Republic of Panama step down from power, Comrade President Ann Richards, though baited on the issue by Congress, does not send in troops to restore the People’s Party to power. Preserving the peace, she says, “They’ve made their choice and we must respect it. We will always stand ready to support our comrades, even when they choose not to fight.”

in 2002, Dr. Courtney sends a broadcast ahead to the other ships that they are carrying Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin, as well as a small group of aliens. Courtney and Thomas attempt to communicate with the aliens, but the languages the two scientists know do not seem to be among the ones the aliens know.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins again ignores her father's warnings and enters the spirit world. Here, the being that has identified itself as her grandfather approaches her again, and she tries to trick it into revealing who it really is. The being senses this, and uses its power to take control of her body, and enter the material world.

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!

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