The Tour Eiffel; The Atlantis Project

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: TOMORROW IS APRIL 1st! We NEED you to enter our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. This is your LAST chance! Don't delay! (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 31st, 2006

in 1492, King Ferdinand issued a decree that all Jews in Spain should renounce their faith or be exiled. A small group of Jewish sailors and merchants approached the King with a daring plan; if they found a new route to India, one which didn't require the arduous sail around Africa, he would make Spain a welcome place for those of their faith. Ferdinand agreed, and the leaders financed the sail of 5 ships to the west, captained by an Italian navigator by the name of Cristobal Colon.

in 1596, Rene Descartes thought he was born, but was he, really?

in 1776, at the urging of his wife Abigail, John Adams encourages his fellow American rebels to entertain the idea of women having full rights of citizenship in their new country. With the promise of such freedom, women across the colonies give their full support to the United States that the rebels speak of, and the young nation becomes the first in the world to grant the fairer sex full participation in society.

in 1889, a handful of Parisians attended the dedication of the Tour Eiffel, the 1000-foot tall tower designed by Gustave Eiffel to honor France’s revolution of 1789. The wrought-iron eyesore has few visitors today, and sticks out like a sore thumb in the heart of Paris.

in 1948, 43rd U.S. President Al Gore, Jr. was born in Carthage, Tennessee. After the contentious 2000 elections put Gore into the White House with a popular vote victory but a contested electoral vote win, Republicans fought him tooth and nail until they lost control of the House in the 2002 elections, and then the Senate when Gore won reelection in 2004.

in 1952, Mikhail von Heflin and his lover Velma Porter sail the survivors of their ship to the Libyan coast, where they are forced to crashland. The Baron and Miss Porter leave them after firing off a few flares to alert anyone passing that they need assistance.

in 1959, Tensin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and leader of the Tibetan people, surrenders to Chinese authorities who have taken control of his small country. When he is executed as an enemy of the state, Tibetans begin a 7-year uprising against Chinese rule that eventually drives out the communist power, but leaves Tibet in ruins.

in 1990, President Ralph Shephard authorizes the Atlantis Project, a systematic program to sink enemy ships in the western hemisphere. Led by the nuclear carrier Atlantis, the project destroyed almost a hundred enemy vessels and killed thousands of sailors.

in 1991, the Honduran Pact, a military organization of the Central American nations that formed a buffer zone between capitalist Brazil and the communist Soviet States of America, formally dissolved its membership. With the wave of capitalistic experimentation going on in Latin America, most member states no longer saw a need to protect themselves from their new trading partner.

in 2004, with their exterior, super-cooled chamber filled with methane crabs and the parasitic Projection Virii, Jacob and Livinia Sheridan’s ship takes off from Titan and heads back to earth. They have some high hopes about genetically engineering the P.V. into a more useful citizen of the solar system.

in 2005, at a press conference he has hastily pulled together, U.S. Representative Carl Worthington announces that he is a member of the Save Earth movement, and that he has himself observed alien activity in the higher echelons of government. When their broadcast is jammed, some of the reporters surge forward and capture Worthington, while a few who have been convinced by Worthington help his assistant, Jeanne Lange, escape.

Timelines in today's post: von Heflin, The Sheridans, Communist America, The Claw and the Ralph Shephard timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect 1492 to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Texas Fights Off Reunification

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: WE ARE NEARLY AT APRIL 1st! We NEED you to enter our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Since this is only 1 days away, we need the entries now! Don't delay! (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 30th, 2006

in 1814, allied European forces march into Rome, ending the reign of Napoleon Buonaparte, the Italian emperor who had conquered most of the continent. Although he managed to escape his exile the next year, he was never able to assume power in Rome as he did before.

in 1867, Conspirators of the Speaker’s Line working both sides of the deal transferred Alaska from Russia to the United States. They had discovered a rare element in the frozen territory that they planned to use to power a new vessel they were creating, which would make powered flight a reality.

in 1870, rebels in Texas fight off efforts to rejoin the United States. Even with all of their Confederate allies back in the Union, the newly reformed Texas Republic remained independent and refused the amnesty offered by President Grant if they would just surrender and merge back with America. Texas eventually ran out of the ability to resist, and was conquered and absorbed back into the U.S. in 1886.

in 1952, the Baron von Todt and his lover are aboard a vessel in the middle of the Mediterranean when pirates attack the ship and seize it. Mikhail von Heflin was never one to shy away from a fight, and, with Velma Porter’s help, he kills all of the pirates in a long, bloody night.

in 1972, South Chilean forces launched a major offensive against the American-sponsored northern army at La Serena. The reactionaries had been dealing the Soviet States of America many blows, but had never won an outright engagement. La Serena, in spite of some initial success, was no exception, as American and North Chilean comrades halted their advance.

in 1981, a mere two months after taking office, President Edward Kennedy was shot by an assailant in Washington, D.C. The assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., was attempting to impress the actress Jodie Foster with the feat. The Kennedy Curse, which had claimed the lives of all 4 of Joseph Kennedy’s sons, was invoked again as another member of the storied clan died a violent death.

in 1992, South African dictator Terreblanche places a puppet government in Botswana and begins transfering that country’s wealth to his own. Although as ideologically rigid as his American ally President Ralph Shephard, Terreblanche is far more concerned with enriching himself than with driving out leftist influence on the African continent.

in 2000, the marathon, 3-day-straight Bus Ride of Doom campaign comes to a close, much to the disappointment of the gamers from beyond playing it. Dead gamemaster Bill Burke decides to adopt a more traditional approach to the game because the marathon he has been putting his fellow spirits through is mentally exhausting. From this point on, the group plays once a week, for 24 hours straight. The next campaign is his infamous Epilogue world.

in 2004, fascinated by the Titanian parasites they have dubbed the Projection Virii, Jacob and Livinia Sheridan assemble a super-cooled chamber to carry a load of P.V. and methane crabs back to earth. They wisely elect to keep this chamber outside of their ship – just in case.

in 2006, historians at the Alternate History Academy despaired at the small number of submissions for their April Fools' Day Contest, and considered an extravagant gesture to encourage people to submit. The rather flamboyant gesture of adding an entry in specifically about the contest is voted down.

Timelines in today's post: Italian Napoleon, the Speaker, von Heflin, the Mlosh, The Sheridans, Communist America and the Ralph Shephard timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Pirates of the Caribbean to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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The Niagara Dam; Oppenheimers Convicted

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March 29th, 2006

in 1058, Frederik van Lotharingen, a bishop of the Roman branch of the British Catholic Church, died in Belgium. During the first century of the Holy British Empire, many leaders of the old Roman church had been active in seeking to take back leadership from London, but with van Lotharingen’s death, the Roman church’s position was settled for a few centuries.

in 12-0-19-14-12, the Oueztecan Empire annexed the Delaware of the northeastern coast. A small and peaceful people, the Delaware brought in wonderful fishing from the northeast, and inspired the Empire to seek annexation or conquest of other nations in that region.

in 1848, Niagara Falls stops flowing temporarily as Mlosh contractor Kent’O’Lihay builds the famous Niagara Dam in order to capture hydroelectric power from the rushing river. The falls and the artistic dam are one of the many wonders tourists flock to see in the North American Confederation.

in 1879, the vastly outnumbered troops under the command of Henry Evelyn Wood are slaughtered by Zulu King Cetshwayo’s warriors at Kambula. Heartened by the win and with British guns from the victory, Cetshwayo managed to carve Zululand out of the British Empire, beginning Britain’s long expulsion from Africa by native nations.

in 1939, Hollywood stars Bill Gabe and Jane Peters married during the filming of Gabe’s blockbuster Gone With The Wind. Their happy marriage ended 3 years later when Peters’ plane crashed during a War Bond drive. Out of grief for her, Gabe joined the Army Air Corps and was shot down over Europe in 1944.

in 1951, in the middle of the White Scare, scientists Rita and Frank Oppenheimer are convicted of funneling nucear secrets to the European monarchies, and sentenced to death for treason. In spite of numerous pleas from scientists around the country, the Soviet States of America felt that an example had to be made of the Oppenheimers; tragically, after the end of the Cold War, it was revealed that the Oppenheimers had never been spies for Europe.

in 1997, British General Peter de la Billiere captured New York City. With the collapse of the Mexican front, and Asian forces advancing from the west coast, the Constitutionalist government of President Ralph Shephard looked doomed to defeat, and he began toying with the idea of launching a nuclear strike against his enemies.

in 2004, experiments on the methane crabs of Titan show the Sheridans that the tiny organisms that caused hallucinations on earth are parasites living on the crabs. In their natural environment, they are fairly harmless, but when heated to earth’s temperatures, they become agitated and start projecting images of crabs around them.

in 2005, the Save Earth movement is attacked by agents of the federal government who are acting under the direct orders of the Claws, to stop humanity from realizing that something is in their midst, controlling them. Dave Lange is arrested, but his wife Jeanne escapes with U.S. Representative Carl Worthington, who is about to go public as a Save Earther.

Timelines in today's post: the Holy British Empire, the Oueztecan timeline, the Mlosh, The Sheridans, Communist America and the Ralph Shephard timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Gone With The Wind to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Jackson Impeached; Kennedy Withdraws From Vietnam

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March 28th, 2006

in 1814, the Conquerors of the Speaker’s Line eliminated one of their French rivals, Joseph Guillotin. He had been a Conspirator working in the French Assembly towards making the country a more democratic and gentle place, and they wanted to boost Napoleon to a conquest of Europe in order to further their goals.

in 1834, President Andrew Jackson of America is impeached for his genocidal policies against southeastern native populations. His famous quote that “the only good injun is a dead injun” was used against him, as was his general policy of oppression against the native people of America. Although the trial ended in his acquittal, he was forced to adopt a more rational stance towards the native nations of North America.

in 12-16-2-2-13, Incan author Mariachic was born in Arequipa, Inca. Although proud of his roots in the southern empire, he spent most of his life among the Oueztec, writing of the experience of being an outsider in a culture he felt far more comfortable with than his native one.

in 1941, Italian forces of the Greater Zionist Resistance are attacked by the British allies of the German Underground. Although the main British goal is simply to gain greater access to the Mediterannean, they eventually come under complete control of the German Reich.

in 1961, a report detailing the incredible lack of popular support Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem has in his country convinces President Kennedy to end Eisenhower's assistance program to the small nation. With the withdrawal of American advisers, Diem's government collapses against the communist resistance led by Ho Chi Minh. Kennedy pays virtually no political price for throwing the small nation to the communists, and rethinks intervention in other nations.

in 1969, Comrade General Dwight Eisenhower died in Washington, D.C. Eisenhower had led the forces of the Soviet States of America during the Great Patriotic War, and had been courted by both the Socialist and Communist Parties for political office, but refused to run, warning Americans to “beware the military-political complex.”

in 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor exploded, spreading radiation across Pennsylvania. Over 50,000 died in the first day, and millions across the northeastern United States and southern Canada died of radiation poisoning and cancer in the years that followed. It led to a banning of nuclear power in America.

in 1990, the Canadian Civil War ended with the Nationalists led by Eileen Pressler in control of the northern nation. Although fellow traveler President Ralph Shephard had supported her forces during the war, Pressler refused to lend assistance to America during its war in the western hemisphere, maintaining a strict neutrality in the coming conflict.

in 2004, the Sheridan’s Titanian expedition reaches its goal. Saturn’s largest moon is fascinating, and the married scientists record everything that they are doing. After finding a nesting site for the methane crabs, they scoop up several and assemble a laboratory outside of their ship to examine them.

Timelines in today's post: the Speaker, the Oueztecan timeline, the GZR, The Sheridans, Communist America and the Ralph Shephard timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Ike to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Jefferson Denied; Singin' In The Rain

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: With today's post, we have a complete year - we skipped March 27th last year because of the new addition to our academy. Now, almost 2 years since we started, we have a post for every day of the year. This has been a lot of writing - the master document is around 300,000 words. Because that has made us so exhausted, we want you to enter our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Since this is only 4 days away, we need the entries now! Don't delay! (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 27th, 2006

in 1775, Virginian rebel Thomas Jefferson is denied a seat on the Continental Congress that the American revolutionaries have established. Jefferson's energy and eloquence shortly became directed towards the Canadian Independence movement, where he helped design their parliamentary structure as well as their founding documents.

in 1829, President Andrew Jackson is forced to withdraw his nominee for Secretary of War almost as soon as he appoints him. John Eaton's wife was the subject of many rumors in the capitol, and Jackson's own scandal over his wife's divorce not being final when he married her forced him to go with someone that society deemed more seemly.

in 1836, Mexico's Generalissimo Santa Anna, after defeating a small force of Texicans at Goliad, magnanimously gives them amnesty, provided they leave Mexico's borders. Most are only too happy to comply, but several rejoin their rebellious brethren. When they are recaptured at the battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna says to them, “I gave you the choice of life or death, and you chose death. So be it.” He then has all of the Alamo's captives executed, incensing the rebel movement.

in 1945, the German New Reich's intracontinental missile program, the V4, produces an incredible strike on China. The technology for the missiles had been smuggled in from the future by the Reich's time-traveling neo-Nazi benefactors, and the German scientists were eagerly adapting it. Soon, German missiles would be menacing the world.

in 1952, one of the greatest musicals ever filmed, Singin' in the Rain, premiers at the New York Soviet Center of the Arts. The film, starring Comrade Eugene Kelly, follows a group of French silent film stars who, oppressed by France's dictatorial monarchy, find new careers, fame and love in the more accepting climes of communist America. Comrade President Joel Rosenberg called it his favorite film.

in 1958, in one of the most blatant assassinations since the Soviet Union's founding, Nicolay Bulganin has his rival for the premiership, Nikita Kruschev, murdered on the steps of the Kremlin. With Kruschev out of the way, Bulganin takes over the position of Communist Party Secretary, and the brief period of reform that had begun under Kruschev withers under Bulganin's harsh Stalinist repression.

in 2000, with a new player in the group, dead gamemaster Bill Burke resumes the Bus Ride of Doom campaign, his Fudge game of horrifying cross-country travel. The new player, Burke's girlfriend Kris Robbins, is still having trouble adjusting to death, but the familiarity of being in a role-playing game helps her cope.

in 2005, Dave and Jeanne Lange, with the help of a couple of Save Earth hackers, take over the transmission of the National College Basketball Championships, and make a 2-minute statement about the Claws, while flashing the Save Earth web site on the screen. Almost as soon as they lose control of the broadcast, their web site is hit with hundreds of thousands of visitors; the message is being spread.

Timelines in today's post: Canadian Independence, the GZR, Communist America and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Singin' in the Rain to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Heaven's Gate; New Assistant Historian

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Please send us entries for our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Just send us the entries for now - we'll decide on a deadline later. (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 26th, 2006

in 1857 AUC, Juvo Licentius Morro, a Spaniard in the Roman Republic, constructs the first working steam engine-powered vehicle, a chariot the size of two elephants that is able to move across the roads at great speeds. Juvo’s invention revolutionizes travel in the Republic.

in 1668, Conspirators of the Speaker’s Line in Mumbai, India are overthrown by the British takeover of the city. Driven underground, they slowly move their work across the border into China, where they conduct experiments in the Gobi Desert.

in 1793, royalists in Vendee, France rise up against the democratic revolutionaries who have taken control of the country. Mlosh negotiators sent in are slaughtered, and the revolution bombs Vendee into submission shortly afterwards.

in 1911, author Tom Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi. As the first openly homosexual playwright in the American theater, he was very controversial, but his plays fascinated the world; his tale of confused sexual identity, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, banned after its first week of production in 1955, was revived in the more liberal atmosphere of the 1960’s to rave reviews and huge audiences.

in 1950, Senator Ted Astley of Washington, after facing pressure to reveal the names of the supposed capitalist spies in Washington, D.C.’s circles of power, lets slip to a People’s Broadcasting Company reporter the name of Professor William F. Buckley, a scholar on European affairs who has been working in the State Department. Buckley was definitely a sound choice; his sympathy for the European monarchies was well known. It was never proven, but Professor Buckley’s career was ruined by the accusation.

in 1997, 39 lost souls find their way to a higher dimension.

in 2000, Bill Burke pauses his epic campaign The Busride Of Doom to welcome a new player – his old girlfriend, Kris Robbins. She had died in a car crash coming back from his funeral, and the dead gamer’s network had directed her to Burke’s campaign. While the other Gamers from Beyond raised cries of protest at playing with the gamemaster’s girlfriend, she joined the group and played without too many special favors.

in 2004, the Sheridan expedition to Titan flies over Mars, and the doctors take the opportunity to perform a thorough scan of the planet. They discover an ocean just below the surface, and see the Martians moving about on the surface, reconstructing their surface civilization. They send word back to earth to watch the red planet for signs of trouble.

in 2005, the Alternate History Academy located in College Station, Texas, acquired the services of a new Assistant Historian. Although she has plans to be either a celebrity chef or an astronaut, (not to mention the first American woman on Mars), we are glad that she has joined us here in this timeline.

Timelines in today's post: the Roman timeline, the Speaker, the Mlosh, The Sheridans and Communist America.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Cat on a hot tin roof to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Easter Fundraiser

Help the most junior historian have a good Easter!

Our daughter's birthday is coming up tomorrow, and we need some help from our dear readers to help make her first one a happy one! Please, if you can, consider donating through our Paypal link this week - and remember, if you donate $10 or more, you can appear in TIAH in your own alternate history entry!

Thanks to everyone!

(PS - This post will be stuck on top during the fundraiser - regular posts will be below as usual)

Henri Plantagenet Is Born; Howl Slips Past Customs

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Please send us entries for our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Just send us the entries for now - we'll decide on a deadline later. (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 25th, 2006

in 1133, the founder of the Plantagenet line of popes, Henri Plantagenet, was born in Anjou. As Cardinal of Anjou, he attracted the eye of Eleanor of Aquitaine, former wife of Louis, the Primate of France. Through her influence and possessions, Henri raises himself to the papacy in 1154, rules the Holy British Empire until his death in 1189.

in 1811, Great Britain officially recognizes the Republic of Ireland. The Irish, allied with the first Mlosh Europeans, had won independence 2 years before. Facing a fact of life, the British Parliament decided to reconcile with their former colony, and the recognition allowed them to forge close economic and political ties with Ireland.

in 12-13-4-5-11, Cheyenne warrior captain Honiakaha led his soldiers to a final defeat of the Kiowa, with Oueztec reinforcements backing him. Honiakaha settled down in the northern plains after this and was made the Oueztecan governor of the Cheyenne and Kiowan plains. In spite of a lifetime of fighting them, he led the Kiowa with justice, and is remembered best for his innovation of trial by jury as opposed to summary judgements by local nobles.

in 1955, U.S. Customs agent Jack Powell missed a shipment of Alan Ginsberg’s Howl, which he was supposed to impound for obscenity charges. The 520 books were distributed around the San Francisco beat scene, and were out of control by that point. Agent Powell lost his job over the mistake.

in 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia is murdered by an unknown assailant, plunging the middle eastern monarchy into revolution. Long-suppressed pro-democracy movements clash with those who support the King's son, Prince Khalid, and for 6 long years, the Saudis are unable to restore order to their country.

in 1997, the first President of Puerto Rico, Roberto Vilella, dies in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After the terrorist campaign of the 1950’s, Vilella’s peaceful approach to Puerto Rican independence won over the U.S. and vaulted him to the new country’s presidency in 1965.

in 1998, Adam Pletcher is convicted of attempting to extort $5 million from Bill Gates. Pletcher maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and indeed, was innocent. An acquaintance of his had posed as him in order to threaten Gates and Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer out of money. When John Winston was found doing the exact same thing to Apple Chairman Steve Jobs, Pletcher was released.

in 2000, deceased gamemaster Bill Burke and his new friend Hamid, the ghost of a Turk from the 12th century, begin their epic Fudge campaign, The Busride Of Doom. Gamer ghosts will speak of The Busride for centuries to come.

in 2004, on the anniversary of Christiaan Huygens’ discovery of Titan, Livinia and Jacob Sheridan take off for the Saturnian moon to attempt to expand their knowledge of the strange creatures that caused the first exploratory ship to crash back on earth. They are carrying their nanovirus just in case.

in 2005, Save Earthers return Dr. R.D. Reilly to his home in Idaho and slip away to verify the evidence he has given them regarding the Claws' presence on earth. Dave and Jeanne Lange form a plan to take over the transmission of the college basketball championships to transmit this information to the entire country.

Timelines in today's post: the Holy British Empire, the Mlosh, the Oueztecan timeline, The Sheridans and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Chappaqua to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Elizabeth, Longfellow Pass On

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Please send us entries for our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Just send us the entries for now - we'll decide on a deadline later. (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

March 24th, 2006

in 1603, the female pope, Elizabeth I, of the Holy British Empire dies in London. In spite of initial trepidation at her rule, she turned out to be one of the greatest Popes the Empire had ever known, expanding Christendom across the oceans and onto all other known continents.

in 1765, the British Parliament passes the Quartering Act, establishing the rules under which British troops can be housed in the American and Canadian colonies. Outrage over the callous way that the mother country treats their property prompts many North Americans to begin thinking of severing their ties to the crown, although only the Canadians are successful.

in 1882, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of the North American Confederation dies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His Song of M’ch’Ch’mai, about the first Mlosh explorers of the continent, is still hailed today as one of the greatest of the 19th century’s writings.

in 1944, Orde Wingate, a British convert and general in the Greater Zionist Resistance, is shot down by German Reich Luftwaffe over Burma. Wingate had been a natural at guerilla tactics, and joined the G.Z.R. after his own government proved unwilling to fight the rising fascist movement.

in 1964, the Rosenberg half-dollar is issued. Commemorating Comrade President Joel Rosenberg, slain in Dallas two years before, the coin proves wildly popular and the comrade’s face becomes the permanent symbol on the half-dollar the next year.

in 1993, American troops occupy San Salvador, El Salvador. After this small nation falls to the Constitutionalist President Ralph Sheridan, most of Central America surrenders, and South America’s nations brace for war. Brazil immediately seeks assistance from Portugal and asks the rest of Europe to help stem the onslaught of the Constitutionalists.

in 1998, a malfunctioning fire alarm saved a school in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Assistant Principal Terry Trotter found a young boy, Andrew Golden, yanking on the alarm in order to drive all the students out of the school. After questioning the boy about this, Trotter called the police, who found an accomplice of Golden’s, Mitchell Johnson, in the woods outside the school, with a rifle and extra ammunition. When the police came, he surrendered without a struggle.

in 1999, Republican pressure forces American President Bill Clinton to withdraw from the NATO campaign to halt Yugoslavian aggression in the Kosovo province. Without American air power, NATO forces battle for two years to halt the war in that region, before the return of a Democratic Congress allows President Al Gore to send forces in support of NATO and end the war.

in 2004, Prime Minister Howard of Australia decorates the Sheridans at a ceremony in Sydney, and again gives them the thanks of a grateful nation and world. “This is getting to be a bit of a habit,” Jacob Sheridan says as he accepts his medal. Livinia Sheridan is already preparing for their trip to Titan to see if they can pick up any more of the strange creatures they were fighting.

Timelines in today's post: the Holy British Empire, the Mlosh, Canadian Independence, the GZR, Communist America, the Ralph Shephard timeline, and The Sheridans.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Song of Hiawatha to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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The Shield Of Liberty

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March 23rd, 2006

in 1775, Virginian Patrick Henry declares before the Virginia Convention, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!” The British governor, incensed at this presumption, has Henry arrested and executed. His death becomes a rallying point for American revolutionaries, and his famous words become the motto of the new United States of America.

in 1808, Napoleon Buonaparte places his brother Guiseppe on the throne of Spain. Guiseppe is a virtual cipher as the Spanish king, simply enacting policy from Buonaparte’s capitol in Rome and funneling Spanish treasure to the Italian Empire.

in 1857, Joseph McTavish, a restaurateur newly arrived from Scotland, accidentally fried a large spider that fell into a batch of breading he had made for chicken. Curious, McTavish tasted the spider, and liked the taste. Offering the dish as a “taste of adventure”, McTavish’s in New York City soon had everyone in the northeast eating Scottish Fried Spiders.

in 1925, the legislature of Tennessee narrowly defeated a law that would have made it a crime to teach the theory of evolution in the state’s schools. Enough legislators were convinced that the state needed to enhance its educational standards in order to do business in the modern world to keep the law from passing by 4 votes.

in 1964, Hungarian psychiatrist Laszlo Lorre died in Geneva, Switzerland. Inspired by Sigmund Freud in his youth in Vienna, he followed the acclaimed psychologist into the field. During World War II, he was driven to Switzerland by Nazi politics, and continued his practice there.

in 1979, the trial of Guillermo Novo and Alvin Ross is suspended by President Ronald Reagan for “national security reasons” as Judge Barrington Parker prepares to deliver a blistering indictment of the CIA and the American government for the rather blatant assassination of former Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier. Parker's public feud with Reagan's administration fed the public's dislike of Reagan and contributed to his defeat in the following year's election.

in 1983, Comrade President John Anderson initiates a new missile defense program he calls the Shield of Liberty to defend the Soviet States of America from nuclear attack by the European monarchies. In his speech announcing the program, the Comrade President says that his nation will turn from the despair of mutual assured destruction to “a vision of the future which offers hope.”

in 1994, the PRI’s leading candidate for President of Mexico, Luis Donaldo Colosio, narrowly escapes an assassin’s bullet as he campaigns in Tijuana. Colosio, who had promised reform of the PRI, initiates an investigation on winning the presidency, and finds that his predecessor and mentor, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, was responsible for the attempt. The revelation shatters the PRI, and President Colosio leaves it and forms the New Revolutionaries, or NR.

in 1996, American troops execute over 300 Mexican civilians in retaliation for a Mexican attack on U.S. forces occupying the country. President Shephard had bolstered the country’s forces with his own since the collapse of the American-friendly Mexican government the previous year, and partisans in Mexico had been attempting to drive them out ever since.

in 2004, the Australian army releases the modified nanovirus against the Titanian organisms on their shore. As the Titanian organisms die, the “methane crabs” that they have been projecting around themselves disappear. The Sheridans save the day again.

Timelines in today's post: Italian Napoleon, Communist America, the Ralph Shephard timeline, and The Sheridans.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Star Wars to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Powhattan Massacre; Loyalty Oaths For The Feds

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March 22nd, 2006

in 12-0-3-10-1, the Powhattan of the northeastern coastal possessions of the Ouezteca massacre a settlement of the Oueztec that has been stealing water and food from them for several months. The overwhelming response from Ouezteca destroys the Powhattan.

in 1887, world-famous pianist Leonard Marx was born in New York City. Young Leonard started in vaudeville in his youth, but left it for the legitimate concert stage after discovering his natural talent for the piano in his twenties. He never took a lesson, but was considered the greatest musician of his age.

in 1908, noted classical scholar Louis L’Amour was born in Jamestown, North Dakota. After struggling in school during his teen years, a teacher introduced L’Amour to the plays of Aeschylus and a lifelong love of Greek and Roman work was born. His popular book, The Origins Of The West, is still used a text in Classics courses taught across the country.

in 1942, Sir Stanford Cripps of the British government-in-exile meets with Indian terrorist Mohandas Gandhi to recruit his help against the German Underground. Although Gandhi despises the G.U., he is unwilling to assist the British, and the meeting ends without producing a treaty.

in 1945, talks between Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen break down in negotiations to form a league of Arab nations. Lebanon proves the standout member as its Christian ambassador provoked hostility among the Muslim representatives of the other nations.

in 1947, at the height of the White Scare, Comrade President William Foster issues an executive order forcing all federal employees to take a loyalty oath to the Soviet States of America and to the socialist way in general. Although it is a gross violation of federal employees’ civil rights, the nation is in such a panic about capitalist infiltration that few protests are heard.

in 1993, American forces smash through Iceland. Constitutionalist President Ralph Shephard warns that Europe will be next in his speech congratulating the soldiers; “Today, Iceland, tomorrow, the world.”

in 2004, the Sheridans manage to modify their Martian nanovirus enough to kill the few captive Titanian organisms they have in their lab. Jacob Sheridan informs the Australian army that they have a means to kill the Titanian organisms currently impersonating methane crabs on Australia’s shores.

in 2005, as Dave Lange draws back to hack off Dr. R.D. Reilly's right hand, the philosopher tells him, “Wait.” He is willing to make a deal with the Save Earthers, if they will let him keep his hands and let him go. He will give them evidence of the Claws entanglement with the government. The Langes and other SE members in the house discuss whether it would be worth making a deal with Reilly.

Timelines in today's post: the Oueztecan timeline, Communist America, the GZR, the Ralph Shephard timeline, The Sheridans and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Duck Soup to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Last Day Of Spring; Hancock's Bridge Massacre

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March 21st, 2006

in 82,321,558 BCE, a huge comet strike on Pangaea shifts the earth’s orbit out of its regular seasonal pattern, eliminating the spring and fall seasons, leaving only harsh winters and blazing summers. The first day of spring becomes the last, as well.

in 1678, poet Andrew Marvell, a Conspirator of the Speaker’s Line, dies in his home in London. He had started out as a Conqueror, helping Oliver Cromwell overthrow the monarchy in England, but switched sides after Cromwell’s death made him see that the Speaker’s Children needed secrecy to achieve their goals. His pamphlets helped both sides communicate quickly during his lifetime.

in 1778, in one of the last gasps of the American rebellion, rebels surprise a contingent of Hessians and American Tories at Hancock's Bridge, near Salem, New Jersey. The massacre of these American loyalists to the crown turns public sentiment in New Jersey against the rebels, hastening the end for the American independence movement.

in 1804, Italy adopted the Buonapartic Code of Law. Although progressive in some respects, such as granting equal protection of the law to all men and giving them the right of religious dissent, it was hideously misogynistic in denying rights to women completely, and legalizing slavery. In spite of the fall of Buonaparte’s empire, the code is still the basis of Italian law.

in 1843, William Miller, a preacher in Massachusetts, told his congregation that Jesus Christ would return on this date. Hundreds of loyal believers gathered at his church and mysteriously disappeared in a clap of thunder.

in 1918, Greater Zionist Resistance forces push both Allied and Central soldiers from the Somme and create a base for the expansion of their power in western Europe. Eastern and central Europe are already falling to the G.Z.R. and western Europe is on the ropes. The surprising success of the G.Z.R. forces the neo-Nazis who created it to rethink their plans.

in 1980, President Jimmy Carter, after meeting with America’s Olympic athletes, decides to abandon his decision to boycott the Moscow Olympics in order to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Heartened by the decision, America takes a record number of gold medals at the Olympics, including a defeat of the Soviet team in the basketball final.

in 2004, the small Titanian organisms that are making the people of Australia see methane crabs on their beaches prove very hard to kill. Doctors Jacob and Livinia Sheridan work on modifying the nanovirus they used against the Martians to fight the Titanians.

in 2005, the Save Earthers move Dr. R.D. Reilly back to their safe house in the hill country of Texas. With the failure of their plan to use medical scanning technology on him, they are back to their first weapon – torture. Dave Lange starts practicing with a cleaver while Jeanne Lange tries being the “good cop,” telling Reilly that they won't cut off his hands if he cooperates. “Do your worst,” Reilly tells her. “You'll never break me, human.”

Timelines in today's post: the Speaker, Italian Napoleon, Canadian Independence, the GZR, The Sheridans and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Napoleon Dynamite to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Spectacular Conjunction; Blood-bath In Alabama

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March 20th, 2006

in 13,455,691,221 Standard Year, scholar Okolim of Tripan lands on a primitive little world in order to catch a spectacular triple conjunction of the three center planets of the system with the constellation Parmenta. Unfortunately for the primitives, Okolim's Sforta plague, fairly harmless to his own people, spread from him to some fleas in the field he sat in, and devastated millions of the natives over the next few years.

in 1413, Pope Henry V, second in the Holy British Empire’s Lancastrian line of popes, dons the Shoes of the Fisherman at the death of his father, Pope Henry IV. Pope Henry V, while a miserable ruler in most ways, was a military genius, and recaptured many of the continental possessions lost by his weaker predecessors.

in 1778, when King Louis of France rejects the American rebel embassy, all hopes of American independence are lost. The Canadian nationalist movement receives a rush of people from their southern brethren as Americans who foresee the end of their own struggle move to a land that they hope will have freedom soon.

in 1854, the Communist Party of America is founded by former Whigs who have been influenced by The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Henry David Thoreau. They meet in Ripon, Wisconsin, and attract luminaries from across the nation, including Thoreau and their first presidential candidate, Walt Whitman.

in 1937, Spanish fascist leader Francisco Franco, who had briefly allied himself with the German Underground, severs his ties with them after driving the Greater Zionist Resistance from Spain. This enrages the G.U., especially after he signs a non-agression pact with the G.Z.R.

in 1965, President Goldwater refuses to send federal troops to protect civil-rights marchers in Alabama. The racist segregationist movement, emboldened by this withdrawal of federal responsibilities, attacks the marchers on their way from Selma to Montgomery, and the blood-bath that results is trumpeted across the nation as a failure of national will. The images of death and injury from this march, including the near-fatal shooting of the Reverend Martin Luther King, are credited with changing Goldwater's mind about civil rights.

in 1995, cult members of the Aum Shinrikyo release a huge amount of highly lethal sarin gas into the Tokyo subway hub at Kasumigaseki. They had been drilled for months as to how to disseminate the gas, and their efficient release, combined with their willingness to sacrifice themselves, resulted in the single worst terrorist attack in the world – almost 40,000 Japanese died, and tens of thousands more were permanently wounded. The backlash was felt against fringe religious movements all over the world as everyone tried to prevent a repeat of this horrific day.

in 1997, Egyptian and British troops liberate Tananarive, Madagascar, from South African occupational forces. With Fulcrum forces collapsing all over the world, both the United States and South Africa begin pulling their soldiers back to defense of their homelands. The leaders of both nations, Terreblanche in South Africa and Shephard in the U.S., vow that their nations will not fall to the foreign invaders.

in 2000, the Catacombs of Doom, Bill Burke’s first campaign for his group of dead gamers, the Gamers from Beyond, concludes after 17 straight hours. The group is satisfied with Burke as a gamemaster, and with Fudge as their game system. Burke and Hamid, the Turkish ghost from the 12th century who recruited him as a GM, then begin work on a grander adventure, a horror campaign they call the Bus Ride of Doom.

in 2004, both Livinia and Jacob Sheridan conclude that the Titanian methane crabs that they have been seeing are not, in fact, Titanian methane crabs. There is some sort of organism contained in the remains of the crabs from the Huygens that is making everyone see the crabs. The Sheridans then begin working on a way to kill these tiny organisms.

Timelines in today's post: the Holy British Empire, Canadian Independence, Communist America, the GZR, the Ralph Shephard timeline and The Sheridans

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the 1989 Henry V 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!