April 12th, 2006
in 1633, Father Vincenzo Maculano da Firenzuola, Chief Inquisitor and a Conspirator of the Speaker’s Line, convicts Galileo Galilei of heresy. He had wanted to hear Galileo’s theories in person, and suppress them in the general population, and used his position in the Inquisition to do this. Galileo’s theories moved the Speaker’s Children forward in science, but the rest of the world was left behind.
in 1770, the British Parliament enacted the Overton Statute, named after the English lord who negotiated it, granting all colonies representation in Parliament. This was followed by quick repeal of many of the more odious laws such as the Townshend Act, and a new era of enlightenment propelled the British Empire forward; grumblings from the colonies became a thing of the past.
in 1858, Alfred Cummings arrives in Utah to take control of the territory as its first non-Mormon governor. The Mormons had been flouting U.S. law and threatening secession since arriving, and they felt that the appointment of a “gentile” as their governor was the last straw. They erupted in violence, declaring their independence from America.
in 1915, Dr. Ch'Kel'Mlar of the Q'Bar continues telling Captain Smith of the Harlequin about the mysterious race he has called the Kainku. After befriending the Q'Bar and aiding them with a cure for a recent plague, they began to sow mistrust among the various nations of the Q'Bar, and soon there was full-fledged civil war among the once-unified people. Captain Smith ponders the strange Kainku, and sends a full report back to earth.
in 1945, President Roosevelt suffers a massive stroke, disabling him for several months. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Vice President Harry Truman cover up the illness in order to keep the nation’s morale high; once the war is won, though, they announce Roosevelt’s resignation and Truman becomes president.
in 1952, Velma Porter and Mikhail von Heflin dig up more than they wanted to in Kenya when they unearth an ancient ancestor of the Baron’s and with it, the burial chamber she had been trapped in. Freed, the extra-dimensional being fled the earth and leaped into the stars.
in 1961, Communism proved its scientific superiority when Comrade Alan Shephard became the first man in space. Comrade President Rosenberg had accelerated the space program to beat the European monarchies in the space race and prove that true innovation could not be found within their reactionary borders.
in 1963, international sensation Pete Best releases his huge hit Between Us, which jumps to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. He starts planning his first world tour.
in 1997, British leader Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s longest-serving Prime Minister, dies of a heart attack. Leading the fight against the American Constitutionalists and South Africa’s National Front had strained her immeasurably, and she had neglected her health while directing the war against the Fulcrum powers.
in 2005, the success of the Save Earth missions to destroy the centers where the Claws transform themselves into human appearance makes it impossible for the alien race to maintain its presence on earth. There is a vast withdrawal, and many prominent people disappear overnight. U.S. Representative Carl Worthington calls a press conference and announces, “The earth is now safe from alien influence.”
Timelines in today's post: the Speaker, the Mlosh, von Heflin, Communist America, Pete Best, the Ralph Shephard timeline and The Claw.
Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the 1975 adaptation of Brecht's Galileo 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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