Nessie

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!

May 2nd, 2006

in 1519, one of the greatest geniuses of the Speaker’s Line, Leonardo da Vinci, died in France. Most of his designs were spirited away by others of Telka’s descendants before they could be found by those not ready for them, but some that were left behind were still too advanced for his time. Fortunately, da Vinci wrote most of them in a code that was impossible for those not of the Speaker's Line to break.

in 1915, Dr. Argus McCloud and his three crewmen land back on the Kainku world. They are all wearing the neural neutralizer, and Dr. McCloud is unable to pick up any irritation caused by the stray telepathic waves of the Kainku. When he explains to the aliens the turmoil that they have caused on other worlds, they are very apologetic and offer to make amends. Dr. McCloud sends word to Admiral Rodriquez, then hurries back to the ship to manufacture more of the neutralizers.

in 1933, a beast was sighted in Loch Ness, Scotland, which resembled the long-extinct plesiosaur. When news of the sighting hit the newspapers, big-game hunters around the world converged on Loch Ness to take down Nessie, as the beast became known. The hunts uncovered a small family of plesiosaurs living in the lake, having survived since the time of the dinosaurs. Because of the turmoil of the hunt, the clan of 3 females and 2 males soon died, leaving only the mystery of how such huge creatures survived the millions of years since their brethren went extinct.

in 1947, the risqué farce Mooning the Misbegotten, the latest for laugh-riot Gene O’Neill, opens on Broadway. The uproarious comedy nearly brought the censor’s office down on it before O’Neill agreed to cut down on a little of the title action. Even sans the pants-dropping, it was lambasted by moralists as vulgar, which only made it more popular.

in 1957, Vice-President Joseph 'Tailgunner Joe' McCarthy dies of an undisclosed ailment in a hospital in Washington, D.C. McCarthy's outspoken anti-communism had made the perfect counter-point for President Eisenhower's more soft-spoken rhetoric, and Ike delivered the eulogy at his Vice-President's funeral himself. The many enemies he had made through his infamous lists of communists working for Congress were a little less than sad at his passing.

in 1972, the People’s Champion, J. Edgar Hoover, who had led the People’s Bureau of Investigation since its inception in 1924, died in Washington, D.C. His nearly 50 years of service to the Soviet States of America was rewarded with a state funeral and thousands of mourners; Hoover had been at the forefront of anti-capitalist law enforcement, and was much beloved by his comrades across the nation.

in 1975, Pete Best closes down his record label, Pear Records. Although it had made some money at the beginning, it had become a money funnel in the 70’s, losing cash hand over fist. The corporation that managed Best's properties still functioned quite well, and the Pear Corp. is making money even today.

in 1985, the once-mighty brokerage firm E.F. Hutton was brought low after pleading guilty to swindling several banks out of interest on nearly $4 billion. The company that everyone listened to fell silent as the upper management bailed out and stockholders sold out for the little their stock could bring.

in 1997, American troops surrender to the allied forces of the British, Egyptian and Chinese, ending the war in the western theater. With the Consitutionalists of President Ralph Shephard vanquished, the Allies turn their attention to Africa and the menace of President Terreblanche’s South Africa.

in 2005, Patience Redding finds an entry in her diary that speaks of meeting a young American, Chelsea Perkins, when she, herself, was 14, in 1987. She has become convinced that Miss Perkins is an immortal who is fixed in age, and lays plans for a trap should they meet again.

Timelines in today's post: the Speaker, the Mlosh, Communist America, Pete Best, the Ralph Shephard timeline and the Chelsea Perkins timeline.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect The Da Vinci Code 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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Good long fiction from the AH. See a review of Warp at Universe Pathways Magazine

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