The Duma

The state of TIAH

March 3rd, 2007

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Alternate Historian's Note: Our Guest Historian, Stephen Payne, suggested that it was time for a contest, so we're going to have an April Fool's Day Contest! Email us up to 3 entries for an alternate April 1st and we will post the best 10, with your own credit and link to your website (if you have one). We'll also see if we have enough credit for an ultimate winner to get a complimentary TIAH mug, but we can't promise anything on that yet. Get researching those alternate histories now, folks! The deadline will be March 29th.

in 1953, Cambridge biologist William Hughes speaks with Rosalind Franklin about the murder of James Watson and Francis Crick. She seems quite nervous speaking about the crime, and keeps stealing glances at the office of her colleague, Maurice Wilkins. Hughes asks, “Is there something about Doctor Wilkins that you would like to tell me, Miss Franklin?” She gazes into his eyes for a moment, then shakes her head. “Not here,” she says, grabbing her coat. “Let us go for a walk, Professor Hughes.” Once free of the confines of King's College, Miss Franklin opened up to Hughes. “You see, Professor Hughes, I have been working for some time on examining the building blocks of life, on finding the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid. Doctor Wilkins... he doesn't approve of a woman doing such work. He...” She paused for several moments to collect herself. “He took my research, and I believe that James and Francis accidentally saw it.” She stole a quick look around the courtyard they were walking in before continuing on. “I don't believe he wanted them to see it. They were quite brilliant, you know, and also working on the DNA structure problem.” Hughes nodded. “So, you think that they resolved the structure from the research that Wilkins had?” Franklin looked annoyed for a second, and said, “My research, yes,” but then regained the nervous look she had held a moment before. “I'm afraid of speaking up before anyone after what happened, Professor Hughes.” Hughes' mind was reeling with the possibilities. “You believe,” he said slowly, “that Doctor Wilkins is behind the murders?” Miss Franklin nodded and whispered, “Who else has a motive?” A voice from behind them suddenly cut into their conversation. “A motive for what?” They spun to see Doctor Wilkins standing a few feet away, puffing as if he had just run to catch them. Hughes quickly regained his calm exterior and said, “Just discussing the murders, old boy. Like most people on campus, I should expect. Who has a motive to kill such innocuous men?” Wilkins blushed slightly. “I couldn't say,” he said between deep breaths. “Sorry I'm so out of breath,” he told them, “but the police wanted to speak with Rosalind, and I said I'd fetch her.” Hughes felt Miss Franklin shrink back from Wilkins, and offered, “Well, why don't we both escort her back inside, then?” A strange, disappointed look stole over Wilkins face for a brief instant before he regained control of himself and said, “Yes, of course.” Professor Hughes resolved to speak with the police himself after they were done with Miss Franklin.

Duma	In 1905 Tsar Nicholas Romanov II agrees to create the Duma, an elected assembly in the Russia Federation, that crucible of European Democracy. The Boyar Duma was an advisory council to the grand princes and tsars of Muscovy with the term Duma comes from the Russian word думать (dumat), ..
.. 'to think'. The European Monarchies refused to think and a clash of systems of government was inevitable as Britain, France, Germany and Austria-Hungary sought to strangle democracy at birth in the War of Intervention.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 2002 the Citizens of Switzerland narrowly voted in favour of their country becoming a member of the League of Nations. After almost a century of peace in in Europe it was a no-brainer.	League of Natio..
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Luther's 95 The..	In 1974 Roman Catholic and Lutheran officials reach an agreement for eventual reconciliation into one communion. Momentum continued to gather for the eventual merger of Christian religions, undoing the fractures caused since 1517 by the Reformation.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1966 a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 707 almost flew into a mountain wave after 45 year-old Captain Bernard Dobson rashly decided to give the passengers a close-up view of Mt. Fuji. The spiritual beings on the wooded slopes of the dormant volcano took the corrective ..	Mount Fuji
.. action required to prevent the death of of the 124 people aboard. The form of that action later became apparent; when the Boeing set down in Hong Kong, a relieved Dobson was greeted by flight traffic mandarins of the Chinese Empire.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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