November 17th, 2005
in 1558, the Papal reign of Elizabeth I begins after the death of the heretical Pope Mary of the Holy British Empire. Mary had been lenient in her dealings with Protestants, and they had gathered strength under her. When Elizabeth put on the shoes of the fisherman, this lenience ended, which prompted several Protestant attempts on her life.
in 1286, the Egyptian Caliph opens a great canal that connects the ancient Mediterrannean with the Red Sea. This eliminates the need to travel completely around the African continent or go over land to reach Europe from eastern lands, and makes Egypt the greatest trading power in Islam.
in 1875, the North American Theosophical Society was founded in New York City, the capitol of the North American Confederation. Helena Blavatsky, a mystic from Russia, claimed to have psychic knowledge of the Mlosh homeworld, delivered to her by extra-dimensional beings on alternate planes of existence. Although the scientific community pronounced the woman a charlatan, many people, Mlosh and human, flocked to hear her speak; she did put on a good show, after all.
in 1887, Bernard Law Montgomery, known affectionately as Monty to his troops, was born in London, England. Although Monty clashed with other generals, it is widely recognized that he saved the Allies by assuming the position of Supreme Commander in 1944 prior to the invasion of France. With his steady hand at the helm, World War II ended victoriously for the Allies in 1946.
in 1890, rebel Mormon Charles Brigman's last few followers, seeing a wagon guarded by many soldiers leaving Salt Lake City, attack and manage to capture the wagon. When they get it back to their camp, they discover it is a decoy, with a stuffed suit instead of Brigman – by this time, Brigman is miles away in another covered wagon, on his way to justice.
in 1901, Israel Strassberg was born in Budzanov, in what later became Ukraine. As many young men of his era did, he went to the fledgling Soviet Union during the revolution and stayed to help build the worker’s paradise. He was appointed the head of the Actor’s Studio in 1950, and his “Method” acting techniques influenced generations of Soviet actors.
in 1967, Davey Jones of The Monkees, a made-for-TV band that appeared on NBC Monday nights, opened a boutique in Greenwich Village called Zilch I. His fashion designs are so extraordinary that he is soon catapulted from mediocre teen idol to full-fledged fashion mogul, becoming America’s leading designer in the 1970’s.
in 1969, the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks begin between the administration of Comrade President Gus Hall and the reactionary monarchies of Europe. Although the capitalist nations fear Soviet America, they also fear giving up their only defense against her, and the talks soon break down. Comrade Hall, who had staked much of his international standing on his peace initiatives, is crushed by this failure, and attempts a SALT II, but an arms treaty was not in his destiny.
in 1972, a scandal erupted in London society when Bakelight heir Antony Baekeland was institutionalized for schizophrenia. Although Brooks Baekeland, the young man’s father, felt that psychiatry was “professionally amoral”, he felt obliged to commit the young man when Antony attacked and injured his mother with a kitchen knife.
in 2002, Professor Thomas sends a desperate message back to Dr. Courtney – something is on the robot ship with them, and it nearly killed Captain Laughlin. Professor Thomas then notices that the ship is changing course slightly; now, it is heading for a system just outside of the galactic center. He notices a small trail of slime around the controls and thinks that the creature made that adjustment. He signals this information back to Dr. Courtney.
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!
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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
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