November 4th, 2005
in 1856, Walt Whitman, 37-year old journalist from New York, is elected to the presidency at the head of the Communist Party ticket. Whitman brings the Marxist-Thoreauvian political theory of the 1840’s to life, and leads America to a brave new world of social justice. While there are some bumps along the way, Comrade Whitman is still remembered as one of the finest presidents to serve the country.
in 1884, the British Parliament allows colonial natives, not just transplanted Englishmen, to represent their nations for the first time. The sight of Indians, Native Americans, Africans and Asians seated in the House of Commons unifies the British Empire as nothing before it ever has, and gives it a vitality that propels it into the next century as the leader of world opinion simply because they represented the world.
in 1890, Ezekial Morrison, one of rebel Mormon's Charles Brigman's more unsavory followers, lets a young girl escape from the farmhouse he has barricaded himself into to tell Colonel Beauregard T. Jackson that he has a cache of explosives and almost 20 children that he will blow up if Colonel Jackson doesn't call off his hunt for Brigman. Colonel Jackson and a hundred troops immediately surround the farmhouse.
in 1922, Howard Carter discovers the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt. When Carter brings King “Tut’s” mummy out, he brings to life an ancient curse along with it. Within a year, every member of Carter’s expedition is dead, and the mummy of Tutankhamen has vanished. Bedouins in the desert often tell tales of seeing the ancient Pharoah returning to his dusty grave.
in 1952, in an astonishingly tough campaign, Governor Adlai Stevenson of New York defeats General Dwight Eisenhower for the presidency. Governor Stevenson’s slogan, “Let’s talk sense to the American people” outshone the unimaginative “I like Ike” of the opposition, and his articulate vision for the future gave people far more confidence in his ability to lead the nation.
in 1956, Hungary erupts into war as Soviet tanks roll in prepared to put down the unrest in the erstwhile satellite nation. The Hungarian military defects almost to a man to the anti-Soviet side, and they battle successfully against Soviet forces until Budapest is destroyed by a nuclear missile.
in 1979, students stormed the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking control of the installation along with around 60 hostages. They had become enraged by the presence of the deposed Shah in America, and demanded his extradition back to their country. Fortunately, when revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini took control of the province a few days later, American President Carter negotiated the release of the hostages with him, averting a crisis between the two countries.
in 1980, after defeating incumbent President Ronald Reagan for the Republican presidential nomination, Representative John Anderson of Illinois takes on Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts in the general election and emerges triumphant. Anderson’s liberal Republicanism is almost a 180 degree turn from Reagan’s conservative activism, and it inspires many young people who had been turned off by the old-line conservatives to take a new look at the Republican Party. Anderson easily won reelection in 1984, and his ideals continued to shape the party for decades after.
in 1995, an Israeli nationalist shoots Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv. Fortunately, he is jostled during the assassination attempt and only grazes Rabin's leg before security forces wrestle him to the ground. Prime Minister Rabin uses the incident to press for more concessions to the Palestinians and moves the peace process forward with a renewed sense of purpose. He is able to celebrate the creation of a friendly Palestinian state alongside Israel in 1999, on schedule.
in 2002, beating a hasty retreat back to earth, Professor Thomas, Dr. Courtney and their contingent of Air Force pilots encounter a strange ship that paces them for several hours. Professor Thomas scans it, but gets no life signs. Dr. Courtney is of a mind to leave it, but Professor Thomas thinks they should investigate. They moor one of their ships to it and one of the Air Force pilots enters it.
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
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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