The State Of TIAH

Dear Readers,

Today in alternate history, I'd like to skip a day and talk to you about the state of TIAH.

Lately, there has been a dearth of original material in favor of reposts with meaningful links. While many people have told me that they wanted to see the inspiration behind the posts, or the actual events that an alternate history was based on, that's not what I wanted TIAH to be. The drop-off in readership tells me that's not what you wanted TIAH to be, either.

The only excuse I can offer is that having and raising a baby takes a lot of time, as does coming up with original material for this site. One of the two had to give, and I'm afraid that my little historian comes first.

So, how do we get back to all-original, (or at least, mostly original), material for TIAH? That's where you come in, my dear readers. You hopefully noticed the announcement I posted where I asked for volunteers for a writing project; I got a few responses through that, but I'd like more, so I'm announcing it to everyone now.

I'd like some Co-Historians. If you can commit to writing about 500 words a week, send me a writing sample, rat4cat@gmail.com. You don't have to follow the format that I've established for TIAH, and please use your own material. You will own the rights to any original work you create on this site, provided it is original and won't get you or us sued. Heck, I'm willing to have a nice alt-hist piece of artwork posted up once in a while, too, if you're of the more visual persuasion.

If there is just a flood of response to this, and a lot of quality material submitted, I would also like to revive the old idea of a TIAH magazine. I would contribute and edit, but if we put out a magazine, you guys would have to supply most of the content. I think it's doable – I just need to know enough of you do, as well. Send me your ideas on that, too, please.

Please comment on this, email me, talk in the forum – let me know what you think. You guys are as much TIAH as I am.

Thanks for your attention – we'll return to our regularly scheduled alternate history tomorrow.

Jackson Killed In Duel; Debut Of The Dede

May 30th, 2006

in 1806, lawyer Charles Dickinson shoots and kills former Tennessee Senator Andrew Jackson in a duel in Logan County, Kentucky. Dickinson had called Jackson’s wife a bigamist, and the notoriously hot-tempered Jackson had demanded satisfaction on the field of honor. The death of the Senator moved Kentuckians to declare dueling illegal, as had Jackson's home state.

In 1843, Karl Marx moved to America and began spreading his philosophy. He became such an influence that by 1855, the Republican Party had renamed itself the Communist Party, and won its first presidential election the next year with young candidate Walt Whitman leading the party.

in 4579, Chao Sing-Lee, the first Star Sailor, achieved orbit and maintained it for 4 revolutions of the earth. Emperor Chengzu appointed Chao his Minister of the Stars upon his retirement from the Star Sailor program. Chao is still regarded as the father of the modern Star Program.

in 1900, nothing happened. Fnord.

in 1910, the Q’Bar began loading onto transport ships for their journey to the Kantar star system. Resistance was heavy, and only the threat of continued Jovian assault kept a full civil war from breaking out again. As it was, hundreds of thousands of Q’Bar died in the forced migration.

in 1922, Astrid Pflaume took a young Lance Corporal of the Austro-Hungarian empire hostage, for reasons known only to her and the people she eventually negotiated his release with. The hostage, Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler, achieved quite a bit of fame on returning back to Austria, and went into politics.

in 1930, a year before his death, Thomas Edison finally saw his dream fulfilled; the Desktop Eddie, (popularly known as the Dede), a difference engine that was the size of a desk and only weighed 400 pounds. The Dede became the first difference engine small and cheap enough for sale to the general public, and so the Dede opened the door to an information revolution in the 30's.

in 1969, the construction began on the Hollywood set they used to fake the moon landing. The crew were told they were working on a film called One Small Step, and most thought nothing of it. When set designer Harold Stork heard that phrase during Armstrong's “walk on the moon,” he started talking and was quickly eliminated.

in 1990, President Dukakis of the US informed dictator Saddam Hussein of Iraq that the US would no longer be supplying him with weapons if he maintained his aggressive posture towards nations other than Iran. Republicans charged Dukakis with faithlessness towards America's allies. When Hussein killed hundreds of Kurds in northern Iraq to suppress a revolution there, though, President Dukakis had the international stature to lead the charge to take him down.

in 2004, Marjorie Adams and her hacker friends assembled to view the CD Cindy Berenson had made of a suspicious file they had found in the Smartnet node at UCLA. The Emergency Instructions it referred to were in some kind of code; Berenson set to cracking it.

Timelines in today's post: the Chinese Empire, Edison Steampunk, the GZR, Communist America, the Mlosh and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Capricorn 1 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

"Bloody Rich" Dies; Gangster Kennedy Born

May 29th, 2006

in 1224, Pope Richard I of the Holy British Empire, (popularly known as Bloody Rich), died of an infection suffered when an arrow struck him in the chest in an assassination attempt. In his last words before his death at the hand of Papal Guards, the assassin proclaimed himself a protester against the cruelties of the Church; this spawned the anti-Church movement known as "Protestantism".

in 1600, Francis Bacon's play Hamlet premiered at the Globe Theater in London. The Bard of the Thames had dropped his nom de plume of William Shakespeare the year before, after a falling out with the actor who was playing his “front”. With the pretense out of the way, Bacon felt free to explore his writing even further.

in 1776, the Mlosh colony in Australia renamed the island continent Ml'Astra and declared their independence from both Great Britain and the main Mlosh population. The aboriginal population of Ml'Astra embraced the Mlosh as liberators in ways that most other human populations never did, partially due to the horrors the British had visited on them.

in 1887, the Eddie got its first competitor, in the form of the French Pascal Difference Engine. The PDE was a full ton lighter than the Eddie, a valuable selling point, as many buildings had to be reinforced before an Eddie could be placed in them. This hidden cost of owning an Eddie had made sales slower than they might have been, and spurred Edison to drive his engineers to work on miniaturizing the Eddie.

in 1903, one of Britain’s most beloved comics was born in London, England. Leslie Hope began in vaudeville, and later moved to radio and then movies and television. His radio shows and shows for the troops during World War II were credited by King George as being “as much aid as two divisions.”

in 1917, gangster Jackie Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Son of the notorious rum-runner Joey Kennedy, Jackie parlayed his father’s reputation into a larger empire in the Boston area, running a variety of illegal activities in Beantown. His life of crime ended in 1963 when a feud with his brother Bobby ended in gunplay.

in 1947, the US government declared the war with Germany over, admitting defeat on that front, and concentrated its forces against the Japanese advance. Canadian forces surrendered to the Japanese army in Alaska, and the British government-in-exile began preparations for moving to America. A dark pall covered the world as opposition to the Axis powers was now without hope.

in 4649, Nepalese climber Tenzing Norgay reaches the summit of Chomo-Lungma, the tallest mountain in the world. As the first man in recorded history to climb the “Mother-Goddess”, Tenzing was honored across the Chinese Empire, and was even granted an audience with the Emperor, himself. Tenzing later founded a climbing school in his native Nepal and helped others reach the top of Chomo-Lungma, too.

in 1995, actor Christopher Reeve, known for his action hero roles in such films as Superman and Rambo, survived a nasty fall from his horse during a polo match. The athletically gifted Reeve used a move a stuntman in Rambo had taught him to twist during the fall to keep from landing on his head, avoiding injury.

in 2004, Marjorie Adams and 3 young friends of hers from the UCLA computer sciences department break into the Smartnet node at the college and begin snooping around. One of them, Cindy Berenson, finds a hidden file labeled Emergency Instructions and burns it to CD just before the group has to flee the room because of a security guard on the way. They promise to meet up at Adams’ place later the next evening to examine what they have found.

Timelines in today's post: the Holy British Empire, the Chinese Empire, Edison Steampunk, the Mlosh and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Bob Hope 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

Virginians Take Fort Duquesne

May 28th, 2006

in 1754, British colonials capture the French-owned Fort Duquesne in Pennsylvania. It is a stunning success for the Virginian militia, which results in only one death on their side, their commanding officer, Lt. Colonel George Washington. The young colonel's family is given the land around Fort Duquesne as a reward by the crown.

in 4558, Emperor Min-Yuan granted freedom to the vassals of the west. It was a controversial move that caused the Viet and Siamese people to attempt secession; in the war that followed, the Viet were almost wiped out, and the Siamese eventually switched sides back to the Empire.

in 1899, Thomas Edison announced the new Eddie for a new century, the Mandarin. The 20th century line of Eddies was named after orange varieties, and proved to be very popular; the cost was down to that of a new car, and they were the size of a large car. Edison vowed that with the Orange line of Eddies, by the end of the next century, an Eddie would be the size of a desk. Skeptics abounded.

in 1910, the Q’Bar sign the terms of surrender at the Barnard’s Star talks. They will be moving their entire race from the Mlosh home system to the Kantar star system, a move financed by the Jovian Mlosh, although Mlosh from across the system donate money to the cause. There is riotous celebration in all Mlosh communities after this victory.

in 1963, Comrade Elvis Presley, People's Attorney for the Soviet of Tennessee, declared that counter-revolutionary Lee Harvey Oswald had not acted alone in the assassination of Comrade President Rosenberg the year before. His far-reaching investigation was quashed by the Federal Soviet.

in 1961, Amnesty International, an underground organization dedicated to documenting human rights abuses across German-dominated Eurasia, is founded by British lawyer Peter Benenson. Benenson is killed by the German Reich later in the year, but A.I. continued to go on, at least slowing the international acceptance of the Reich’s abuses.

in 1965, a coal mine explosion that kills hundreds of people in the Indian city of Dharbad becomes the catalyst for Indian research into alternative fuels. With India's vast labor pool and native talent motivated as never before, they are able to eliminate the usage of coal and gasoline by 1993, turning their economy into the envy of the world.

in 1995, an earthquake levels the Russian town of Khabarovsk, and in particular smashes a temple that had been erected 5 centuries before by Baron Mikhail von Heflin. From across the world, he senses what has happened and rushes back to the old country.

in 1998, the largest wave of mergers and acquisitions to ever sweep through American businesses hits Wall Street. After the dust clears, all American businesses that are publicly traded on the stock exchange are owned by either SuperUltraMegaCorp or MicroPepExCo. Pleas for the government to step in and enforce anti-trust laws are ignored as the two super corporations own virtually every congressman in Washington.

in 2004, Marjorie Adams visits the Smartnet node at UCLA to see if she can piece together some of the things her dead father had hinted at in his correspondence with her were true. After speaking with Doug Barrister, the new Smartnet Administrator, she is somewhat reassured, but something about Barrister doesn’t sit well with her. She plans a return visit to UCLA – with some hacker friends.

Timelines in today's post: the Chinese Empire, Edison Steampunk, the Mlosh, the GZR, Communist America, von Heflin and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Elvis Presley 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

Happy Anniversary!

Our 2nd Anniversary! We'd like to thank all the loyal readers who have stuck with us this long, as well as all the new readers who are just wondering why this history page is so different from the stuff they were taught in school...
Our entrants into the Anniversary Contest gave us wonderful material, so here they are, with the name of the Honorary Alternate Historian before their section:

Michael R. Smith:

in 1894, Dashiell Hammett, renowned worldwide as the "World's Greatest Detective" was born in Maryland. Hammett began his career in the employ of the Pinkerton agency, but eventually found employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation after successfully cracking the Lindbergh kidnapping case in March of 1932. Hammett was Hoover's top investigator until his death in 1961. records of some of his famous cases, such as the Thin Man, and the Maltese Falcon have gained notoriety and even spawned several successful movies.

July 12, 1917, Use of a chemical agent known as “Yellow King” by the German army in the trenches at Ypres results in numerous deaths as well as the first cases of “walking dead” resuscitated by the strange properties of the gas. Several months later the first super-humans begin to appear on the battlefields as well, altered in unusual manner by exposure to the noxious gas. Armistice ends with a re-drawn political map and the formation of the League of Nations, which institutes a league of super-humans to help enforce its polices, these teams are formed of veterans of the Great War opposed to future conflicts like the one which nearly destroyed Europe. Their secondary purpose is to contain the restless dead who still run free in devastated Europe.

in 1937, San Francisco's Golden gate Bridge is opened to traffic, but instead of the Marin headlands, the first people to cross the bridge find themselves face to face with the armies of the fae; who had been massing in preparation for their triumphant return to the world of the mortals. The City of the Golden Gate becomes their foothold and fortress from which they intend to dominate the world.

Jake Dominguez:

in 1896CE-INCLUSIVE, The Fermi-Scale-4 St. Louis Vortex formed out of free-drifting temporal eddies very near the surface of the Earth's crust at St. Louis, Missouri. The Vortex captured 320,000 metric tonnes of temporally-native matter, mostly in the form of human-built debris, surface soil and atmospheric gases, as well as 255 humans and an estimated 8,200 other representatives of non-sentient eukaryotic life. The effect on the temporal structure proved to be detrimental, as three more vortices were subsequently spawned by the continuum imbalance caused by the introduction of so much native matter into the Void. However, all three resultant disturbances were confined to intra-planetary space and as such consumed little beyond traces of cosmic dust.

in 1942, Operation Anthropoid, the Czech-Deutsche mission to assassinate top Star Harvest leader Kax'tkl Hnns!aska, Director of the Harvesters' plundering and populace-oppression operation on Earth, was successfully carried out. Nearly two dozen members of the underground Vaterwelt Freiheit Gesellschaft group laid in wait in the abandoned suburb of Panenské Břežany for Kax'tkl's GEV transport to pass over on its daily journey to the Directorate in Prague Castle. Upon the transport's approach, an estimated 15 Panzerschreck anti-tank weapons were fired, guidance-less, at the vehicle. Most of the shots missed, but incredibly, two projectiles directly impacted the transport's aft repulsor pads, causing the vehicle to crash and instantly killing Kax'tkl and several members of its staff. Terran joy was short lived when in response, Harvester Command ordered and executed the termination of all extant humans on the planet.

Dave Jong:

in 1941, the German battleship DKM Bismarck, despite being hounded by Royal Navy ships and carrier aircraft, manages to make port in France. After repairs and refueling and despite a concerted effort by the Royal Navy to destroy her in port to avenge HMS Hood, she sails into the North Atlantic and wreaks havoc on merchant shipping. The Bismarck becomes the bane of the Royal Navy's until finally being destroyed in 1944.

in 1941, the German battleship DKM Tirpitz is sunk by Royal Navy battleships in retribution for the sinking of HMS Hood with nearly all hands three day earlier. Although the destruction of the Tirpitz does much to boost moral in Britain, her sister ship, DKM Bismarck takes revenge in the North Atlantic, doing much damage to merchant shipping and in later attacks against Scandinavia.

Nancy Sullivan:

in 771, Charlemagne is not crowned, as he is suddenly assassinated by a Lombard agent who predicted that the king-to-be would attack the League; as a result, the Lombard League soon consolidated its control over all of southern Europe.

Max Liebersohn:

in 1911, 37th U.S. president Hubert H. Humphrey was born in Wallace, South Dakota. His eight years in office were characterized by a continuation of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs, but he was often criticized for being weak on foreign issues such as the Vietnam War.

in 1937, the first report of a mysterious New York City vigilante appeared in the Times. Paul Rogers, of the Apex Chemical Corporation, claimed his life was saved from a murderous plot by a black bat or demon figure. More stories surfaced of the vigilante, mainly from criminals found tied to lampposts. Sightings waned in the late forties but resurged in the sixties.

XJ:

in 1550, Pope Alexander VII departed this life. One of the most controversial popes, and almost certainly the most controversial saint, his uncompromising suppression of the Lutherite and Calvinite heresies earned him the title of “God’s Butcher” and the condemnation of liberal historians, but his actions saved the Universal Catholic Church from schism at a moment of vulnerability. As Cardinal Nietzsche wrote in his Pro-Christ, “St Cesare as Pope… Christianity was thereby preserved!”

in 1949, the first Oscar Eckenstein Professor of Mountain Sciences was appointed by Cambridge University. The Fellowship was endowed by Sir Edward Crowley, the “conqueror of Everest,” and named by him after his mentor and fellow climber, the man whom Crowley credited with “blowing all the mystical nonsense out of my young head.”

Our thanks to everyone who participated in this contest, and you can see a couple of our entrants at other sites – for Michael's other work, visit Pulp Era and see XJ at Chasing Waterfalls.

Thank you all for a happy 2nd anniversary, and we hope to see you around for the ones to come!

Another Big Announcement

I'm looking for a few people to participate in a writing project. If you are interested and have the time to devote to writing around 500 words a week, please send me a writing sample (it doesn't have to be alternate history) for more details. Your sample will not appear on TIAH. This is separate from the Anniversary Contest, whose deadline is rapidly coming up tomorrow - May 27th!

When you send me the writing sample, I will email you back with more details. Thanks for your participation!

Email for the Alternate Historian - rat4cat@gmail.com

Johnson Removed From Office; Smartnet Mystery

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Our second anniversary contest ends TOMORROW! To get your post in, send us up to three of your own alternate histories by 6AM US Central time May 27th! We will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 26th, 2006

in 12-0-18-17-5, the Mohegans and Pequot began their long war of attrition. The Mohegans had requested assistance from the Oueztecan Empire, but were repeatedly turned down until almost a century later, after the populations of both of the northern nations had been depleted by their long war.

in 1805, Italian Emperor Napoleon Buonaparte was crowned King of France at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had conquered the not-so-democratic Revolutionary Committee the year before, but had waited until most of the members had been hunted down and executed before claiming full control of France.

in 1868, Republicans in control of Congress force the removal of President Andrew Johnson and install Benjamin Wade as the 18th President of the United States. President Wade enforced a program of punitive damages on the conquered southern states, and was much hated by the citizenry there; it is thought that Wade's vendetta against them is the reason why the Republican Party has no support in the south even today.

in 1897, the 19th century’s most sensational true story, Dracula, was published by Bram Stoker. Stoker used excerpts from the diaries of several individuals who had been victimized by an apparent vampire in London to make up his book, which terrified England and had amateur vampire hunters scouring the gravesites and abandoned mansions of the ancient city.

in 1907, costume drama and period piece fixture Marion Morrison was born in Winterset, Iowa. Morrison’s career in Hollywood started as a bit player in several westerns, but his failure in them led him to change his career direction and reinvent himself. The entire movie industry admired the true grit it took to transform himself from western extra to classical lead.

in 1910, Jovian transport ships embark for the Mlosh home system to start moving the Q’Bar to the Kantar star system. In spite of the general ambivalence most Mlosh in the terrestrial solar system had felt for the Jovian war against the Q’Bar, a huge number of Mlosh begin making preparations to travel to their ancestral home.

in 1960, Ambassador to the European Union E.L. Pettus accuses the Russian government of covert espionage at the embassy of the Soviet States of America in Moscow. Although true for the most part, it is mainly an attempt to deflect international criticism away from the American spy plane downed by the Russians just days earlier.

in 1965, in spite of intense lobbying by President Kennedy of the United States, Australia and New Zealand withdraw the small number of troops that they had contributed to the American conflict in Vietnam. Kennedy had attempted to pull in other nations to aid the anti-communist South Vietnamese regime, but Australia and New Zealand had had enough of the conflict and wanted to avoid further entanglement.

in 1974, the chaos at a David Cassidy concert in London led to the death of a young teenager and injury to over a thousand others. Cassidy was so disturbed by this that he quit touring and left the public eye altogether, becoming a recluse who shunned publicity and the entertainment industry. The only time he has been seen in public since the tragedy was at his father's funeral.

in 2004, while going through her deceased husband David’s computer, Marjorie Adams reads an email in which he discussed some concerns he had about the Smartnet node he administered at UCLA. To her surprise, the email deletes itself while she is reading it.

Timelines in today's post: Italian Napoleon, the Mlosh, Communist America and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect John Wayne 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

Disappearance Of The Sun; Revenge Of The Jedi

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: we have our second anniversary coming up on May 27th, and we would like to have another contest. For our second anniversary, send us up to three of your own alternate histories, and we will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 25th, 2006

in Hellenic Year 3176, Comorus of Thebes makes the sun disappear with his powerful magic. The frightened citizens of Thebes make him their king; his first action is to forbid the teaching of astronomy to any Thebans.

in 1660, George Monck, a general in the Parliamentarian movement in England, assumed the title of Lord Protector from the son of the revolution’s leader, Richard Cromwell, in order to keep their dream of a realm without a king alive. Monck provided the leadership that Cromwell was unable to, and held off the resurgent Monarchists who were determined to restore Charles II to his father’s throne.

in 1787, the formerly united states of the American colonies dissolve the Articles of Confederation. The Articles had been losing their effectiveness since the end of the war in 1783, anyway. Several of the revolutionary war’s heroes attempted to bring the states together again with a convention in Philadelphia, but only 5 states sent delegates.

in 1803, New England’s elder statesman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Emerson was the mentor of the Communist Party’s founder Henry Thoreau, and one of the first public figures to back his young protégé’s ideals after the publication of Thoreau’s and Marx’s Communist Manifesto.

in 1844, New York City’s Stuart Perry patented an engine that ran on gasoline, a refined oil. Because gasoline was so hard to make, the design didn’t make much of an impact until it was modified to use vegetable-based oils; this engine runs most large machinery today.

in 1915, the Ottoman Empire attempts to deport its Armenian population in a brutal program of genocide against the minority, and quickly draws international condemnation, including the cessation of support from its Central Power allies, Germany and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. This causes the Ottomans to rethink their policy and halt the Armenian program.

in 1961, in a somewhat short-sighted effort to save money, President John Kennedy slows down the American space program, cutting funding to everything except the military projects. With their competition removed, the Soviet space program lands a man on the moon in 1972, and enjoys a tactical superiority over the world today.

in 1974, Jim Morrison’s ex-wife Pam died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles, California. Morrison had divorced her after going through drug rehabilitation in 1972, and her drug use had spiraled out of control since then. Morrison had attempted to get her into rehab earlier in the year, but she had refused his help.

in 1983, George Lucas released the last of his Star Wars films, The Revenge Of The Jedi. In spite of hinting at a larger backstory, Lucas never returned to the series, preferring to concentrate on other projects, such as his game and special effects businesses. He also started a computer graphics based animation studio, Pixar, that soon became as synonymous with cartoon excellence as Disney had once been.

in 2004, David Adams, a computer science professor at UCLA, frantically attempts to contact the White House about the Smartnet node he administers at the university in Los Angeles. He dies later that evening as the plane he is flying in to Washington, D.C. crashes in a freak collision at Dulles International Airport.

Timelines in today's post: Communist America and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Jim Morrison 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

Hancock Elected President

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: we have our second anniversary coming up on May 27th, and we would like to have another contest. For our second anniversary, send us up to three of your own alternate histories, and we will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 24th, 2006

in 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus, heretical astronomer, was hunted down by good Christians and burned at the stake. His treatise Six Books Concerning the Revolution of the Heavenly Orbs maintained that the earth was not at the center of the universe, contradicting the Bible and angering the Church fathers of his native Poland.

in 1764, Boston lawyer James Otis decried the British Parliament’s taxation without representation, which he attempted to make a rallying cry for colonial resistance against English rule; the utter lack of support he gathered for this cause demonstrated how little people cared about a few cents in taxes.

in 1775, Bostonian John Hancock was elected president of the Continental Congress by a mere 3 votes, showing how thin support for the rebel cause was. Although Hancock used his time in office to declare the independence of the American colonies, by 1778 he was ousted in favor of the more conciliatory John Jay, who negotiated a peace with the British.

in 1822, the Spanish military defeats revolutionary Simon Bolivar at Pichincha, and captures the legendary Creole himself. While being transported back to Spain, the ship carrying Bolivar is attacked by pirates who swear allegiance to Bolivar. He builds these two ships into a small fleet that liberates many Spanish possessions across the world.

in 1910, the Jovian Mlosh alliance begins negotiating with the Congress of Nations for transport ships to help move the Q’Bar from the Mlosh home system to the Kantar star system. It appears that the Q’Bar will soon be vacating the system that has been their home since the Mlosh created them.

in 1913, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad learned that the U.S. Department of Labor was going to stand firmly on the side of the workers in America as they ended a Railroad Clerks Union strike in favor of the union. Socialist President Woodrow Wilson, in spite of intense lobbying from the owners of several trusts, stands behind his Labor Secretary, and capitalists in America wake up to their new reality.

in 1964, Ed Sullivan played a taped performance of Pete Best on his show “in order to avoid all the screaming girls.” The international superstar played his hit song Love & Money from his upcoming movie All Night Long.

in 1986, the boy band The Monkees finally called it quits on their 20th Anniversary tour. They had lost original members Mike Nesmith in ’74 and Davy Jones in ’79, and Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork were ready to move on to other projects. Their legions of fans were saddened, but after 20 years together, it did seem to be time for them to part.

in 2004, the first Smartnet nodes began operation around the country. Concentrated in college towns and large industrial centers at first, the Smartnet wireless connections to the internet prove so popular that Congress expands the funding for them. President Al Gore basks in the glow of the popular program, and his approval ratings soar.

Timelines in today's post: Canadian Independence, the Mlosh, Communist America, Pete Best and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect The Monkees 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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Kidd Knighted; Himmler Killed

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: we have our second anniversary coming up on May 27th, and we would like to have another contest. For our second anniversary, send us up to three of your own alternate histories, and we will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 23rd, 2006

in 1701, Captain William Kidd was knighted by King William III for his diligence in defending English ships against piracy on the American coast. He had been commissioned with the task 6 years earlier by the governor of New York, and had proven wonderfully adept at it. “It’s almost as if he has a pirate’s mind himself,” King William said during the ceremony.

in 1777, one of the rebels' few victories was scored against the British when Colonel Meigs and his Connecticut raiders sacked Sag Harbor, New York, capturing some vessels and supplies. These were transferred to the Canadian independence movement after Meigs was ordered to surrender to the British in 1778, and some of the ships Meigs captured were even used in the Battle of Hudson Bay to defeat their former masters.

in 1872, construction completed on Thomas Edison’s Edison Difference Engine, or Eddie as they became known popularly. The Eddie was a newer, better version of Charles Babbage’s difference engine, and Edison scheduled an unveiling for the following Monday to present his latest invention to the world.

in 4600, Star Sailor Ouyang Ziyuan of the Chinese Star Fleet was launched to the moon. This first manned mission to the earth’s satellite was the beginning of Emperor Chengzu’s Star Fleet’s greatest period, culminating in a small lunar colony and eventual contact with an alien race. Ironically, it also led to the end of the hereditary line of emperors and to the burgeoning of democracy in the empire.

in 1910, Jovian Mlosh capture the Li’Kek’Uma moon in the Mlosh home system, and with it, millions of Q’Barian supporters of Q’B’Ton’ra. With this defeat, the last few military leaders who had been fighting the Q’Barian rebels and the Jovians surrender, and the Barnard’s Star talks move towards terms of surrender.

in 1934, Sheriff Clyde Barrow led the capture of noted gangsters J. Edgar “Sweety” Hoover and Clyde “Gunner” Tolson. Barrow and his posse of deputies were forced to wound both of the outlaws, but were able to take them alive, in spite of a barrage of gunfire from the pair. Hoover and Tolson spent their rest of their days behind bars, dying in the early 1970's.

in 1945, Chief of Police for the German Reich, Heinrich Himmler, was assassinated by Greater Zionist Resistance sympathizers in Berlin, Germany. Himmler needed no assistance from the G.Z.R. to be hated; his repression made him universally despised across the Reich, and there was little effort put into finding his killers.

in 1964, international sensation Pete Best’s song Can’t Get Enough Love was remade by American singer Ella Fitzgerald and hit the top 50 on the U.K. charts. She was the first artist to chart with a cover of a Pete Best song.

in 2003, President Al Gore’s Smartnet initiative reaches the U.S. Congress. In it, President Gore calls for a national wireless system of connectivity to the internet. It is derided by Republicans as “technobabble”, but it passes both House and Senate by good majorities, and proves to be a large boon to the laptop computer industry.

Timelines in today's post: Canadian Independence, Edison Steampunk, the Chinese Empire, the Mlosh, the GZR, Pete Best and The Smartnet Timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the 1945 Captain Kidd 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!

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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!

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Henry VI Defeated; Hall Visits Moscow

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: we have our second anniversary coming up on May 27th, and we would like to have another contest. For our second anniversary, send us up to three of your own alternate histories, and we will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 22nd, 2006

in 1455, Yorkists usurpers defeated King Henry VI at the Battle of St. Albans, but the King escaped and rallied his supporters to drive Duke Richard of York away in the Battle of London. The remainder of King Henry’s desperate reign was marked with constant warfare against the Yorkists, ending only in his death in 1469 in a boating accident. The Yorkists lacked the support to put their leader, Edward, on the throne, but the marriage of old Richard of York to Henry’s widow Margaret did put an end to the fighting.

in 1807, former Vice-President Aaron Burr was tried and convicted of treason for his plan to create his own republic in the American southwest. He was executed by firing squad for the crime, the first elected official in the new country to be killed by judicial order.

in 1841, Philadelphia craftsman Henry Kennedy received a patent for his reclining chair, a device which was outlawed the next year because of its promotion of sloth and laziness. Even though its great evils have been denounced from pulpit and altar, many Americans are still arrested with these instruments of indolence every year.

in 1856, after reportedly threatening him for weeks, South Carolinian Representative Preston Brooks attacked Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner for a speech Sumner made deriding Brooks' cousin, Senator Andrew Butler. Unfortunately for Brooks, Sumner had started carrying a gun because of the threats, and shot Brooks dead. When Sumner was acquitted of the killing, the south erupted in outrage.

in 1965, Pete Best’s eighth consecutive number 1 hit, Passport To Your Heart, hit the top of the charts in America. It was knocked off the top spot the next week by Best’s next release, Tell Me How You Feel.

in 1969, Apollo 10’s lunar module, just a few miles above the moon’s surface, experienced an instrument failure and crashed. Although astronauts Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan survived, NASA had no way of rescuing them. Before his oxygen ran out, Stafford, commander of the mission, became the first man to set foot on the moon, saying, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for all mankind.”

in 1972, Comrade President Gus Hall arrived in Moscow to finalize several agreements with the Russian royal family. Comrade Hall’s last years in office were spent attempting to mend some fences between the Soviet States of America and the capitalist monarchies of the eastern hemisphere; it paved the way for Comrade President John Anderson’s historic visit to Brazil later in the decade.

in 1977, newly-elected President James Carter declares humans rights “inconsequential” in a speech at Notre Dame University. Carter's somewhat harsh approach to foreign policy, such as the bombing of Iran when they tried to take the American embassy staff hostage, was seen as a reaction to America's loss in the Vietnamese conflict

in 1995, after the Laverne & Shirley 20th Aniversary special, director Penny Marshal and actress Cindy Williams decide to revisit the series and create Laverne & Shirley, the next generation. The new series shows the two friends in their later years as grandmothers in the 1980’s, and is a huge hit among nostalgic baby boomers.

in 2002, the remains of intern Chandra Levy were found in a park in the Washington D.C. area. Conclusive evidence found with the body showed that she had been kidnapped by a rapist who had been preying on women in her neighborhood, rather than by suspect Congressman Gary Condit. Red-faced conservative commentators who had been flogging Condit apologized profusely for their suspicion, and Condit easily won reelection later that year.

Timelines in today's post: Pete Best and Communist America

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Laverne & Shirley 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

Aristocles Born; Best Releases Scapegoat

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: we have our second anniversary coming up on May 27th, and we would like to have another contest. For our second anniversary, send us up to three of your own alternate histories, and we will publish the best - no limit on how many will end up on the final page! We would like to see as many of you enter this as possible, so please - think 'em up, write 'em down, and send 'em on to us at rat4cat@gmail.com! Help us celebrate our 2nd year of existence in style! Oh, and if you're like Sean and we owe you an appearance in TIAH - email us! SEAN - EMAIL - NOW!

May 21st, 2006

in Hellenic Year 3334, distinguished Athenian statesman Aristocles was born in Athens. Under his leadership, Athens regained a portion of the glory it had lost in the Peloponnesian War, and extended the democratic ideal to several smaller city-states.

in 1758, ten-year old Pennsylvanian Mary Campbell is kidnapped by the Lenape tribe and brought to live with them. In her adulthood, Campbell left the Lenape and joined the Canadian revolution, teaching Lenape fighting techniques to the rebels. According to all reports, Campbell cut quite the figure, always dressing herself as a Lenape warrior.

in 1910, Q’B’Ton’ra is executed by his former military leaders in an effort to quell his supporters in the civil war raging in the Mlosh home system. Their leader’s death does take the wind out of their sails, and mass surrenders begin across the system.

in 1924, reactionaries Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were arrested by Chicago police after attempting to assassinate Comrade Judge Clarence Darrow. The pair were the children of industrialists who fled the country soon after; it was thought the young men acted as part of a larger conspiracy against Chicago’s Communist Party.

in 1927, French aviation fans waiting for American Charles Lindbergh at Le Bourget Field in Paris are thrown into mourning when news reaches them that young Mr. Lindbergh has ditched in the Atlantic. He had fallen asleep at the controls, and since weight restrictions had forced him to fly without a parachute, he died in the crash.

in 1945, noted surgeon and New York socialite Humphrey Bogart wed the much younger Betty Perske, a dancer with the New York Ballet. 46-year-old Bogart and his 23-year-old bride were the subject of many scandalous reports in the Big Apple’s gossip columns, but they seemed to be truly in love – they remained married until Bogart’s death from lung cancer in 1957.

in 1971, Pete Best released Scapegoat, a musical stab at his former bandmates The Silver Beatles, who had been talking to tabloids about him. The album mocked their bitterness at their lack of success without him.

in 1988, in an attempt to strengthen his own position, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev dismissed the Communist Party leaders in Armenia and Azerbaijan. This triggers a rebellion within the Soviet Union’s Communists, and Gorbachev is ousted from power in a military coup the next year.

in 1991, Rajiv Gandhi barely escaped an assassination attempt when he dropped a bouquet that had been handed to him while being pressed by a crowd of supporters. A bomb hidden in the bouquet exploded, killing a young girl and wounding several people in the crowd; the scene of Gandhi holding the young girl as she died propelled him back into the Prime Minister’s position, where he led a renewed Indian assault against domestic terrorism.

in 2005, after what has felt like the longest spring break she has ever been through, Chelsea Perkins resumes her study of witchcraft in the Great Tree, with lessons from Debra Morris and her father, Terrence, who has been restored to life after his housemates made a change in the past. Chelsea, although she still enjoys using magic, is having some serious second thoughts about witchcraft in practice.

Timelines in today's post: Canadian Independence, the Mlosh, Pete Best, Communist America and the Chelsea Perkins timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect To Have and Have Not 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!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -