Today In Alternate History [Archived]: December 2005

Saturday, December 31, 2005

The Cult Of Torvald

December 31st, 2005

in 47,392 BCE/the Dreaming, as Telka the Speaker lay dreaming, a spider crawled down upon a massive web from heaven and stared at her. “Sleep well, Speaker,” he told her. “Your children will find me soon enough.” He then crawled back up, but his web remained behind. The Speaker thought that she woke then, and followed the spider up his long web. From the spider’s nest in heaven, she looked down upon the world, and the spider told her, “Remember it well. You shall not see it again.” The Speaker woke in truth, then, and almost fell into tears from her earthbound condition.

in 1000 Post-Creation, the birth of the angel Emmanuel to the human woman Eve forces Gabriel's hand, and he and a third of Heaven's angelic host descend to Eden to defend it from the wrath of the Creator. Lucifer is given the task of bringing these angels back into the fold and destroying Emmanuel; he is torn in his loyalties.

in 1775, American rebels Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery break down the resistance in Quebec; at the end, the citizens of Quebec had turned on the British soldiers in the city. Arnold and Montgomery were soon training Canadian forces to fight the British, and when the American rebellion collapsed, were welcomed to Canada as heroes.

in 1922, a full-scale assault on the black township of Rosewood, Florida is averted when the white woman who had claimed a black man had raped her confessed that she had been covering for a white lover who had managed to flee the area. Rosewood's successful black population was still concerned about the willingness of the white community around them to attack their own town, and its population began moving away over the next few years, until Rosewood eventually disappeared in the 1930's.

in 1943, Air Force Captain Henry Deutschendorf, Jr. is born in Roswell, New Mexico. Captain Deutschendorf is famous as the man who broke the Air Force's silence about the alien activity in Roswell, shortly before his own disappearance in 1981.

in 1968/4664/12-17-15-6-18/2721 AUC, Dr. Richard Tolman led a group of his followers, who had been trained in his techniques of piercing through parallel dimensions, towards the great rip in the time/space continuum at the equator. He also brought with him scientists of the various dimensions who had been given a crash course in his teachings. Together, they sought to mend the damage that had been done to the wall between the worlds.

in 1978, Comrade President John Anderson of the Soviet States of America formally dissolved all S.S.A. ties with the few communists still fighting the capitalist government of Brazil. Although heavily criticized for abandoning comrades the S.S.A. had supported since the 50's, he felt it was his duty to bring America into the modern era and create solid ties with the western hemisphere's largest capitalist power.

in 1999, the world braces for the end of all computerized activity as society has failed to address the issues brought forward by programmer Linus Torvald and others. At midnight, planes fall from the sky, cars with computerized chips malfunction, and nuclear missiles fire across the world, destroying most of humanity. Linus Torvald, who had led a few followers into the Australian outback, forges a new path for the survivors from the remains of the world that wouldn't listen to him.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins and Alma May Watson celebrate the New Year as Elsbeth Danwich performs her own spell to disable the Great Tree. As the walls between the years fade, Perkins and Watson feel the Tree dying around them, and put forth their own power to save it.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

Yet another AHN - today's post has a link to the actual events that occurred that inspired the entry. Many of you have been asking for this sort of thing, and we'd like some comments about it.

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!

The Forum lives again! My esteemed Co-Historian has brought the forum back to life, and in spite of the issues we've had with the forum in the past, we think that this time, it'll stay 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

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Friday, December 30, 2005

Eve, Mother Of Angels; Capitalism Is On The March

December 30th, 2005

in 47,392 BCE, a few hundred feet up the side of the Himalayas, Telka the Speaker slips into a crack and twists her ankle. She is trapped for hours before her great-granddaughter Swikolay is able to free her. Unable to continue on, she tells Swikolay, “The mountain has beaten me, for now. But, we will be back.”

in 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel confesses to Lucifer that he has impregnated the human woman, Eve, in order to bring about change in the world that the Creator has made. He begs Lucifer to defend this action before the Creator, and Lucifer says, “I will consider it. But, I repented of my rebellion, and so, too, must you.” When Gabriel refuses to repent, Lucifer is left with a dilemma.

in 1803, another American ex-patriat died on Canadian soil. Francis Lewis, who had the distinction of being the only man to have signed both the American Declaration of Independence and the Canadian Set of Principles, succumbed to his advanced age and left the world. Although the British and American colonials labeled him a traitor, he was given a hero's funeral in Canada, where he had helped craft their first free government.

in 1839, in a cross-Atlantic joining of horror writers, Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe were married in Baltimore, Maryland. Mrs Shelley, widowed a decade before by the death of her husband Percy, had found a kindred spirit in Poe in America, after he wrote a congratulatory letter to her on the publication of her novel The Modern Prometheus.

in 1884, Hideki Tojo, the great Japanese fighter against the New Reich, was born in Tokyo. The general marshaled Japan in its darkest hour against the onslaught of the Reich in the 1940’s, and managed to keep the island free until 1957, when he was killed in the nuclear blast that destroyed Tokyo.

in 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the rationalist philosopher responsible for Tsar Nicholas II’s embrace of science, is attacked by nobles in the Tsar’s court as he dines. Although they manage to wound him with knives and a gunshot, he is able to escape them and get to a hospital, where he makes a full recovery.

in 1950, Secretary of State Comrade Jacob Hatcher calls for a renewed American effort against the reactionaries of the world. “Capitalism is on the march,” he declared in a statement to Congress, “our way of life is menaced.” In calling for the curtailing of certain rights, he said, “No sacrifices are too great when the future of this nation is at stake.”

in 1968/4664/12-17-15-6-18/2721 AUC, a rip in the time/space continuum opens a few hundred miles north of the equator. People and things from several different timelines mingle together, not all peacefully. Dr. Richard Tolman, who has been warning the leaders of these timelines for several days, contacts them to coordinate the efforts to control the damage this rip is causing.

in 1994, the horrific murder of 7 employees at an abortion clinic in Massachusetts bring to light the dark underside of the anti-abortion movement. The so-called pro-life killer, John Salvi, was almost apprehended as he killed 2 more people in a Virginian clinic, but escaped and hid away among fellow zealous anti-abortionists. The blatant disregard for life shown by his vocal defenders soured much of America on the anti-abortion movement, and cost them a lot of political support.

in 1999, computer programmer Linus Torvald posts on his web site that a majority of computers in the world are going to crash due to the Y2K bug, a defect in their manufacture that doesn’t allow them to roll their dates over to the year 2000. He is dismissed as a crank by most of the leading manufacturers of computer software and hardware in the world.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins is visited by Elsbeth Danwich again. Danwich seeks peace between them, something Miss Perkins will not agree to. Danwich leaves, surreptitiously taking a small handful of leaves from the Great Tree. Miss Perkins and Alma May Watson continue with their preparations for the New Year.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

Yet another AHN - today's post has a link to the actual events that occurred that inspired the entry. Many of you have been asking for this sort of thing, and we'd like some comments about it.

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!

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Note On International Visit TIAH Day

Alternate Historian's Note: It has been pointed out that by having IVTIAHD (International Visit TIAH Day) on New Year's Day, we would only find out how many of our readers weren't hung over from the previous night's festivities. Therefore, we will be moving IVTIAHD to January 3rd, and turning the feed back on January 4th. Put us on your calendars now...

A Visit In Heaven

December 29th, 2005

in 47,392 BCE, Telka the Speaker and her great-granddaughter Swikolay reach the foothills of the Himalayas and begin their ascent. Full of optimism, the Speaker says, “The sky will be ours. All your children will look down from heaven.”

in 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel visits Lucifer in Heaven.

in 1170, Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury and rival for Pope Henry II of the Holy British Empire, is murdered by four priests as he knelt in prayer. Beckett and the pope had been friends for decades, but as Henry veered towards liberalization of the Holy Mother Church, Beckett began to oppose him, and he swayed many bishops and cardinals to his side. After his death, Pope Henry ruled with unquestioned authority.

in 1769, a French patisserie began offering its bread sliced to its patrons. It was the greatest thing ever.

in 1813, the North American Confederation city of Buffalo was burned to the ground when a plant manufacturing an experimental propellant exploded. The horrific flames resisted all attempts to put them out until the local governor was able to order in enough demolitions to level the town. The N.A.C. adopted the world’s most stringent regulations on the handling of propellants after this disaster.

in 1845, rather than see their former possession join the United States, Mexico invades Texas with an overwhelming large force, capturing most of the Republic's leadership just as they were completing the transformation of Texas into a state. Since several U.S. officials were caught in this attack, the U.S. declared war against Mexico. The two mighty nations were evenly matched, and the war dragged on for years as they each sought to enlist aid; America from Europe, Mexico from Latin America, and both from the native populations of the west. The war ended in stalemate in 1856, with tens of thousands dead and Texas turned into a wasteland.

in 4607, Emperor Chengzu named Sun Yat-Sen his Prime Minister. Sun pursued a policy of expansion in space and consolidation on earth. It was under Sun Yat-Sen’s direction that the Star Sailor corps began accepting non-Chinese subjects of the empire.

in 1940, German bombers raided London in the worst bombing of the war to that point. After a particularly powerful cluster of explosions, the sky filled with the planes of dozens of nations, as well as air ships that were unrecognizable. The huge dogfight that resulted ended when one of the planes dropped a weapon that blew up the entire city of London; all that was left was a multi-colored cloud that pulsed as if a heart beat within it. Physicist Richard Tolman sought and was given a meeting with President Roosevelt to discuss these events. This resulted in an unprecedented ceasefire declaration between the Axis and Allied powers to hear what Tolman had to say.

in 1997, Chinese authorities in Hong Kong, fearful of the economic damage that would result from killing all chickens possibly infected with influenza, disregard the recommendations of health professionals around the world and let the sale of chickens continue. The resulting epidemic of flu kills over 20 million Chinese, as well as an additional 2 million worldwide. The sanctions against Chinese food products that follow send China spiraling into the worst depression in its history.

in 1998, Cambodian strongman Pol Pot dies. The hated Khmer Rouge that had placed him in power begin a civil war for power that devastates the small Asian nation for the next three years. After the death toll of the war passes a million, Vietnam invades to put an end to it. The move is surprisingly supported by the international community, and marks a turning point for both nations; Cambodia, although it remains communist, becomes a freer country, and Vietnam is accepted into the community of nations.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

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!

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Calhoun Resigns; Strange Days In Italy

December 28th, 2005

in 47,392 BCE, Swikolay, great-granddaughter of Telka the Speaker, has a dream of standing on the top of the Himalayas and still being unable to reach the stars. Disturbed, she wakes Telka and tells her that they will still fail, in spite of all their work. Telka tells her, “We will still climb. Dreams can lie; only believe what you have done with your own hands.”

in 1781, the British fortify Prince Edward Island with hundreds of troops under the command of Major James Henry Craig. He was reinforced by American colonials, which sparked a huge degree of resentment among the Canadians and led to a chill in relations between the Nationalists and the Americans.

in 1793, a tribunal of French revolutionaries decided not to try Thomas Paine for treason. He had traveled to France to take part in the revolt of the people against their monarch, but had run afoul of some in the revolutionary leadership because of his resistance to the death penalty. His moving speech in his own defense led to a change in the revolution’s direction, and an abolition of the guillotine and the death penalty in France.

in 1832, Andrew Jackson's vice-president, John C. Calhoun, resigns to take a Senate seat from South Carolina. The move is widely seen as a lack of confidence in Jackson, and is proven right when Jackson loses the presidential election that year, leaving office after only one term.

in 1849, French industrialist Jolly-Bellin accidentally spills turpentine and oil from a lamp onto his dirty clothes and notices that they have become cleaner. Unfortunately, his clothes ignite from the flame he brings closer to see this, and he is killed in the resulting fire.

in 1900, fiery brothel owner Carry Nation attacks a small group of Temperance protesters outside her establishment in Wichita, Kansas, injuring one of them with an ax. Nation had tumbled into the darker side of life since falling into alcoholism herself with her first husband, and ran the brothel after his death in order to support herself. She resented the self-righteousness of Wichita's Temperance movement and hated Cora Weathers, the woman she attacked with the ax, more than anything. She was jailed for assault and spent many months behind bars.

in 1904, a hastily-arranged second mission to the Mlosh homeworld is launched in secret from the Plutonian base of the Congress of Nations. This one is carrying heavy armament, and is crewed by an all-military team.

in 1908, a massive earthquake strikes Europe, centered on Italy. In the aftermath of the quake, strange beasts and people were seen on the Mediterranean coast. There were strange sailing vessels from China and South America, as well as some kind of flying ship, spotted over Italy. When authorities arrived to investigate these claims, the strange sightings were already over, except for an aerial phenomena over Messina. It was thought to be a cloud, but it pulsed with colors like a rainbow. An American scientist, Dr. Richard Tolman, consulted with the Italian government about it.

in 12-19-11-16-5, Manpuigachet, high priest of the written word, is born in Chuquisaca, among the Inca. His words moved armies and quieted emperors; he could seduce the most chaste of virgins, or douse the flame of passion in the most arduous lovers. At his death in 12-18-17-4-12, the whole of the civilized world mourned.

in 1973, Norman Mailer's The Leavenworth Soviet is published in Europe to huge acclaim. Mailer, an American ex-patriat living in Paris, maintained that the repression of capitalist ideas and dissent against the American “Worker's Paradise” were vital for the continuation of the Soviet state, and not just a byproduct of the few repressive Soviet leaders, as the Americans maintained. Mailer was stripped of his citizenship after the book was published.

in 2003, the peace of the reign of Heaven begins on earth, as every person acknowledges Estelle Gerard as their savior. Death is banished; the wages of sin have been paid. For a thousand years, the world will know the glory of Her rule, until She allows the False One to rise back up from the lake of fire for his judgement.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

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!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Maine Raids; Yule Bomb Killer

December 27th, 2005

in 47,412 BCE, Telka the Speaker, with two sons, a daughter, three grandsons and four granddaughters, and the spouses of most of them, reaches Asia. She is following the sun as it sets to see if that will give her a clue to how it climbs back up into the sky in the morning.

in 1780, since the American rebel cause is all but abandoned, the Canadian nationalists stage several raids across Maine to gather supplies for their own war effort, looting blacksmith shops and taking weapons from British soldiers captured unawares. It is thought that many of the Maine smithies that were “robbed” were more than willing to give their wares to those that still fought the Redcoats, since rebellion was still strong in the colony.

in 1846, the war with Mexico takes a bad turn for the United States when the inexperienced volunteers under the command of Colonel Alexander Doniphan are routed outside the Mexican city of El Paso. Doniphan had barely escaped defeat two days before against a more numerous Mexican force, and his resources were too depleted by that battle to give him what he needed to take El Paso.

in 2625 AUC, the great Spanish writer Pius Barojus Nessius is born near Terraco, Spain. He came of age during the great Roman struggles of the mid-27th century, and his writing often reflected a lost quality, the melting of one generation into the next, with the permanent loss that entails.

in 1889, trouble aboard his ship causes Mikhail von Heflin to leave it as they dock in Iceland. From here, he hops another ship to the Canadian mainland, and makes his way to Texas across land.

in 1904, playwright J.M. Barrie follows up on his successful play The Admirable Crichton with a fantasy called Peter Pan, about a boy who never grows up. Audiences much prefer the island and class fantasy of Crichton, and Barrie returns to it several more times over his career, penning other castaway adventures such as The Minnow and King Crichton.

in 1922, the Swedish terrorist known only as The Yule Bomb Killer claims his first victims as Clementine and James Chapman are killed in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Authorities are left without clues when the bomb destroys the Chapman's home, and are taunted by the bomb-maker when a letter in Swedish arrives at the Marshfield police station, daring them to catch him.

in 1942, German Underground propaganda specialists begin recruiting anti-Semites among the Greater Zionist Resistance-controlled countries of eastern Europe. Although the G.Z.R. has been careful to treat its people as fairly as possible, their conquest of most of Europe made many enemies, and they are unfortunately very willing to join the G.U.

in 1978, the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of Venezuela ratified a new constitution allowing the existence of non-socialist parties in the country for the first time since the American-assisted revolution of 1908. Comrade President John Anderson of the Soviet States of America declares that, although he regrets the movement away from the brotherhood of socialism by the people of Venezuela, the opening of democracy is nonetheless good.

in 2003, Estelle Gerard appears at Megiddo, and the remaining troops of the Holy British Empire convert or are destroyed. The holy city of Jesu descends to Jerusalem, and Estelle Gerard takes Her place at its throne. Her kingdom is at hand.

in 2004, the Soviet Union finally pacifies Afghanistan, after 2 decades of conflict. American support of such mujahadeen cells as Al-Qaida and the Taliban had kept the war going for far longer than the Soviets wanted it to, and had nearly led to a collapse of the Communist government. Only the resolve of Soviet leader Andrei Gromyko held the Soviets together through the crisis.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

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!

Monday, December 26, 2005

Washington Retreats From Trenton

December 26th, 2005

in 3761, a day after an unusual visit by three mysteriously disappointed men bearing wonderfully wealthy gifts, not to mention having a bright star shine in her eyes the entire previous night, a young Hebrew woman gave birth to a healthy boy she and her husband named Yeshua. He grew up to be an impressive carpenter in their home village of Nazareth.

in 1610, Count Gyorgy Thurzo defeats the lovely but dangerous vampiress, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, saving a dungeon full of young ladies who had been chosen as the next victims for the infamous countess. Count Thurzo had to fight his way through a horde of young vampiresses created by the countess, but God had saved him on the Christmas Day battle and led him to this victory.

in 1776, after a brief victory in Trenton, New Jersey, over Hessian forces, rebel General George Washington was forced to retreat since most of his men were still on the other side of the Delaware. What could have been a morale-boosting triumph was thus transformed into another humiliating withdrawal, and the rebel cause lost even more steam.

in 1792, Charles Babbage, a mathematical genius truly ahead of his time, was born this day near London, England. He developed the plans for a massive calculating machine he called the Difference Engine. Although he died without seeing the machine built, the Difference Engine he designed was built by Thomas Edison in 1872, and revolutionized the world.

in 4589, the first elected emperor of China is born in Hunan. Mao
Tse-Tung rose to the Imperial Council by virtue of his intellect, and was on the council when Emperor Dao-Ming established the beginnings of democracy in China.

in 1917, Socialist President Woodrow Wilson nationalizes the railroad industry, sparking fierce denunciations by the trust owners thrown out of work by the move. Once the railroad owners were shown the door, it was only a matter of time before the other trusts followed suit; the unions of each of the major trusts were soon placed in charge of steel, oil and lumber, and Wilson's Socialist Paradise program kicked into high gear.

in 1955, the opera Porgy and Bess opens in Moscow, Russia. Intended to give American culture an inroad into the Communist world, the tale of racism, poverty and drug abuse was used in Communist propaganda from that point on, and led to many African nations joining the Soviet Union against the capitalist world.

in 1963, the international blockbuster songs Your Love Is Mine and its B side companion, She’s Me Bird, are released on Capitol Records. Pete Best’s star shoots to the musical heavens, and never fades.

in 1966, Maulana Karenga established what has become a widely popular festival for African-Americans, the Kwanzaa celebration of the First Fruits of the Harvest. It has taken its place among American festivals and is now second only to Christmas as a year-end holiday.

in 1974, comedy king Ben Kubelsky laughed his last in Los Angeles, California. Kubelsky had been a star of screwball comic films in the 30’s and 40’s such as to Be Or Not To Be, as well as a star of his own radio programs. Like so many other comics, he made the move to television in the 50’s, and after retiring from his successful comic career in the 1960’s, became an elder statesman of American comedy.

in 2003, Estelle Gerard casts Pope Righteous I into the lake of fire surrounding London, along with the cardinals and bishops still loyal to him. In Palestine, Islamic, Jewish and Estellian soldiers are reinforced at Megiddo by an angelic host, which helps them defeat the Holy British Empire’s millions of warriors.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

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!

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Christmas Day Contest Winners!

Alternate Historian's Note: All of today's post has been written by winners of our Alternate Christmas Day Contest. Congratulations to our winners - Dante Ojeda, Nathaniel Engelsen, Heather Pilcher and XJ. With all the free time they have provided, we at the Alternate History Academy had time to find an alternate universe where the Historian became an acapella lounge singer, and decided to share this little Christmas ditty with you. Enjoy it, and enjoy today's alternate post. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

December 25th, 2005

in 2637 - A splinter group of Imperial scholars studying the heavens from a foreign point of view discover, much to their surprise, that the alignments of certain starts and planets at that time signaled the return of a great leader....a king among kings. Obviously this pointed to the Emperor's newest baby, a daughter named Lei-tzu, who would in fact rise in power to virtually rule China through her nearly retarded husband.

in 323, Saint Nicholas of Myra is executed by the pagan Emperor Licinius, and becomes the last martyr to suffer death before the victory of Constantine the Great established Christianity throughout the Roman world. The Ultimate Martyr gained enormous prestige and grew to be ranked as the greatest saint of the Church, displacing even Saint Peter. Today Saint Nicholas is revered as the stern but fair gatekeeper of Heaven, and every child learns that Saint Nick "knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake!"

in 800, Charlemagne, duke of the Franks, is offered the crown of the "Western Empire" by the Patriarch of Rome and refuses, uttering the famous words "There is only one emperor, and his throne is in Constantinople". This will come to be seen as the turning point of the Western Interregnum, paving the way for the reunification of the whole Empire in 1054.

in 1033 - Yeshua returned once again exactly like he said he would. Finding a world filled with barbarism, paganism, or just plain disbelief, Yeshua consulted his father briefly before deciding, "ah, hell with it," and left the humans to their own devices instead of starting the Rapture. The loyal few he did take with him were basic unknowns, having devoted themselves to the study and practice of a religion that the mainstream sects of Christianity considered heretical. These heretics believed in women ordination, among other astounding beliefs, and took the remaining Christian relics with them when they went to walk with God.

in 1642, famous music composer Isaac Newton was born in Lincolnshire, England. His parents took him to Oxford in order to study mathematics, but he showed no interest in numbers and abandoned this college one year later. His natural ability for music composition was known throughout the British Empire as well as his several symphonies like his Opus in G minus for violins also known as Gravitas.

in 1653, Richard Cromwell, son of the newly appointed Lord Protector of England, holds a wild party and is arrested under the 1647 legislation banning the celebration of "Christ-tide". He commits suicide in jail. His father Oliver is heart-broken and dies of natural causes on September 3rd the next year. As new Lord Protector, Parliament chooses General John Lambert, whose thirty-year service as First Citizen of the Commonwealth fixes England on the staunchly republican path it has followed to this day.

in 1920, Anastasia Romanov marries Adam Hitler Catt in America. The small, quiet ceremony was beautiful with a background set with decorated Christmas trees outside the Catt’s family home in Iowa. Anastasia, the daughter of the former Czar Nicholas II, escaped Russia with her family in 1919, at the beginning of the Bolshevik revolution. The family was given refuge, by Nicholas’ 1st cousin, King George V.

in 1926, Japanese emperor Hirohito begins his kingdom after his father Yoshihito passes away. His schemes with the Third Reich during WWII were the catapult to put Japan as center of a new World Order after ruined Hitler´s agenda.

in 1958, Famous civil rights leader/humanitarian Adam Hitler Catt is assassinated. The Ku-Klux-Klan is claiming responsibility for the murder. Mr. Catt was most famous for his work with civil rights issues in the South, which eventually led to desegregation laws being passed in the 1940’s. His mother, Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, helped found the League of Women voter’s in 1919. In 1893, 4 year old Adolph tragically lost both his parents in a fire that destroyed his family’s home. He was adopted by the Catt family after a trip to Germany in 1894. The Catts visited an orphanage where young Adolph clung to Mrs. Catt for security. The two were inseparable ever since. The Catts changed Adam’s first name from Adolph to Adam but kept his last name as his middle name. Adam Hitler Catt will be remembered in history as one of the greatest humanitarian leaders of the Twentieth Century.

in 1969, The "Christmas Offensive" was begun in the People's Republic of Venezuela. One of the greatest triumphs of the S.S.A. was repulsing the capitalist armies of the United States of Russia. While the war would last for a few more years it is widely believed that this initial push northward by the South Venezuela's People's Army of Venezuela turned the tide.

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!

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Yeshua ben-Yusuph; Best Plays Vietnam

READ OUR CHRISTMAS DAY CONTEST WINNERS TOMORROW! Congratulations to our winners - Dante Ojeda, Nathaniel Engelsen, Heather Pilcher and XJ. Look for their alternate Christmas Day tomorrow!

December 24th, 2005

in 47,392 BCE, Telka and her great-granddaughter Swikolay reach the mountains of the Himalayas. The two slay many animals over the next week, and tan their hides into furs that they can wear. They start up the mountain as the years turns, and Telka tells Swikolay, “This mountain will allow us to touch the sky.”

in 753 AUC, a young Hebrew couple, the woman heavy with child, were given shelter in an inn in Bethlehem. The innkeeper, whose wife had just had a baby, took pity on them and gave them his finest room free of charge. When the woman died during childbirth the next morning, the husband took the young child to the east with 3 men who had apparently come to pay homage to the child because of a prophecy. This child grew up to be the great east philosopher Yeshua ben-Yusuph, whose speeches and writings became a bridge between Roman culture of the west and the Asian cultures of the east.

in 1802, a Signore Tolman, was permitted into the presence of Emperor Buonaparte of Italy to inform him of a grave disaster he could foresee with mystic powers. The emperor listened half-heartedly at first, but gave the man greater attention when he showed that he could disappear and reappear at will. Emperor Buonaparte sent his armies to the German north at the stranger’s request.

in 1814, the Treaty of Ghent brought peace between Canada and Great Britain after 2 years of war. Canada kept the formerly American colony of Maine by virtue of having troops all over it, and Great Britain paid restitution for the burning of the new Canadian capitol at Ottawa.

in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, by former Confederate soldiers unwilling to accept defeat. The racist organization was, oddly enough, responsible for keeping America from falling under the influence of the pro-Nazi American Bund during the 20th century because it forbade its members from allying with foreign powers.

in 1905, star-maker Howard Hughes was born in Houston, Texas. Although his family business was in the tool industry, Hughes saw his fortune in Hollywood, and with his acquisition of RKO Pictures in 1948, gave up all interest in virtually every other pursuit. Under his direction, RKO made some of the greatest classics in Hollywood’s history, such as Spartacus, The Godfather, and Star Wars. Hughes, who hated flying, died in a plane crash on his way home to his native Houston in 1982.

in 1952, Congress is unable to override President Truman's veto of the McCarren-Walter Act. Truman's characterization of the act as “inhumane” evoked the image of all the Jews turned away from America who went back to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis, and scuttled any chance the bill had of being enacted. This led to charges from the Republicans of being soft on Communism, but even incoming President Eisenhower agreed with Truman, having seen what happened to the Jews in Europe because of bad immigration policy.

in 1970, Bartholomew Thompson, direct descendent of Mikhail von Heflin, is born in Bryan, Texas. Although all four of his older siblings were aware of their lineage fairly early in life, Thompson didn’t find out until meeting with the Baron in 1996. Their introduction to each other at the science fiction convention Aggiecon proved pivotal for the both of them.

in 1972, international superstar Pete Best makes a controversial decision to perform for American troops fighting in Vietnam. Although he is derided as a sellout by the anti-war movement, the performance endears him to American troops everywhere. Best eventually mends the fence with the peaceniks with his album Goodwill Towards Men, released the following Christmas.

in 1994, Algerian extremists hijack a French plane and fly it to Paris, where they blow up the plane, killing all the passengers on board. The horrific spectacle prompts governments around the world to institute new security procedures in their airports. Scarily, this catches many other groups that were planning similar attacks over the next few years, including five groups in the United States who had planned on using large planes as missiles.

in 2003, a horrible crack opens in the earth surrounding London. Fires shooting up a hundred feet prevent the population from leaving by car or on foot – even airplanes find it hard to take off and fly through the geysers of fire. Pope Righteous I commands his Holy British troops to begin their march on Jerusalem.

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!

Friday, December 23, 2005

Washington Stripped Of His Title

CHRISTMAS DAY CONTEST WINNERS: Congratulations to our winners - Dante Ojeda, Nathaniel Engelsen, Heather Pilcher and XJ. Look for their alternate Christmas Day on Sunday, December 25th!

December 23rd, 2005

in 47,402 BCE, Telka the Speaker became a great-grandmother as her grandson had his first child, a daughter that Telka named Swikolay. Swikolay became Telka’s most constant companion in her later years, and the first leader of the Speaker’s Children on Telka’s death.

in 1723, the harsh winter of that year forced several hundred German peasants to ask the Mlosh colony ship in Breslau for shelter. When the Mlosh took them in for four months, they became the first humans to see the alien’s lifestyle first-hand, and with spring, they spread the word across the continent that the earth’s newest residents were not to be feared.

in 1783, George Washington is stripped of his title of commander-in-chief of the American Continental Army after he refuses to stop fighting the British. Washington addressed the troops one last time before fleeing to Canada to join its resistance movement against the British, saying, “I resign with disappointment the appointment I accepted with diffidence; a diffidence in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task; which was sabotaged by others' lack of confidence in the rectitude of our cause.”

in 4548, the Theater of the Celestial opened in the nominally-Oueztecan controlled land of the Pomo people, in the city of Huitotanango. The great spectacle of Chinese theater soon developed a following on the continent, and theaters were opening up across Ouezteca.

in 1912, the Nouvelle Revue Francaise rejects A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, an abysmally awful novel by Marcel Proust. He published the work himself in 1913, but after it met with little success, he committed suicide in his small apartment in Paris, France. The work has since been viewed with a less harsh eye, but it has still never garnered much critical acclaim.

in 1942, comedian Leslie Hope entertained U.S. troops stationed in Alaska. Although the audience loved him, Hope felt that comedy in the middle of a war was inappropriate, and never performed for soldiers again.

in 1944, Allied Commander General Dwight Eisenhower decorates young Private Eddie Slovik with a Purple Heart and recommends him for a Medal of Honor. Slovik, a young thief in civilian life, had been on the verge of desertion when his unit was attacked in France; he fought off thirty Germans single-handedly, saving the barracks where his men were stationed.

in 1968, Dr. Richard Tolman briefly spoke to a group of young comrades in San Francisco, California Soviet. He told them that the space-time continuum was nearing a total breakdown, and warned them to be ready for the coming chaos.

in 2003, Buckingham Cathedral forbids anyone from filming, painting, or viewing the new star in the heavens through a telescope. Estellians had begun spreading rumors that those who looked closely enough at the star could see that it was the face of God; the Holy Mother Church wanted to dispel such wild fantasies quickly.

in 2316, Father Jurgen awakes.

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!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Dreyfus Acquitted; Carol Of The Hells

THE CHRISTMAS DAY CONTEST IS NOW OVER! Our thanks to those who entered, and the winners will be notified shortly. If you are notified that you have won, remember that you have agreed to the following: You grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on December 25th, 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. Thanks again for the entries, and look for the winners on Christmas Day!

December 22nd, 2005

in 753 AUC, three strange men traveling from the east are taken prisoner by Roman soldiers and questioned. When the men say they are going to see a newborn king, the soldiers tell them that Rome has no kings, and send the men back to the east.

in 1849, the execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky ends a promising literary career. Although his second novel, The Double, was poorly received, there is virtually universal praise for his first, Poor People, and literary critics often pine for what the man might have done if he had not been lured into anti-Czarist circles.

in 1853, Theodore Roosevelt and Martha Bulloch were married in Roswell, New Mexico. The happy couple disappeared for a week, and when they returned, Martha was pregnant with young Theodore, Jr. Teddy had an unhealthy grey sheen to his skin, but managed to overcome this handicap and rise to the presidency of the United States.

in 1894, French artillery Captain Alfred Dreyfus is acquitted of treason after a guilt-racked fellow officer, Major Hubert Henry, admits to forging the evidence that Dreyfus had allegedly passed to the Germans. The conviction of Henry allows the French military to save face, and maintain their powerful position in French society.

in 1900, the genetic engineer M’Kol’Ka was born in Si’ta’Pocha, Ml’Astra. Possibly the greatest scientist of the 20th century, M’Kol’Ka was the first scientist to splice genetic material from humans into Mlosh. Condemned by conservative elements as some sort of mad scientist, M’Kol’Ka in his public writings said that his goal was to show that the two races were strongest when they combined into one.

in 1912, in honor of the Winter Solstice, Sidney Peters of Manhattan, Kansas, pens the holiday classic Carol of the Hells. Its sweet tones have been heard every winter since: Ring silver bell/ Bring Christmas Hell/ Now gentlemen/ Pay for your sin/ Come quake with fear/ Satan is here/ Satan your lord/ Forever more/ Ring, ding-a-ling/ Evil is king/ Hope, fade away/ Despair today…

in 1964, Semitic-African Resistance spokesman Lenny Bruce is convicted on obscenity charges for a free-wheeling speech he gave to rally support against the American Bund and its ally, the New Reich of Germany, in Greenwich Village, New York. He spent four months in jail, and came out stronger and more committed to the cause than ever.

in 1968, Richard Tolman, a cult leader who hadn’t been seen in years, walked into the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. to speak with President John Kennedy. Although security had no idea how Dr. Tolman had entered the building, President Kennedy told them not to remove the scientist. After a long afternoon speaking with him, Kennedy declared a national emergency, and put the nation’s armed forces on high alert.

in 1984, subway rider Bernhard Goetz is attacked and beaten during a subway mugging. Goetz had pulled a gun on his attackers and managed to mortally wound one of the them, but the other three men wrestled the gun away from him and beat him so severely that he entered a coma. Goetz's attack spurred legislation in the city to provide more police officers for the subway system.

in 1989, the Communist government of Guatemala, long an ally of the Soviet States of America, is overthrown in a bloodless coup as capitalists and other counter-revolutionaries join forces with dissidents within the government itself against the country's leader, Efrain Rios Montt. When Rios Montt was convicted of crimes against humanity in a show trial on Christmas Eve, he appeared confused and frightened, evoking sympathy in much of the world outside Guatemala; the Guatemalans themselves, though, had no problem in executing him that night.

in 4699, the Chdo Democracy receives an official embassy from the Keltav, a race from a distant galaxy. The Chinese Ambassador to the Chdo happened to be at the meeting, and the Keltav took a liking to him, asking if they could visit earth and see the empire. After word was passed to him, the emperor extended an invitation to his court.

in 2003, a star appears over London this evening, and its light seems directed at Buckingham Cathedral. The light of this star is strong enough to read by, and it shines faintly even during the day. Although Pope Righteous’ spokesman says that it is God’s favor shining down upon the Holy British Empire, its light at night makes the Cathedral appear warped and twisted.

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!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

The Ape-Men Of Russia

THE CHRISTMAS DAY CONTEST WILL BE EXTENDED BY 1 MORE DAY! I have had a request to extend the contest's deadline by one more day by someone who promises to send something in - but she must be joined by at least 1 more of you, or we will not have enough entries for the day. I will probably not have time to get replies from the winners at this point, so if you are notified that you have won, you agree to the following: You grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on December 25th, 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. Today, December 21st, 2005, is the last day for you to enter! The contest is over once tomorrow's post goes up. Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

December 21st, 2005

in 47,416 BCE, Telka, the Speaker, climbed the great mountain she had named Ketsuma, and attempted to touch the sky. It was still beyond her reach. She turned to the young son she had brought with her and told him that they would find a taller one and try again.

in 1614, Tommasso Caccini, a priest of Florence, spoke with Galileo Galilee for several hours to discuss the scientist’s theory that the earth circled the sun, and not the other way around. After this meeting, Caccini left the priesthood and devoted his life to spreading the word of science. He was executed for heresy in 1616.

in 1761, Robert Barnwell was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. During the brief war for American independence, Barnwell spent much of it either wounded or imprisoned by the British, and developed a deep hatred of them. When President Jay made his peace with the British, Barnwell left America for Canada, and fought for that country's successful revolution. He spent several years in Canada's Parliament, and never set foot again on American soil.

in 1788, Mlosh tenor Isaac’t’Klofa, one of the first Mlosh to take a human name, is born in West Meath, Ireland. At an early age, he fell in love with human music, and began singing opera professionally in 1820.

in 1954, the Ivanov Project's first results are shown to Stalin. The super-soldier created by crossing ape with man in a hideous disregard for the natural order pleases the cruel dictator, and he orders them on their first mission - into the jungles of Vietnam!

in 1958, Charles de Gaulle was elected President for life by an unstable and frightened French nation. Revolt in the Algerian colony led the French down the road of dictatorship, which de Gaulle followed with relish. Under his unquestioned reign, he forged closer ties with fellow dictator Franco of Spain, massacred workers and students who protested against his policies, and made France the world’s second-greatest nuclear power. The Second Napoleon, as he was known, was finally halted by death in 1970.

in 1975, Carlos The Jackal leads a raid on an OPEC summit meeting in Vienna, Austria. When the Viennese authorities refuse to cooperate with him, he slaughters the oil ministers of the OPEC nations, and broadcasts a message in Arabic calling for all Arabs to rise up against their governments and overthrow them. The Austrians are unable to capture him in the raid afterward, and OPEC is shattered by the assassinations; they are never able to coordinate actions again.

in 1979, Republicans in Congress manage to defeat a spending bill aimed at saving the Chrysler Corporation. Although seen as a crushing defeat for President Carter, who had lobbied hard for the bill, the callous disregard for the tens of thousands of people who lost their jobs comes back to haunt the Republicans, as they lose dozens of House seats and all of the seats in the Senate they were running for in 1980. Some say that if Ronald Reagan hadn't had the Chrysler noose around his neck in 1980, he might have prevented President Carter from winning a second term.

in 2000, several breakaway soviets in the Pacific northwest declared themselves the People’s Republic of America during the economic troubles at the end of the 20th century. Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana waged a three-year insurrection against the Soviet States of America, but were ultimately defeated due to the much greater resources of the S.S.A.

in 2003, the 200-million member army of the Holy British Empire is brought to attention and told that it will be all that stands between the forces of darkness and the Kingdom of God. Islam mobilizes its meager forces in response, and prepares the holy city of Jerusalem for the hammer of Britain’s assault.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins casts her first spell using infomancy, her computer-aided branch of witchcraft. The spell knocks electricity out in the Great Tree, as well as several towns surrounding it. Miss Perkins returns to the drawing board.

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!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Duchy Of Ohio; Berlin Wall Opens

Christmas Day Contest! LAST CHANCE!! 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 December 25th, 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. Today, December 20th, 2005, is the last day for you to enter! The contest is over once the post for December 21st, 2005 goes up. Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

December 20th, 2005

in 1579, England's greatest playwright was baptized in Sussex. John Fletcher took over writing for the King's Men and the Blackfriars from the unsuccessful hack William Shakespeare, and the magical settings of his writing enchanted the court. Since then, his star has never faded, and such gems as Wild Goose Chase are still performed today.

in 1783, Lord Stephen Dumont-Warrington is given the newly-created Duchy of Ohio, created from the western possessions of the Virginian commonwealth. Dumont-Warrington is famous for raising an army among the natives of his new duchy and using it to fight the Canadian nationalists; the fight proved foolhardy, as the natives abandoned him when the fight went badly, and he was killed by the Canadians in 1786.

in 1812, the North American Confederation started a minor war against its Sioux neighbors when a group of N.A.C. colonists moved into land they mistakenly believed to have been ceded to them by the Sioux. Nearly 50 colonists were killed, along with an equal number of Sioux, before the dispute was settled and the N.A.C. colonists withdrew.

in 1888, Mikhail von Helfin set sail from Brest, France, for the United States. The few descendants of his who had managed to stay in contact with him had immigrated to a place called Texas, and he had decided to join them.

in 1892, New York inventors Alexander Brown and George Stillman patented their design for an inflatable tire, in order to make auto travel a little less bumpy. Auto manufacturers refuse to use it, though, because of the ease with which they wear out compared to the standard solid rubber tire. This does spur the development of shock absorbers, giving the nation's auto-riding public a bit more comfort.

in 1929, American courts had the good sense to ban that British pornographic tome, Lady Chatterly’s Lover. Once it was settled that the moral health of the nation stood to gain from the government determining what was good for the citizenry to read, the Department of Censorship was created and its secretary made a full Cabinet officer. Now, we only read what’s good for us.

in 1946, with World War II over and Japan safely out of his country, Indochinese leader Ho Chi Minh begins his long crusade to free his native land from French colonial rule. With the aid of such unlikely allies as Joseph Stalin and Dwight Eisenhower, Ho secures freedom for his people, although the French negotiate the use of the Indochinese coast for several naval bases.

in 1965, years after Comrade President Joel Rosenberg's famous speech, the Berlin Wall is opened to foot and auto traffic between East and West Berlin. Although the German monarchy still fears the communists of the east, the cries of the people to be reunited with their loved ones has become too loud.

in 1980, wealthy socialite Sunny von Bulow flees her Rhode Island mansion, pursued by her husband. Although he catches her, several neighbors in their suburb witness his attack and call the police. When the cops arrive, Claus von Bulow flees, never to be seen again.

in 1989, when President George Bush attempts to order American troops into Panama in order to “enforce American law” against dictator Manuel Noriega, Congress halts the operation and expands the so-called Iran-Contra hearings to include events in Panama. When it comes out that the Panamanian strongman was one of the conduits through which the Contras sold drugs in order to support their war efforts, impeachment proceedings began in the House.

in 2003, a pale rider on a pale horse rode through London, and all who stood within his path died. The horse was seen galloping towards Buckingham Cathedral after an Estellian in his way had called upon her to save him. He was the lone survivor of that horseman’s hideous ride.

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!

Monday, December 19, 2005

Troubles With Congress

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 1 DAY LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had two contestants so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 19th, 2005

in 3732, the great leader Su Tung-p’o was born in Sichuan. His warrior nature shone forth in battle more brightly than any before him, and he very nearly became emperor through his military prowess. At his death in 3797, his retainers found several volumes of poetry, giving the world a glimpse into the pure heart of a man known only for battle. His poetry retains its beauty and relevance even across the centuries, and was read to the Chdo embassy on their first mission to earth.

in 1154, Pope Henry II stepped into the shoes of the fisherman. As a young French nobleman, Henry Plantagenet had dallied with the Queen of France herself, convincing her to leave the King and marry him. Just 3 years later, he was elevated to the papacy of the Holy British Empire, largely through his charm and her considerable influence in the Empire. The line of Popes that he began ruled the Holy British Empire for centuries.

in 1777, the Continental Army under the command of rebel General George Washington faces drastic cuts in supplies as the Continental Congress comes under the control of politicians who seek reconciliation with Britain. At one point during the winter, Washington leaves his camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to seek out the Congress, where he threatens to shoot several members. This rash display puts the Congress more firmly in the hands of the pro-British faction.

in 1918, the New York Globe began publishing a trivia series by Robert Ripley entitled Believe It Or Not. Apparently, no one believed it, as the series was cancelled a month after it began.

in 1941, after briefly allowing their figurehead, Adolf Hitler, to lead the German Underground's army, the true leadership of the G.U., neo-Nazi time-travelers from 1968, informs the German General Staff that orders from Hitler are to be disregarded, but he himself is to be humored that he is in charge.

in 1953, physicist Robert Millikan, who had briefly been involved in Richard Tolman’s parallel universe cult in the 1940’s, died at his home in San Marino, California. At the viewing prior to his funeral, a strange visitor that seemed to closely resemble Dr. Millikan entered the funeral home and spent several minutes staring at the body in the casket. When a family member approached him, the stranger ran from the room, shouting, “My god, it’s me!”

in 1958, the first radio message was sent into outer space. President Eisenhower’s Christmas message, “To all mankind, America’s wish for peace on earth and good will to men everywhere.” Unfortunately, the aliens who received the signal in 1972 wished the human race nothing quite resembling peace or good will.

in 1972, the crew of Apollo 17 return safely to earth after a successful lunar mission. After this, the lunar program is turned over to the astronauts of the Osiris Project, and the last few Apollo missions are used to shuttle specialists to the space station built by America and the Soviet Union.

in 1986, Comrade President Ann Richards releases Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyen, from the Leavenworth Penal Soviet. The couple had been interred years before when they used their academic positions to criticize Soviet American politics in other countries. “Comrades Sagan and Druyen can testify to our new spirit of openness,” Comrade Richards said on their release.

in 1998, Republican President William Blythe denounces Democratic House Speaker Newt Gingrich in an attempt to make political hay of the sexual scandals breaking out of the House of Representatives. When the National Enquirer threatens to expose his own escapades if he keeps up the tough talk, President Blythe drops the subject, and Gingrich's resignation lets the Democrats put the scandals behind them.

in 2009, Bartholomew Thompson's unlikely alliance scores its first political victory with the Alt'Himin people pledging support and a home base for the combined fleet under Thompson's command. It is when the Alt'Himin people are threatened by both the B'Han and the Kaerth that Thompson begins making plans for a new base for his Army of Intelligent Life.

in 1,246,358 CE, the Kholia climbing the Wall of Night recalls a fire from long ago.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE:Today's post contains an extended entry that is also a future date - since the poll on this issue is overwhelmingly in favor of including future dates, we felt we should give you a taste. Let us know what you think of this!

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!

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Battle Of The St Lawrence; Piltdown Hoax Exposed

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had two contestants so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 18th, 2005

in 1788, the Battle of the St Lawrence cements Canadian supremacy in the northern waters of North America. The American colonies had been pressured into sending a naval expedition north to aid the British soldiers fighting Canadian nationalism, and were sent packing by a superior Canadian naval force.

in 1859, Victorian poet Francis Thompson was born in Lancashire, England. His poems describing the trials of the last decade of the 19th century, the Hounds of Heaven saga, became classics across the solar system. Although they were very harsh towards the Mlosh for their part in what had happened, he denounced the racist groups that attempted to use his poetry to bolster their cause.

in 1865, political wrangling prevents the adoption of the 13th amendment to the constitution, banning slavery. Even in spite of the Civil War still raging in the southern U.S., the northern states are unable to agree on this basic principle. It is this disorganization which kept them from winning the war, especially after the Confederacy freed all slaves who served in the Confederate uniform.

in 1870, the famous British short story writer H.H. Munro, better known by his Burmese nom-de-plume, Saki, was born in Burma. Although his career was nearly ended in World War I, he survived horrific injuries to become the premiere writer of short fiction in the English-speaking world. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1931.

in 12-13-6-1-5, Quetzilopoctl, greatest of the high priests of Quetzlcoatl, is born in Tenotchtitlan. From an early age, he had displayed a desire to join the priesthood, and his faith so impressed the local temple that, even though he was of low birth, they allowed him to join in their rituals. When he saved the Emperor in a battle, the Emperor appointed him High Priest and named him a noble of the empire. The songs that he wrote in praise of his god are still sung in ceremonies today.

in 1888, Mikhail von Heflin, living in Paris under the assumed name of Pierre Delaroche, is arrested for killing Miguel Los Santos, a Spanish immigrant who kept a small bakery near the Notre Dame Cathedral. While awaiting trial, “Delaroche” escapes from his cell and flees the city. He decides to leave France for America.

in 1912, a hoax was almost played on the entire paleontological world when Charles Dawson attempted to pass off a set of bones he had crafted as a Piltdown Man, an early British hominid. His co-conspirator, Father Pierre Tielhard de Chardin, was unable to go through with the ruse, and confessed to the press that it was all a joke.

in 1916, Astrid Pflaume seized the opportunity granted her by the German defeat at Verdun to organize her small cadre of Jewish fighters into the core of a larger group. Her cries of freedom and equality for the Jews struck a chord throughout Europe, and young Jewish men were soon flocking to her cause. She reported back to neo-Nazi superiors in the future that their plan was working well.

in 1987, capitalist gangster Ivan Boesky is sentenced to 20 years at hard labor in New York Soviet's infamous Attica prison. Boesky ran a large numbers racket as well as a huge portion of New York's black market, and the people's prosecutors were very happy to see him sent away.

in 2003, Templars arrested a group of Estellians who were attempting to blow up Buckingham Cathedral. The Pope’s spokesman trumpeted the action as the true face of Estellianism; violent, murderous and conspiratorial.

in 2316, former Episcopal minister Father Jurgen faces the Holy Storm on Thor.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE:Today's post contains an extended entry that is also a future date - since the poll on this issue is overwhelmingly in favor of including future dates, we felt we should give you a taste. Let us know what you think of this!

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!

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Canada's Independence Recognized By France

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had two contestants so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 17th, 2005

in 1538, Pope Henry VIII excommunicated Duke Alessandro Farnese of Rome after the Duke had let slip that he didn’t approve of the attitude His Holiness held towards marriage. The Duke had been a supporter of the Reborn Roman Church, and Pope Henry never forgave him.

in 1751, Jane Reddings, Generation 2359 in the Speaker’s Line, organizes the first European meeting of the Speaker’s Children. Over 400 of Telka’s descendants crowded into her estate outside Sheffield to learn of the progress being made in realizing their common dream. This meeting led to contact with counterparts across the globe, and the first grand reunion of the Speaker’s Children in 1786, at the same time the Montgolfier brothers were flying across the Parisian sky.

in 1792, independent Canada is recognized by the government of France, which has recently been through its own revolution. After France formally recognizes the Canadians, the American Commonwealth follows, then Germany, Spain, most of the Scandinavian nations, and finally, in 1806, Great Britain.

in 1877, the Baron Von Todt arrived in Paris, France. Mikhail von Heflin had left his native Bohemia centuries before, wandering across Europe in a vain attempt to discover the secret of his continued existence. Wherever he dwelt for any length of time, though, people close to him began to die, and he found it necessary to move again. He hoped that the size of Paris would keep him anonymous for a time.

in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright join the long line of inventors attempting to get a heavier-than-air craft off the ground. After their failure in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the U.S. government decided that the only way to fly was with lighter-than-air craft, and built an Air Force using the new dirigible technology. The huge, gas-filled aircraft revolutionized international travel.

in 1941, James Crescent, the “World’s Luckiest Man”, was born in Reno, Nevada. Over his life, Crescent won almost $10 million at games of chance. He married his high school sweetheart, had 2 lovely children with her, and was reportedly one of the most well-liked people in all of Reno. When he disappeared in 1976, the police couldn’t find anyone who harbored ill will towards him; although they did hear of a drifter answering to the name “Tolman” who had been spotted near Crescent’s house the day of his disappearance. The drifter was never found, and the crime was never solved.

in 1869, the North American Confederation’s Air-Space Command closed down Project Red Shift, a 20-year program that had been charged with finding the Mlosh home world. Since no progress had been made in that time, the ASC concluded that the world was simply no longer anywhere that they could reach.

in 1975, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme is sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of President Gerald Ford. President Rockefeller had pushed for the reinstatement of the death penalty in this case, but California would not hear of it. Ms. Fromme was a model prisoner, though, but talk of her parole was ended when a fellow prisoner killed her in 1992.

in 1977, the most controversial band to ever appear on Saturday Night Live played their hearts out, live from New York. The Sex Pistols had been denied visas to enter the United States until virtually the last minute; they arrived in New York City with no time to rehearse before their appearance. Their foul language and on-stage antics sent the censors into fits, but it remains one of the shows highlights.

in 1992, the Community of Trade was formally dissolved. Most of its membership had been trading goods with capitalist nations for decades, anyway; this move simply acknowledged what they had all been doing already. Comrade President Sam Webb reluctantly signed the dissolution treaty, proclaiming it “the end of a century of progress among the nations”.

in 1,246,358 CE, the Kholia climbing the Wall of Night is passed by a weathergod.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE:Today's post contains an extended entry that is also a future date - since the poll on this issue is overwhelmingly in favor of including future dates, we felt we should give you a taste. Let us know what you think of this!

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!

Friday, December 16, 2005

The Fredonian War; Communists Defeat Dewey

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had two contestants so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 16th, 2005

in 1770, one of the most tragic composers of the era was born in Bonn, Germany; Ludwig Van Beethoven, a student of the great composer Antonio Salieri, wrote fine music until 1802, when his hearing began to fade. By the end of the year, he was completely deaf, and turned to a reclusive life, away from people. The unfinished symphonies from his seclusion hint at masterpieces that never would be.

in 1773, American colonist Samuel Adams and others of his self-proclaimed “Sons of Liberty” destroy a large shipment of tea in protest against the taxes the British government were levying against the colonies. Parliament, frightened at the prospect of open revolt that this foreshadowed, hastily lowered the tax and revoked the monopoly that the British East India Company had on the export of tea to America.

in 1784, the British garrison at Saint John, surrounded by Canadian nationalists, surrenders in order to avoid starvation. The British commander at Saint John, Sir Lionel Montague, had failed to prepare for the harsh winter in Canada and had no supplies to see his men through the season.

in 1799, Jan Rudder, a Dutch mathematician and generation 2281 of the Speaker’s Line, calls together the siblings of Europe to announce that he has made a discovery that will bring the Speaker’s Dream to life; he has accidentally invented a compound that can lift heavy objects with tremendous force. The first few experiments along this path were somewhat disastrous for the Speaker’s Descendants, but it did serve to advance their knowledge.

in 1826, a new country was born on the American continent as Ben Edwards founded the Republic of Fredonia in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Mexican government at first thought the proclamation was a joke, but when thousands of Anglos began rushing into east Texas, they sent troops in to crush Edwards. This was the beginning of the Fredonian War, which lasted from 1826 to 1828.

in 4616, the Gensu province is shaken by a powerful earthquake. It is one of several that will soon prompt Emperor Chengzu to order his Imperial Scientists to find a way to predict earthquakes. Although they work valiantly, the problem is not solved within Chengzu’s lifetime.

in 1934, Richard C. Tolman, an American physicist, discovers the phenomena he calls Time Flies; it is the noise from a parallel dimension coming through a small tear in the fabric of space/time. It leads him to the discovery of the ability to travel through these rips, and the formation of a cult based on his experiences in alternate universes.

in 1950, President Dewey, wary of tangling with the massive resources of the Chinese Communists, announces that the Americans will be withdrawing from the U.N. force battling communist aggression in Korea. The move is widely denounced by the Democrats and even by anti-communists in his own party, and his political star crashes to earth. He does not seek reelection, and the Republican candidate in 1952, Dwight Eisenhower, is unable to overcome the negative image of Republicans as quitters, in spite of his own record in World War II.

in 1971, West Pakistani troops were rescued in East Pakistan by an aerial assault on the Bengali and Indian troops holding them. West Pakistan declared war against India, and attempted to conquer the north of the country in order to have a corridor through to East Pakistan. The long conflict cost the lives of millions of Pakistanis and Indians, and only ended when the two nations were brought to the bargaining table by regional power China in 1979.

in 1972, the South Chilean reactionaries abruptly left peace negotiations in Caracoa, Venezuela, citing intransigence in the Soviet States’ position. They wanted to unify their country under a single government, while the Americans were pushing for a continuation of the divided country Chile was now, half capitalist, half communist.

in 2003, Adel Yamin, the woman who has taken up with Pope Righteous I, is seen in public for the last time. She comes into a London shop to buy clothing when a group of Estellians denounce her as a harlot. Her Templar bodyguard kills a couple of the Estellians, but the citizens in the store become enraged by this and flay her alive.

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!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Bill Of Rights Defeated; Southern Fried Possum

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had one contestant so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 15th, 2005

in 47,433 BCE, Telka the speaker is born to a small tribe in central Africa. The originator of the first conspiracy, Telka forged a pact with all of her descendants that one day they would touch the stars. Unknown to the world around them, many of her direct descendants are still working to carry out this plan.

in 1791, spirited debate in Virginia's House of Commons, at one point led by Thomas Jefferson himself, ends in a crushing defeat for the so-called Bill of Rights, 10 amendments to the Constitution intended to further protect the people from the power of the government. Since then, no amendments have been made to the document, as the land-owning voting class of America have really seen little need to change.

in 1890, the Sioux chief and holy man, Tatanka Iyotake, known to the Anglos as Sitting Bull, is killed by Canadian authorities as he calls for his people to rise up one more time against the Canadian government. When the Canadians expanded into the Dakota and Lakota territory in the middle of the century, they encountered hostilities among the Sioux led by Iyotake, and had been brutally repressive against those who followed him.

in 1915, refusing to admit defeat, the British pour troops into the meat-grinder of Gallipoli, vainly trying to force their way to Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire. Although losses among the Turks defending the peninsula were just as severe, they had no choice but to defend their home. The stalemate of Gallipoli continued to kill men with no gain or loss of ground for years into the war, and became a stunning symbol of the war's futility.

in 1945, there are riots across occupied Japan when the Allied military governor, General Douglas MacArthur, tries to abolish Shintoism in an effort to stop worship of the Japanese emperor. MacArthur is forced to call for reinforcements to quell the unrest, and is replaced as governor shortly afterwards by President Truman.

in 1961, the Architect of the New Reich, Adolf Eichmann, dies in Berlin of a heart attack. Rumors flew around the German capitol that he had been in bed with a prostitute, but they were squelched. American President Strom Thurmond sends his regrets to Fuehrer Adolf Hitler along with a note suggesting that this might be time for a warming of the cold war between the Reich and the U.S. Thurmond is being hounded on the right by American Bundists yammering to join in Hitler’s New World Order, and wishes to appear receptive to the idea.

in 1966, Laugh-O-Gram founder Walt Disney died at his home in Kansas City, Missouri. Disney and his brother Roy started an empire from a few performers telling jokes while delivering messages. Soon, his performers were singing, dancing and juggling their way into America’s hearts as the company went national. It’s performers can still be called on today to give a smile to someone who needs a pick-me-up.

in 1969, President Humphrey hosts a summit between North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, offering all the resources at America's disposal to help these two nations reconcile. Ho's death shortly after this conference scuttled hopes of a lasting peace among the Vietnamese.

in 1972, restaurateur Carl Johnson, an Alabaman born and raised during the Great Depression, brought a series of recipes from his childhood to a mass market with his chain of Southern Fried Possum stores. The spicey meat treat was surprisingly popular across the country, and Johnson was soon a multi-millionaire.

in 1978, The Soviet States of America formally recognizes the capitalist state of Brazil. America had never recognized the counter-revolutionaries who overthrew the People’s Republic of Brazil in 1959, and had armed Communist rebels in the country for nearly 15 years. Comrade President John Anderson wished to work with the capitalists of the world, though, and he felt that recognizing one of the world’s largest nations was a good step in that direction.

in 2003, the Golden City of Jesu is seen over Jerusalem, when thousands of Jewish citizens suddenly disappear. Templar aircraft dispatched to the scene burst into flames and crash as soon as they come within missile range of the city in the clouds. Word from Buckingham Cathedral states that the city is a mass hallucination caused by drugs placed in the water supply of the holy city by Estellians.

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?

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Washington Dies In Canada; Infomancy Is Born

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 6 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had one contestant so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 14th, 2005

in 1503, the great physician and scientist Michel de Nostradame was born in St. Remy, France. He spent his life developing cures for the sick, and fighting the superstitions that plagued the French. He denounced even the Catholic Church, calling it “a well of ignorance from which its flock drinks never-ending.” He is often called the Patron Saint of Atheists.

in 1799, Virginian-born rebel George Washington died in exile in Canada. After President John Jay had made peace with the British, Washington, like so many American patriots, had fled to Canada and joined up with the nationalists fighting to free that country from British rule. After the successful Canadian rebellion, they were all given homes in the northern country; Washington never accepted one, saying, “No home here can replace the one I have left behind in Virginia.” His last few months were spent fomenting rebellion among the American colonies, without much success.

in 1861, during a national day of mourning for Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert, Human League founder Lyle Fitz-Warren was stopped from blowing up Mlosh mourners outside Buckingham Palace in London.

in 1900, Max Planck unveiled his quantum theory at Berlin University. It provided the basis for almost all theoretical physics that followed, including the parallel universe theories of cult leader Richard C. Tolman.

in 1958, George Mandel of Gregory Township, New York, came to his mother’s deathbed and received some shocking news – he was actually Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr., kidnapped a quarter century earlier. Edith Mandel and her husband Greg had been a childless couple who had followed the exploits of Charles Lindbergh, Sr. with a mad passion. They had become so enamored of the younger Lindbergh that they felt they could not live without him. Mr. Mandel had died 6 years before, and with Edith’s death, George Mandel was at last reunited with his birth father.

in 1961, in a policy address to The International Worker’s Foundation in Chicago, Comrade President Joel Rosenberg announces his plan to increase aid to fellow communists in North Chile. The Chileans were fighting a reactionary insurgency from South Chile.

in 1966, a culinary treat that surprised the world was introduced at the Nouveau Chef restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Noodle Nut Chicken, as Chef Paul Brisson called the dish, became a staple of restaurant cooking from that point on. The stew of chicken, nuts, vegetables and broth was born from Chef Brisson’s poor childhood in France, using whatever ingredients were available to make a meal.

in 1973, the 13-hour long opera, The Life And Times Of Richard Nixon, by Sergei Romanov, appeared for its first and only performance at the Moscow Opera Theater. Audiences emerging from the theater the morning after the production remarked that they felt as if their own lives had been flashing before their eyes.

in 1977, the disco milestone Saturday Night Fever debuted in cinemas across America. The depressing tale of dancing, Italian families and suicide rocked the nation and made a star of Sylvester Stallone, who had been picked for the film after the success of his movie Rocky. Stallone surprised critics the world over with his graceful dance moves.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins begins working on a new form of spell-making, using computers. The Council of Wisdom is utterly opposed to this, but, as usual, she ignores them. With the aid of Alma May Watson, Chelsea develops her infomancy into an entirely new branch of witchcraft.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Today's post has an extended entry. Our future plans are to only have extended entries on some days, and in some timelines. Let us know what you think of this!

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?

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Carpenter Back At Chelsea Downs

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 1 WEEK LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had one contestant so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 13th, 2005

in 1787, Canadian nationalists beginning spreading the Set of Principles across their land. Soon, everyone in the would-be nation is familiar with the laws that the rebels are calling for, and their cause, stalled for many years, enters its final phase. The British, fearful of the democratic impulses stirred by the Principles, suppress publication of the document.

in 1861, Human League founder Brent Carpenter is spotted leaving Chelsea Downs, after returning to his home.

in 4631, cultural icon Chen Li is born in Saigon. Ethnically Chinese, Chen wrote about growing up in Vietnam, a country still shaken by the civil war the century before. Chen’s writings gave the Chinese Empire a 46th century perspective on what they had wrongly perceived to be a 45th century problem, which many Vietnamese were grateful for.

in 1937, Japanese General Matsui Iwane orders that Nanking, the Chinese capital that has fallen to his forces, be utterly destroyed in order to break the spirit of the Chinese. His superiors consider this dishonorable, and countermand him. General Matsui soon resigns from his post because of the impression among the Japanese commanders that he is far too brutal to be allowed to command.

in 1944, the Nazis dealt their most devastating blow to Allied fortunes when their Operation Grief successfully assassinated General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. His successor, Field Marshall Montgomery of Great Britain, wasn’t as successful as he had been; although he took fewer casualties than Ike, Monty had a harder time driving the Germans across Europe.

in 1950, Comrade Samuel Gompers, a great leader of the Communist Movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries, died in Washington D.C. during a speech being given in his honor at party headquarters. He was 70. Comrade President Joel Rosenberg erected a monument in his honor in 1958.

in 1968, Faisal Yassin and Wilhelm Schoemann manage to send an apple backwards in time two days. The successful experiment proved that they had been the ones who sent the apple back to themselves, and that they were on the right track. Schoemann had altered the wording of the note, though, which gave him some concern.

in 2000, 20 years after the successful colonization of the moon, a rocket ship from earth lands on Mars to begin exploration there. The American space program was moving from triumph to triumph after 40 years of uninterrupted success. The Soviet Union’s space program, beset by cost overruns and failed missions, was still struggling with launching moon missions.

in 2003, the French countryside is disturbed for miles around by the sound of moaning and wailing from the hole where the village of Jesu was. Occasional gouts of flame erupt from the site, as well. The French begin moving away from the area in droves.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Today's post has an extended entry. Our future plans are to only have extended entries on some days, and in some timelines. Let us know what you think of this!

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?

Monday, December 12, 2005

The Set Of Principles; Jesu Lifted Into The Heavens

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 8 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had one contestant so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 12th, 2005

in 1603, William Shakespeare, the actor who had provided a literary front for Francis Bacon’s work until 1599, appeared in Bacon rival Ben Jonson’s play Sejanus. It is reportedly his last appearance on stage, since Bacon refused to work with him anymore.

in 1787, Canadian nationalists meet on Prince Edward Island and draft the Set of Principles, the founding document of the nation they are trying to build. With the cessation of the war to their south, though, the struggle for Canada's independence is not going well. An appeal to France is being rebuffed, and their attempts to enlist the native population to their cause have been similarly unsuccessful.

in 1893, quintessential movie bad guy Emanual Goldenberg was born in Bucharest, Romania. After coming to the United States as a boy, Goldenberg decided to become an actor, and won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He played a series of gangsters throughout the 30’s and 40’s, but his two most famous roles are as the slave foreman Dathan in The Ten Commandments and the elderly police assistant Sol in Soylent Green, both opposite leading man John Carter.

in 1913, Italian police raid the home of waiter Vincenzo Peruggia after being tipped off that he had been one of the thieves who stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre two years before. Peruggia, however, had seen them coming, and fled with the painting. It was one of the last times that police officers came close to the painting after the famous robbery.

in 1915, Hoboken, New Jersey produced its most famous citizen, Frank Sinatra. During the 30's and 40's, Sinatra was a huge musical sensation, as well as a box office star. However, damage to his vocal chords in 1952 ended his career, and he retired to Las Vegas, where he ran the casino Frank's until his death in 1994.

in 1951, Comrade Rush Limbaugh, chief propagandist of the Voice of America radio network, was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri Soviet. Comrade Limbaugh's unceasing promotion of communism often took the form of outright lies, but as long as he was performing a service to the S.S.A., his indiscretions were overlooked.

in 1957, singer Jerry Lee Lewis arranges to marry his 13-year old cousin Myra Gale Brown, but is stopped at the alter by Jane Mitchum, whom he is still legally married to. Although Lewis was incensed at Mitchum’s interference, she probably saved his career; who would want to listen to records from a man married to a 13-year old?

in 1968, Speaker of the House Tallulah Bankhead died at her home in Washington, D.C. A film star of the 1930’s and 40’s, Bankhead followed her father into politics when her career stalled in 1945. She won election to the House of Representatives in 1946, representing Los Angeles. She was elected Speaker of the House in 1964, and held the post until her death four years later.

in 2002, Dr. Courtney and Professor Thomas' spacecraft finally entered earth's solar system. After a successful landing back at their base, Professor Thomas slipped away and has not been seen since. Dr. Courtney discouraged the Air Force from looking for him, saying, “He's done his duty to queen, country and planet. Leave him the hell alone.”

in 2003, the entire village of Jesu, France, is lifted into the heavens. Witnesses said that in the morning, the city glowed with a golden light, and then started its ascent. By noon, the city was enveloped in clouds, and no longer visible. Airplanes sent by the Templars were unable to penetrate the clouds to find the city.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins creates another room in the Great Tree. It is the first addition to her ancestral home in almost 60 years, and it has taken her days to prepare. The room has power conduits that she can plug a computer into, as well as a connection to the Internet. When she plugs her PC into the outlets, the Tree shudders for a moment, but then quiets down.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Today's post has no extended entry. Our future plans are to only have extended entries on some days, and in some timelines. Let us know what you think of this!

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?

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Canadians Attack British; Martian Summer

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 2005, 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've only had one entry so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 11th, 2005

in 1718, King Charles XII of Sweden was shot in the head by a Norwegian assassin. Although he survived, his mental capacity afterwards was that of a child, and his sister, Ulrika Eleanora, ruled in his place. In 1725, after hearing of the medical miracles that the Mlosh were capable of, she contacted the Mlosh colony ship in Germany and asked for a physician to come to her court. He cured Charles, and Ulrika turned the crown back over to him. The grateful king declared that any Mlosh who desired Swedish citizenship was welcome within his borders.

in 1777, while British troops are occupied with keeping American rebel George Washington from reaching Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Canadian nationalists attacked British positions across Quebec, causing Lord Cornwallis to pull some of his troops from the American theatre and devote them to containing the Canadians.

in 1882, physicist Max Born was born in Breslau, Germany. The Nobel Prize-winning scientist became enamored of the parallel universe cult of Richard Tolman in the 1930’s, and went to America to join it. Like so many other scientists who joined the cult, his mysterious disappearance in 1955 was never solved.

in 1936, Pope Edward VIII abdicates his position. He had fallen in love with a Protestant woman, a woman he was forbidden by Church law to marry. Rather than simply use her as a mistress, he showed his love by giving up the Holy British Empire for her.

in 1941, Hitler enrages his Japanese allies by refusing to declare war on the United States. He reasons, cannily, that if America can be kept out of the European theater, he would be free to take the continent and consolidate his power while the Americans were being kept busy in Asia by the Japanese. He reasoned correctly, as it turned out, and was soon impregnable in his Fortress Europe.

in 1956, the Hays Office is closed, and Hollywood is freed from moral restrictions as to movie content. Almost immediately, films appear which do such things as mention abortion, or prostitution, or even – shocking though it may seem today - show glimpses of nudity! When this glut of filth hit the market, Congress enacted the Decency Code of 1957, which has banned all controversial material from films shown in America. For some reason, the movie industry went into something of a decline after this.

in 1968, German scientist Wilhelm Schoemann and his colleague, Palestinian scientist Faisal Yassin, are surprised by the appearance of an apple in their laboratory.

in 1985, the reactionary anarchist known only as The Unabomber claims his first victim, a young comrade working in a computer store in Sacramento, California Soviet. Over the years he is able to avoid authorities, he becomes a sort of folk hero to the fledgling anarchy movement in the Pacific Northwest, who proudly disdain the advances of Communist life such as computers and cars.

in 1997, a federal judge orders the software company Microsoft not to bundle its internet browser Internet Explorer within Windows. The move towards greater protection of smaller software companies starts the long process of Microsoft’s decline; by 2001, Microsoft’s Windows software is only the 3rd-most popular PC operating system.

in 1998, the Mars Climate Observer was launched towards the red planet. Once safely in orbit around Mars, it began sending back data that excited all of the scientists at NASA, and indeed, astronomers around the world – Mars was warming up!

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?

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Death Is Born

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had one entry so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 10th, 2005

in 1287, Mikhail von Heflin was born in the Bohemian city of Prague.

in 1524, Pope Henry VIII has German monk Martin Luther burned at the stake for daring to question his practice of selling absolution. Luther had attempted to rouse his countrymen against the corruption in the Holy British Empire by publishing a list of theses against the English Church. Unfortunately for him, Pope Henry had become intolerant of the various Protestant movements.

in 1778, New York Judge John Jay is elected to the presidency of the Continental Congress in spite of his ambivalence towards American independence. During his tenure, he steers the revolution to a sort of detente, with the colonies of the United States gaining great autonomy, but remaining within the British Empire. The British were eager to make peace with the Americans, since the Canadian nationalists were causing much more trouble, and they needed to reroute resources to that fight.

in 1817, the Chippewa people joined the North American Confederation, extending the great nation halfway across the continent. With the addition of the Mississippi River to their lands, the N.A.C. had millions of acres of good farm land, and this marked the beginning of their rise as a great power in the world.

in 1869, Wyoming becomes the first state to grant men the right to vote. President Victoria Woodhull calls it a mistake, noting that “the savage nature of our beloved men little lends itself to the careful consideration that politics requires.”

in 1901, the first Nobel Prizes were handed out in Stockholm, Sweden, honoring the most successful warriors and weapons-makers in the world. Nobel, who had been a pacifist much of his life, had become slightly deranged after a French newspaper had called him “The merchant of death,” and devoted his considerable fortune after his passing to enriching those who caused war.

in 1963, a tragic scenario played out as the worlds of crime and entertainment mixed. Frank Sinatra, Jr., son of the celebrated singer, was kidnapped at gunpoint as he was staying at Harrah’s Casino, and driven to California. The elder Sinatra received the call from the kidnappers, and offered to pay them the $250,000 they were asking. Unfortunately, once the money changed hands, the kidnappers shot father and son, ending the life of the legend and reducing the younger Sinatra to a paraplegic.

in 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., in an attempt to make the majority of Americans realize the plight being faced by African and Semitic people across the globe, leads the march of hundreds of thousands of people on Washington, D.C. Although entirely peaceful, President Strom Thurmond has the National Guard keep its guns trained on the march throughout the long, cold day.

in 1977, during International Human Rights Day, Comrade President John Anderson orders the arrest of counter-revolutionary dissidents who had staged a sit-in protest in the Washington Mall. The move is a black eye for the Soviet States in world opinion, especially considering Comrade Anderson's growing reputation for making peace with his enemies.

in 4699, the Chdo Democracy makes contact with the Keltav people of the Qui galaxy, almost two million light-years distant. The Keltav have apparently developed a powerful drive that is able to travel through higher dimensions. Relations have been peaceful, so far. Some Keltavan ships have arrived in this galaxy, but they are mainly explorers.

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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Friday, December 09, 2005

Pedro The Cruel Born; Virginia McMath Debuts

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 11 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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!

December 9th, 2005

in 795, Pedro the Cruel, last of the Christian rulers of Portugal, was born in Lisbon. His harsh actions against those who committed the slightest infraction against his law, coupled with his disregard of the Christian Pope, led to a popular uprising against him, with the support of the Espanish Caliphs.

in 1625, The Netherlands and Great Britain sign a military treaty ensuring mutual aid in case of attack. The Dutch had just thrown off Spanish rule and were keen to have a powerful ally in the British. After the Mlosh colonization of the next century, the relationship became even closer; the two nations had virtually open borders to each other throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and English became an unofficial second language in The Netherlands.

in 12-10-9-4-2, Incan forces drive off the Yanomami of the eastern jungles. The Yanomami had been raiding them for years, armed and aided by Oueztecan nobles unhappy at the imperial direction Inca had taken in recent years. Since there was no official action from the Oueztecan emperor, the Incans could not declare war against their larger neighbor.

in 1835, Texican forces suffered a terrible loss in their war for independence when Benjamin Milam was defeated and captured in a battle for the city of San Antonio de Bexar. Santa Ana, ruler of Mexico, had Milam taken under guard to Mexico City. In a daring raid, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie attacked the convoy carrying Milam and freed him.

in 1912, Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. O’Neill served as Speaker when Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976, but was so uncooperative that President Carter persuaded Democrats in Congress to dump him in the mid-term elections of 1978, replacing him with Texas Congressman Jim Wright.

in 1929, future film star Virginia McMath makes her debut on Broadway in Top Speed. The epitome of beauty and grace, Miss McMath was best known for her pairings with dancer Frederic Austerlitz in such musicals as The Gay Divorcee and Shall We Dance?. The two moved as if they had been born to dance together.

in 1958, Indianapolis businessman Robert Welch tries to start up an anti-communist club he calls The John Birch Society, named after a young man who died in the Korean War. But, the meeting is broken up by police who had been told that radicals were plotting to bomb the local courthouse. Welch's somewhat hysterical rantings in court didn't aid his cause, and the JBS never advanced beyond him.

in 2002, Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin both rejoin the crew of their spacecraft, after recovering from alien possession.

in 2003, Pope Righteous I steps up his campaign against the Estellians with a raid on her birthplace in France, the village of Jesu. They meet with unexpectedly harsh resistance amid a terrible thunderstorm; lightning strikes kill hundreds of Templars, and they are forced to withdraw from the village.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins' studies inside the Great Tree accelerate as the Tree itself seems to give her knowledge. Her father's texts make more sense to her now than they ever did before. Alma May Watson is almost lost as to what to teach the young lady next; she reports to the Council of Wisdom that Terrence Perkins' faith in his daughter did not seem misplaced.

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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Thursday, December 08, 2005

Queen Mary Born; Lennon's Life Changes

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 12 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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!

December 8th, 2005

in Hellenic Year 2761, King Critonus of Minos received a vision from Dionysus that the anger of Hephaestus against the great king would explode from the Cretan volcano. Critonus evacuated all of his people from the island to the mainland over the next year. Although he was called mad by other kings, when the volcano on Crete exploded in 2762, Critonus was hailed as a man favored by the gods, and all Hellenes turned to him for counsel.

in 1542, Mary, Queen of Scotland, England and France, was born in Linlithgow Palace. A canny and opportunistic politician, Queen Mary used her marriage to the French King to claim the throne of that country when he died in 1560, and assumed the Scottish throne by right of blood. When her cousin Queen Elizabeth of England faltered slightly, Mary used a combination of military and political pressure to force her from power and added the English Crown to her possessions.

in 1775, General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold attack the city of Quebec in Canada. Colonel Arnold's bold strategy overcomes the city's sparse defenses and spurs a general movement towards the American revolution in their northern neighbors. Soon, the British have a Canadian nationalist movement to contend with, as well, one which they are unable to contain.

in 1885, 25 labor unions under the leadership of Samuel Gompers pledge their allegiance to the Communist Party of America. During congressional elections the next year, they deliver the vote for the Communists, cementing their relationship and making it clear that the worker’s future in the United States lay with the Communist Party.

in 1941, after an impassioned speech by pacifist Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin, Congress votes not to declare war against Japan, in spite of the horrific attack against Pearl Harbor the day before. Economic sanctions are put in place against the Japanese Empire, and American defenses are shored up. Japan does not attack America again, and the isolationists claim victory in keeping America from becoming entangled in foreign affairs.

in 1969, President Humphrey oversees the withdrawal of the last American soldiers from Vietnam. Although the fragile peace negotiated by President Lyndon Johnson the year before would be shattered the next decade, the tiny southeast Asian country ends the 60's at peace for the first time since World War II.

in 1980, the suicide of a deranged fan directly in front of him causes former Beatle John Lennon to reassess his life. He releases one last album, then tells the press that, “Life's not about all this junk. Life's in your family, and in your friends.” Shortly after that, he reconciles with his old friend Paul McCartney and takes a more active role in his oldest son's rearing. He becomes an advocate for many family-friendly causes, and even receives a medal from President Ronald Reagan for his work.

in 2003, Estelle Gerard appears as a full-grown woman to a crowd in Piccadilly Circle in London. At her side are a pair of angels. She speaks to the crowd for almost an hour while the angels keep a squad of Templars at bay. When she finishes her speech, she announces, “Now, all who wish to meet my father, take my hand.” Hundreds in the crowd, and a few Templars, rush forward, and all disappear when they touch Gerard’s hand.

in 2004, with the assistance of Alma May Watson, Chelsea Perkins makes a sacrifice to the Great Tree.

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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Wednesday, December 07, 2005

A Day Of Infamy

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: One of today's entries has something a little different, a link to a longer document which gives more space to the entry. Please let us know if you like that by leaving a comment or emailing us.

December 7th, 2005

in 1936, a visit from a mysterious stranger changes Japan's direction.

in 1941, a large Japanese strike force falls on Thailand, after American warnings to leave southeast Asia alone fail to persuade them. Although President Roosevelt wanted to join in the war against the Japanese and Germans, the lack of any direct threat to the U.S. kept him out.

in 1941, in spite of Japan's best interests, the national leadership goes ahead with an attack on the Americans at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, drawing the great power into the war. The Presence had worked on them for some time to make them do this; the alien forces felt that Japan was growing too powerful in the world.

in 1941, Imperial Japanese forces invade the Aleutian Islands. Throughout the 30’s, they had gobbled up smaller nations in the Pacific Community of Trade, and they had finally decided the time was right to attack the Soviet States of America. This proved to be their undoing, as the remaining members of the Community of Trade threw themselves against the empire and its reactionary allies, defeating them in 1946.

in 1941, a combined force of naval and air power from the empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After seeing how unprepared the Americans were for attack, the Japanese invaded the western coast of the country at the end of the year, making America fight a defensive struggle on its own shores. The Axis powers of Germany and Italy conquered Europe and Africa, and Japan, although eventually repelled from North America, ruled the Pacific. The western hemisphere was economically and politically isolated from the east.

in 12-16-7-16-13, Nipponese forces strike out against the Incan capital in Teutehuanoco. For several years, the combined Inca-Oueztecan Empire had been making inroads across the ocean, and the Nipponese people felt that they could halt their disintegrating influence with military power. They were wrong; the war against them ended in their utter annihilation.

in 2694 AUC, the Roman Republic launched a sneak attack against the tiny island nation of Nippon in Asia. The heavily fortified island nation had been threatening the Chinese allies of Rome for a decade, and had recently invaded the province of Manchuria. The Republic couldn’t stand idly by anymore, and its forces attacked Kyoto; the war was over by the end of the next year, and Nippon was contained.

in 4637, Japan, which had been providing material and logistic support to nations attacked by the American Empire in South America, was attacked in the morning by a naval assault squadron. Unprepared for the attack, Japan lost thousands in Okinawa, and declared war against the American Empire the next day.

in 1941, Pearl Harbor, in the Hawaiian Protectorate, was attacked by heathen Shinto from the Japanese Empire. Pope George VI of the Holy British Empire declared a Crusade against them the next day, and all of Christendom attacked the island nation and its Buddhist allies in Asia. The Holy World War led to the establishment of Christian nations across Asia and the Pacific.

in 1941, Neville Chamberlain, fresh from negotiating peace in Europe, declared peace in Asia, as well. He successfully negotiated the Japanese pullout from China on this date. Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1937 until his death in March of 1942, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his Herculean efforts to promote peace in office.

in 1941, the Japanese High Command overrules the decision to attack the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, reasoning that they don't need to provoke America into joining the war against them. Instead, the Emperor sends an invitation to the American president to come visit Japan and see the wonders of the Empire. President Wilkie was charmed by the Asian nation, and kept America out of the war while it conquered the Asian continent.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 13 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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?

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Edison's Singing Debut; The Altamont Disaster

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: One of today's entries has something a little different, a link to a longer document which gives more space to the entry. Please let us know if you like that by leaving a comment or emailing us.

December 6th, 2005

in 4225, master explorer Chang Shiao reached the Yucatanian Gulf after a nearly year-long voyage from his home port in the Chinese Empire. His encounter with the Oueztecan Empire there led to a diplomatic mission that forged a great alliance across the ocean between the Chinese and the Oueztecans.

in 1537, the Templars of Pope Henry VIII surround and capture Cardinal Clement, “Pope” of the Reborn Roman Church. Vowing to never receive judgement from man, Clement kills himself by leaping from a tower in Rome. The RRC is unable to maintain cohesion without Clement, and soon becomes a footnote in the history of the Holy British Empire.

in 1793, Madame Jeanne du Barry, who had been mistress to the former king, was dragged before the Parisian mob to be executed at the guillotine. She made an appeal to the crowd, calling upon their mercy and relating her own tale of woe as a poor child who had been used by men throughout her life. Moved to pity, the crowd surged forward and rescued her from the executioner. She went into exile in Great Britain, and founded a home for wayward girls there.

in 1809, the Republic of Eire (Ireland) signs a treaty with Great Britain ending the 4-year long War of Irish Independence. Because the Irish Mlosh had been very influential in the war, many British humans harbored ill will towards the aliens; this led to the founding of several anti-Mlosh racist organizations, including, ultimately, the Human League.

in 1863, with the Southern Rebellion subdued, President Walt Whitman secured ratification of the 13th Amendment, ending slavery within the United States, and guaranteeing economic equality and freedom for all Americans, regardless of ethnicity, gender, philosophy or religion. The 13th Amendment stood as the greatest achievement of the Communist Party until President Haywood’s Community of Trade united oppressed workers across the world in brotherhood.

in 1877, Thomas Edison used an Eddie hooked up to a phonograph machine to play a record of himself singing Mary Had A Little Lamb.

in 1969, the Gathering Moss gave a free concert at the Altamont Speedway near San Francisco, California, that went horribly wrong. 4 of their fans were killed in the chaos of the night, including one who was stabbed within sight of the stage. The Moss were unaware of what was going on, and continued playing, seemingly uncaring of the misery and death around them. The concert became a symbol, somewhat undeservedly, of 60’s hedonism gone wrong.

in 1980, a church secretary who had overheard televangelist Jim Bakker arrange a liaison with secretary Jessica Hahn called the local news station and told them where to find the pair that evening. When reporters burst in on Hahn and Bakker in a sexual tryst, Bakker’s church empire was ruined, and all television evangelists sank in popularity.

in 2002, Dr. Courtney receives a communication from the Air Force pilots he had sent on ahead to earth – they were delayed by a rescue mission of their own, and are on their way to rendezvous with him. With his fleet finally reassembled, Dr. Courtney sets course for earth, at last.

in 2004, Elsbeth Danwich pays another visit to the Great Tree, and calls out Chelsea Perkins. Danwich has heard of Miss Perkins' appearance before the Council of Wisdom, and congratulates her on her manner. “You remind me of myself as a young girl,” Danwich says, hoping to flatter Perkins. When Miss Perkins makes a disparaging remark about that being a century ago, Danwich flies into a rage and uses a Demon-Touched Pebble to try to kill Perkins. The Great Tree protects her and drives off Danwich, but its power is diminished by the attack.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 14 DAYS LEFT!! 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?

Monday, December 05, 2005

Mozart Poisoned; Prohibition Ends

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: One of today's entries has something a little different, a link to a longer document which gives more space to the entry. Please let us know if you like that by leaving a comment or emailing us.

December 5th, 2005

in 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a minor composer living in Vienna, Austria, was poisoned by Court Composer Antonio Salieri. The crazed Salieri claimed that Mozart had been the voice of God, and the court composer went insane from jealousy over it. Austrian Emperor Joseph II reluctantly committed his favorite composer to an insane asylum for the rest of his days.

in 1842, famed French ballerina Ki’Ktoma dies in Paris. One of the first Mlosh generation born on earth, Ki’Ktoma had fallen in love with human music and demonstrated a grace that was, literally, out of this world. Her performances were famed throughout Europe, and she danced until she was nearly 100 years old, giving her final performance in 1818 in Paris.

in 1902, President Strom Thurmond was born in South Carolina. During the period when the KKK forbade its membership from joining the American Bund, Thurmond was the only choice for American voters unwilling to allow the influence of the German New Reich into American politics; the lesser of two evils.

in 1929, the American League for Physical Culture spread their German nudist philosophy to the United States. The small club of nudists founded in Peekskill, New York soon became a larger club with chapters across the country. The philosophy of naturalism has become so common that clothing is entirely optional in most places in America.

in 1933, Utah State Representative Beauregard T. Jackson casts the deciding vote to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, ending Prohibition.

in 1945, a Naval squadron of planes, on a training mission off the coast of Florida, disappears. Richard Tolman, cult-leading physicist, says that he can find them using his technique of searching parallel dimensions. After fruitless days of searching, the Navy turns to him, and he is able to bring the squadron back out of the parallel universe they had fallen into. News of this is quickly suppressed.

in 1956, Thornton Wilder’s dark, surreal tragedy Matchmaker debuts on Broadway in New York City. The questioning of gender roles that comprise the core of the play almost got it banned from the stage, but more recent audiences have hailed it as ground-breaking.

in 1978, the Soviet States of America and the island nation of Jamaica sign a “friendship treaty”, renewing the ties that the two nations had enjoyed under the old Community of Trade. It unfortunately draws the S.S.A. into Jamaica's civil war which erupts the next year, and proves disastrous for America's international position.

in 2002, just as Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin are about to destroy the ship carrying them, Dr. Courtney and several Air Force crewmen, an alien vessel appears alongside the craft and beams several people in. They are able to subdue Thomas and Laughlin, and assist in repairing the ship. Dr. Courtney thanks them profusely in their native tongue, and sets course back for earth.

in 2003, a crowd of Londoners sees Estelle Gerard walking across the Thames to save a man who had been thrown in by Templars. As she holds the man in her arms, she stands on the water and preaches the famous Sermon on the Thames to the astonished crowd. Even the Templars watching from the banks are moved by her beautiful words, and all become her new followers. Each day, the rank of the Estellians grows, and Pope Righteous I will soon attempt to put a stop to that.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 15 DAYS LEFT!! 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?

Sunday, December 04, 2005

The Quaker Gun Trick Backfires

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: One of today's entries has something a little different, a link to a longer document which gives more space to the entry. Please let us know if you like that by leaving a comment or emailing us.

December 4th, 2005

in 47,538 BCE, a young boy of the tribe of Tikal asked his chieftain to explain where the rains came from. It was a lazy night, and the tribe was gathered about Tikal, listening. For a moment, Tikal thought about lying to the boy and telling him that powerful people in the sky cried huge tears that fell on them, but instead just said that he didn’t know, and told the boy that he should find out. The science that grew out of this moment has defined the human race; there is no way to speculate what may have happened to us if we had started believing in super-powerful cloud-beings.

in 1780, Colonel William Washington attempts to use a Quaker gun trick, fashioning a fake cannon from a pine log, to fool South Carolinian Loyalist Colonel Rowland Rugely and his men out of a barn in Camden, South Carolina. Rugely had been on the verge of surrender when one of his men got a good look at the “cannon”, and the enraged Loyalist ordered his men to take no prisoners. This victory for the British cause brought Rugely to the attention of brutal British Colonel Banastre Tarleton, who used Rugely to great effect in many later battles.

in 1861, Human League terrorists Lyle Fitz-Warren and Brent Carpenter were spotted arguing at a café in Amsterdam.

in 1872, the Mary Celeste, an American ship under the command of Captain Benjamin Briggs, limps into the Azores after taking on a considerable amount of water. They had been through a storm, pirates and a minor mutiny, and Captain Briggs was happy to see land; there had been points of this voyage when he had despaired of ever seeing it again.

in 1918, the presence of American President Woodrow Wilson at the peace talks in Versailles allowed the Americans to push through a treaty that called for what was considered in western Europe as insignificant reparations from the Central Powers. The Germans were particularly grateful to the U.S. for this, and became close allies in later years.

in 1921, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was found guilty of rape and manslaughter in the death of young actress Virginia Rappe. Known for his wild parties, Arbuckle had gone too far in a gin-fueled orgy earlier in the year and the young lady died of a ruptured bladder a few days later. Although Arbuckle had used all his considerable charm on the jury, they believed the prosecution and he was sentenced to life in prison.

in 1397, Bokassa of the heathen Empire of Central Africa crowned himself Emperor. The lavish ceremony in the impoverished nation enraged the populace and led to a revolt against Bokassa, which the Islamic nations surrounding the Empire were all too happy to assist with. Bokassa was overthrown a mere 8 months after declaring himself emperor.

in 1984, embracing President Carter's alternative energy initiatives, General Motors announces that all of its engines from now on will be the bio-diesel variety. With only slight modifications, the diesel engine they have made for decades can run on vegetable oil, producing significantly less pollution. GM's move puts the nail in the coffin for OPEC's control of the world's energy sources.

in 2002, Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin, under the control of some sort of alien creature, begin taking over the ship that Dr. Courtney and his Air Force crew are attempting to repair. Over the course of the day, the possessed pair attack and kill two crewmen and sabotage many vital areas of the ship. Dr. Courtney is able to repair the communications, and sends out a distress signal.

in 2003, the College of Cardinals gathers at Buckingham Cathedral in a secret meeting to discuss the ouster of Pope Righteous I. Such a rebellion has not been attempted in hundreds of years, but the cardinals are deathly afraid of the black pope, as the Estellians have started calling him. Unfortunately for them, they are discovered; most flee, but over a dozen are executed as heretics by Pope Righteous the next day.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 16 DAYS LEFT!! 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?

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Bright New Day In Italy; Civil War In Greece

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: One of today's entries has something a little different, a link to a longer document which gives more space to the entry. Please let us know if you like that by leaving a comment or emailing us.

December 3rd, 2005

in 1469, Piero de Medici, vampire lord of Florence, was staked by Venetian vampire hunters Luciano Roma and Giuseppe Scamardo. His long, undead reign of the city was ended, and the still-living citizens of Florence joined the vampire hunting pair in eradicating Medici’s spawn. It was a bright new day in Italy.

in 1776, after the devastation of New Jersey by British troops unchecked by rebel General George Washington, the Continental Congress voted to surrender to the British. They could no longer withstand the horrors that the redcoats were subjecting the colonies to, and decided that it was time to spare their fellow countrymen from further British atrocities. Many rebels headed west to escape British justice, and continued to harass the colonies for years after.

in 1829, George McClellan, Union general and United States President, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a general, McClellan opposed using overwhelming force against the rebellious Confederacy, and as President, he brought them to the peace table to negotiate the division of the country. His containment of the south in their original 11 states let the United States expand to the west; and now, while the Confederacy is barely even a third world nation, the U.S. has the respect of the world.

in 1901, young Teddy Roosevelt, bare months after taking over from deceased President William McKinley, lays out a tepid anti-trust strategy to the House of Representatives, urging that they keep their trust laws “within reasonable limits.” It was exactly this sort of timidity in office that led the Congress to run roughshod over his presidency, and doomed him to the footnotes of history.

in 1944, a civil war erupts in Greece, just freed from Nazi rule by partisans and Allied forces. Communists of the National Liberation Front, who controlled most of the country, ousted their former allies, the Democratic National Army, whose hope of British support went unfulfilled. After a brief struggle, the DNA surrendered and Greece became the first of many independent communist nations in Europe.

in 1962, a confidential report from the Pentagon informs Comrade President Hall of the unexpected strength of the Guerrillo reactionaries in South Chile. If Soviet American forces are pulled out of North Chile, the Pentagon warned, it would fall to the capitalists within a year. Comrade Hall, in spite of his desire to reduce American troop commitments outside of the country, reluctantly agrees to increase support to the weak North Chilean Communists.

in 1984, a huge disaster was narrowly averted in Bhopal, India, when Union Carbide personnel noticed a leak developing in their plant and quickly rushed to plug it. An investigation by Indian officials determined that all of Bhopal, a city of 1 million people, would have been at risk if the leak had continued. New safety regulations were forced on all chemical plants in the country after this near-disaster.

in 1999, comedic great Madeline Wolfson died in New York City of ovarian cancer, which she had been battling for some months. The hilarious actress was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress twice in one year, for her roles in Paper Moon and in Blazing Saddles. She is missed by all who loved classy, beautiful, funny women.

in 2002, the hyper-dimensional drive on the spacecraft being flown by Dr. Courtney cuts out. The ship begins to drift. While they still have momentum and are moving forward, they are unable to make any course corrections. They still have some power, but, for all intents and purposes, have been turned into a ghost ship.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins visits the Council of Wisdom.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 17 DAYS LEFT!! 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?

Friday, December 02, 2005

Tom Pardue's Comeuppance

December 2nd, 2005

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: One of today's entries has something a little different, a link to a longer document which gives more space to the entry. Please let us know if you like that by leaving a comment or emailing us.

in 1603, As You Like It, a clever comedy of sexual ambiguity, was performed at the Earl of Pemboke’s home. The author, Francis Bacon, directed the play himself, with the actor who had been his literary cover, William Shakespeare, playing a small role in the production. Tension between the two almost boiled over into a fist fight, as Shakespeare missed the prestige he had as an “author”.

in 1822, the legislature of the tiny Central American nation of El Salvador votes to incorporate into the United States of America. When the U.S. Congress agrees in 1824, the Latin American nation becomes the U.S. toehold in the region; this leads in later years to the establishment of Communist governments throughout the American hemisphere, with the creation of the Community of Trade by President Haywood.

in 1904, a second message pod from the expedition to the Mlosh homeworld reaches our solar system. The contents of this one are not released; the Science Ministry goes into a closed-door session to discuss the information contained in the pod.

in 1952, George and Ethel Landermeyer of Poughkeepsie, New York, became the first couple to have the birth of their child broadcast on television. This shocked the nation so much that a federal law was enacted to keep cameras away from delivery rooms from that point on.

in 1983, the television channel MTV, dedicated to airing rock and roll music videos, showed a video by singer Michael Jackson entitled Thriller. The overly long production, although featuring scintillating choreography and a catchy tune, totally failed to catch on with audiences, and soon disappeared from the airwaves. Jackson complained that MTV should have aired it on Halloween, a time when the subject matter of the video might have more appeal, but the network blamed Jackson’s overbloated production for the video’s failure.

in 1985, the United States landed a man on Mars, right on schedule. The NASA space program had moved from triumph to triumph since the moon landings in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and the building of a working space station in 1973 had laid the groundwork for travel to other worlds within the solar system. Gary Davis, the first man on Mars, had been a teenager during the moon landings, and remembered vividly the sight of Jim Lovell walking on the moon during the successful Apollo 13 mission; it had inspired him to become an astronaut himself in America’s thriving astronaut corps.

in 1990, following the long power struggle after Adolf Hitler’s death, Albert Speer seizes the reigns of power in the New Reich. The power of the Reich in Eurasia and Africa is challenged only meekly by the few remaining independent nations of the western hemisphere. The United States of America had openly thrown its support behind the Reich’s aims, and Canada would soon follow. The only major power in the hemisphere to still oppose the Nazi domination of the planet was Brazil.

in 2002, Dr. Courtney broadcasts a message to earth to let them know that they have Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin, and are on their way back. Thomas and Laughlin, after being checked out in the sick bay, are allowed to go back to their quarters. Instead, the pair go the spacecraft's engines and attach a small device that Laughlin had brought in with him from the planet.

in 2003, Pope Righteous I has a young maid executed at Buckingham Cathedral. The maid had reportedly found him in flagrante delicto with a woman of ill repute. During the televised execution, she called upon God, Jesus Christ and Estelle Gerard to save her. At the moment when flames engulfed her body, an angel was seen soaring down from the heavens to lift her up and carry her away.

in 2004, Tom Pardue receives his comeuppance.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 18 DAYS LEFT!! 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?

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Le Musee De Cire; Holy British Crusade

December 1st, 2005

in 1761, the evil genius known only as Madame Tussaud was born in Paris, France. Throughout her gruesome life, she delighted in dipping things in wax; as she grew older, the thrill diminished until she began turning the citizens of Paris into “lifelike” statues in her macabre Musee de Cire. She was only halted by the French Revolution, else her museum might have claimed more innocent victims.

in 1824, the U.S. House of Representatives takes up the matter of the presidential stalemate between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. With no candidate receiving a majority of the electoral votes, wrangling over votes in the House became intense, and several deals were struck that were later reneged on. In the end, the Representatives gave the election to the candidate who came in 3rd, as Jackson's and Adams' supporters were unable to secure a majority for their men. William Crawford, still recovering from a stroke, became the 6th President of the United States.

in 1884, Anglo cowboys killed Hispano deputy Elfego Baca in Frisco, New Mexico. The cowboys from Texas had been terrorizing the local population for some months, brutally attacking Hispanos without reprisal. Baca took a sand against them, killing one and wounding several others before they were able to corner him in a small house and shoot him dead. Enraged by the murder of a deputy, the Hispano population, with sympathetic Anglos, took up guns and wiped out the cowboy outlaws.

in 1890, the French-British Channel city was founded. Atlan as it was known, was the brainchild of French architect Simone L’Tig’gha, a Mlosh genius who had embraced both sides of the English Channel and drew citizens from both countries to his vision. Tragically, Atlan was destroyed in the seismic disasters of the early 90’s, and virtually all of its population was lost beneath the waves.

in 4608, Imperial Architect Minoru Yamasaki was born on the island of Nippon. As a young boy, his talent was recognized by teachers who brought him to the attention of the Imperial Governor. Minoru’s work for the Governor caught the eye of Emperor Dao-Ming, who brought him to work in the Forbidden City. Much of Beijing is Minoru’s work.

in 1934, Socialist Party Representative Hamilton Fish of New York is murdered in his Washington office by unknown assailants. Comrade Fish had been one of the most vocal critics of his fellow Socialist, President Franklin Roosevelt, and many among the nation's elite suspected the assassination to be part of a plot by Roosevelt to silence his critics. This sort of suspicion was part of the reason Comrade Roosevelt only served one term as president.

in 1953, Playboy, a men's magazine advertised as a lifestyle magazine, hits the stands of America. With a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe on the cover, and even more nudes inside, it produces a firestorm of scandal. Monroe's career is very nearly ruined, and enraged communities across the nation ban it. Publisher Hugh Hefner is even attacked in the streets of Chicago and beaten to death by a mob of outraged fundamentalist Christians, effectively ending the magazine's brief attempt to loosen America's heavily starched collar.

in 2002, Dr. Courtney, Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin all return to the quarantine area where their Air Force crew has been anxiously waiting. “Let's get the hell out of here,” Dr. Courtney says, heading to their ship and powering it up quickly. They depart the planet with an escort of armed ships at their back.

in 2003, a call went out across the Holy British Empire for a great force of men, 200 million strong, to fight the enemies of Christendom. Pope Righteous I sent a recorded message to every country that followed the cross and asked them to pledge their armies to this holy crusade. Since most nations followed the cross, they did as he commanded. Righteous now had an army larger than any other on the earth.

in 2004, the Council of Wisdom takes up the matter of Chelsea Perkins after hearing Alma May Watson's latest report. It seems to them that Miss Perkins has a definite taste and talent for the darker side of their craft, and they find it very troubling. After a tense debate, they decide to allow Miss Perkins to continue her studies, but place restrictions on her materials.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 19 DAYS LEFT!! 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?

Saturday, December 31, 2005

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