Phineas Quimby's Ways; Symbionese Liberation

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: We are holding another contest! Please send us entries for an Alternate Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2006. Enter now - deadline will be February 10th! Just 1 week left! (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

February 4th, 2006

in 1003 Post-Creation, before a crowd of partial-angels and some full angels, Lucifer speaks of his years cut off from the love of the Creator, and how, at the time, he came to realize that his dreams of Heavenly conquest were madness; “I told the Creator I would rather serve in Heaven than reign over the Abyss; now I feel differently.”

in 1587, Italian playwright and composer Claudio Monteverdi, realized he had made a mistake translating a Greek word while he was in the middle of attempting a recreation of classic Greek theater. He had thought that the Greeks sung their entire performance – but the word he had mistranslated meant spoke. It was a good thing he had discovered his error early on – otherwise he might have produced an entire play where nothing was spoken, only sung.

in 1866, faith healer Mary Baker Eddy begins to tout the spiritual healing techniques of her mentor, Phineas Quimby. She feels that simply reading from a Bible will cure all ills and heal wounds. This theory is found sorely lacking a few weeks later, when she dies after a fall on an icy road.

in 1904, Ambassador Li’Kanto’Mk of the Congress of Nations is brought before Q’B’Ton’ra, the ruler of the Mlosh homeworld. The officers of his ship stand with him, and Q’B’Ton’ra has a special interest in the humans. “They will make excellent slaves,” he says, examining them. “Strong, unlike our people. Stupid, like yours.” The ship’s crew is thrown into a holding cell; on the way there, they see a massive fleet being prepared.

in 1295, Agha Mohammed Khan, great Moghul of the Indian people, was born in Peshawar. He led one of the largest nations in Islam for 20 years, and transformed much of Asia into a home for the word of the Prophet.

in 1918, a storm hits the Caesar Augustus as it plies the Atlantic, heading for Great Britain. Milo Cranston uses the cover of the storm to sneak into the cabin of Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter and examine their belongings as they sleep. He finds a small gem that seems to have a person carved inside it in Porter's bags, and he takes that gem with him as he leaves their quarters.

in 1969, Wilhelm Schoemann finds himself in the alternate universe he has helped neo-Nazis create. He has decided to look up his doppelganger and see what he would have done had he been on the victorious end of a war. The devastation that he sees his double has caused brings him to the brink of suicidal despair.

in 1974, the laughably inept band of would-be revolutionaries known as the Symbionese Liberation Army tried to kidnap heiress Patty Hearst in Berkeley, California. When they showed up at her apartment, though, they found no one – Hearst had gone to Beverly Hills for the weekend on a whim, and stayed with friends through Tuesday. They were arrested at the apartments after a neighbor heard them break in.

in 1985, Congressmen of the Constitutionalist Party introduce the Alien Sedition Amendment in their first full session in complete control of both houses. They fail to get the 2/3 majority needed for the amendment to pass, but they have hopes that they can bring it back on a later date.

in 2003, in the closing days of the Northwestern Insurrection, the Washington Soviet launches a nuclear missile at troops stationed in Sacramento, California Soviet. The former capitol of California is utterly destroyed, and many leaders of the Soviet States of America call for nuclear retaliation against the People’s Republic, but Comrade President Cobb refused to do it; “These comrades are misguided,”, he told his nation, “but, they are still our brothers and sisters in the Great Struggle. We cannot and will not treat their lives as expendable.”

in 2005, as the Save Earthers driven from Bastrop reassemble at an apartment building in San Antonio, Dave Lange notices Jeanne Best is acting strangely. He speaks about it to Mark Ford, one of the SE leaders, and Ford talks with Best for a few moments, surreptitiously scanning her for a signal. He finds the RFID chip, and decides to use Best's presence to their advantage.

Timelines in today's post: the Fall, Islam Ascendant, the Mlosh, von Heflin, the GZR, and Communist America.

We have our second winner! Random, please email us your preferences for the alternate history entry you have won! Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the 1988 movie Patty Hearst to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

Get yourself into TIAH!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH.

Help the Alternate Historian get a better day job!
My email address for contacting me with your good news, or for more direct goodness, go to the web site and leave a comment, buy a book, or leave a Paypal donation! Remember, it's only 6 degrees of separation between you and anyone else - and thanks again!