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 8th, 2006
in 199,265 BCE, the mother of all humanity gave birth to the first of her many children in southern Africa. She never got a card from a single one of them.
in 1886, Dr. John Pemberton’s Coca Elixir began being sold from Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. The powerful medicine brightened the outlook and put pep in the steps of Georgians for years until cocaine was outlawed. This quelled Pemberton's desire to find the “perfect” health drink, and he was able to put more attention into his own shop, where he and his wife made a comfortable living.
in 1915, Admiral Esteban Rodriquez arrives back in the P'Karsai nebula to find that Dr. Argus McCloud and his small shuttle crew have the situation well in hand. With the water on the Kainku world and the materials Admiral Rodriquez brings with him, Dr. McCloud is able to produce a neural neutralizer for everyone in Rodriquez's fleet, and contact between the Congress of Nations and the Kainku resumes.
in 1937, gadfly writer Thomas Pynchon was born in Glen Cove, New York. This publicity-hungry writer entered the New York City literary scene with his short story The Small Rain and became a permanent fixture wherever a party or camera was to be found. Among his many stunts were the planting of the little symbols from The Crying of Lot 49 all over New York City, and the organization of the alternate postal system from that book.
in 1970, Pete Best’s album So It Goes is released. It marks the turning point for his career as he abandons the old Liverpool sound for a new, more bluesy American musical style. Many of his British fans feel it is a betrayal, but critics across the pond embrace the album as Best’s finest work to date. He also buys a mansion in America this year, which further alienates those still listening for the naive young man from Liverpool.
in 1984, in a twist ending, Joanie left Chachi at the altar on Happy Days. The plans for a spinoff series starring the two characters had fallen through, and the actors had not renewed their contracts for Happy Days, so they were written out with this episode. There was a brief surge of fan support to get them back together, but the series was not renewed after that point.
in 1985, the Council of Wisdom asks to see Chelsea Perkins, and she goes before them. The Council is composed of different members than in her own time, and she only recognizes a couple of them. They ask her about her own future activities, which she is careful to tell in a highly flattering light. She leaves the meeting feeling good about her chances of being sent back to her own time.
in 1991, William Webster, the CIA director under George Bush, resigns prior to giving testimony against Bush in the Iran-Contra hearings. This is the final nail in the coffin of Bush’s presidency, and he himself resigns a month later. The Republican Party, held together mainly by nostalgia since the fall of communism, splinters after the loss of a second president to scandal in recent memory, and its members drift into the Libertarian Party and the newly-formed Independent Party.
in 1997, V-A (Victory in America) Day is celebrated in Great Britain, Egypt and China as the war in America is over. All prisoners of war were released and sent home, and the allied powers began reconstructing the American government; along the old lines in the east, where British and Egyptian forces held control, and along communist lines in the west, where the Chinese troops held the reins.
Timelines in today's post: the Mlosh, Pete Best, the Chelsea Perkins timeline and the Ralph Shephard timeline
Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Thomas Pynchon: A Journey Into the Mind of P. 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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