The Scottish King

The state of TIAH

August 15th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Our thanks to Guest Historian, Viannah Duncan, for filling in for us yesterday. She did a great job, and we hope she enjoyed it as much as we did the day off :)

in [time unknown], for two days, the crews of the Pokor and the Eagle have been constrained in orbit around the brown planet. Their ships have been unable to break free from the the strange force that the alien ships have been using against them. They detected various probes being made of the ships and the crews, but no attempts at communication. Najib Kasem and the Quarai translator Monkar have been working almost without rest to decipher the radio transmissions they had received earlier. Kasem keeps feeling that the language is within his grasp, but never quite realizes why. Together, the two manage to unravel a tale of civil war and planetary devastation – the people of the brown planet have been evacuating to the 3rd and 5th planets in the system in order to save something of themselves. Hostilities have followed them there, though – the 5th planet, where the majority of the refugees are, is currently being bombarded, and Kasem finds a snippet of conversation in one transmission that speaks of a great weapon that will be used on this world to show the power of one of the factions in the civil war. Just as Kasem informs Commander Patterson and Captain Mawrao of this weapon, the Pokor is forced into a descent by the ships holding it. “We're landing,” the Pokor's helmsman says.

in 1057, with the powers of black magic on his side, Scottish King MacBeth slaughters the army of Malcolm Canmore, son of MacBeth's predecessor, Duncan I. Although Canmore's side had hoped that his general MacDuff's birth through caesarian section would counteract the prophesy that no man born of woman could defeat the Black King, MacDuff was never able to reach MacBeth in the heat of the battle, and was slain by the King from afar. It wasn't until MacBeth's attack on the noblewoman McAfferty's lands in northern England that the true meaning of the prophecy came true; Lady McAfferty, after seducing the King, poisoned his wine.

in 1935, Oklahoma's governor, former humorist Will Rogers, is invited to Washington to speak to an meeting of the nation's governors to discuss ways of alleviating the pain of the Great Depression the nation finds itself in. Rogers is popular across party lines, even though he himself is a Democrat, and had been chosen because under his leadership, Oklahoma's poorest had been given enough of a living to where they were no longer fleeing the state in record numbers. As his plane left the airport in Oklahoma City, though, a twister sprang out of nowhere and sent it spiraling into the ground, killing the governor and all aboard. The nation mourned the loss of this gentle, funny man.

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My Birthday Gift - A Guest Historian

The state of TIAH

August 14th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: For my birthday, I was given the best gift of all – a Guest Historian, Viannah Duncan, has written today's entire post. Enjoy her work as I take my birthday off, and let her know how well she's done in comments! And, if you want to be a Guest Historian, too, follow the “state of TIAH” link above to find out how...

1281: Kamikaze hits Mongol forces; Khan nevertheless conquers Japan

Mongols conquer Japan despite Japanese kamikaze—“divine wind”. Kublai Khan was determined to bring the “rogue islands” under his rule. Staging a two-pronged attack, Khan sent more than 40,000 Mongol soldiers on more than 900 ships from Korea and over 100,000 troops on around 3,500 ships from southeastern China. Although his forces were met with unanticipated resistance, including a typhoon—which the Japanese called “kamikaze”—that wiped out half of his army, Khan managed to take control of the islands and his dynasty ruled Japan, Korea, China, and much of the rest of Asia for over 600 years.

1910: Acceptance of Esperanto leads South America, Africa to power

The sixth International Congress of Esperantists is held in Washington D.C. After the conference ends, delegates from nearly every country return to their capitols to work for the addition of Esperanto to their official language(s). Esperanto, the universal language, is adopted by all of South America and Africa within ten years time and because of the new ability to converse with one another, leaders in South America and Africa band their countries together and overthrow European and North American hegemony.

1935: Social Security Act causes outcry

Social Security Act becomes law, much to the chagrin of most of the American public. Many lobbyists had been helping to push the legislation through the proper channels even though 78% (Gallup poll) of citizens didn’t think they needed the “extra protection” the act would provide. After all, everyone who worked (that is, the men who worked) all had pension plans anyway. After the act passed, there was a great public outcry for it to be nullified so that they wouldn’t have to pay even more money to the government that they already didn’t trust. It was repealed the following January and those members of Congress who had supported it were thrown out of office.

1984: MS-DOS bombs in the market... again

IBM releases MS-DOS version 3.0. Since versions 1.0 and 2.0 were complete failures, those funding IBM gave them an ultimatum: put out or find another sugar daddy. Unfortunately, 3.0 was just as much a failure as the previous two versions and IBM had its funding yanked. Shortly afterward, IBM dropped off the map—taking most modern electronics with it—and the world was directed away from computerization towards a more natural, primitive lifestyle.

1995: Faulkner becomes first female cadet at Citadel

Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet at the Citadel, South Carolina’s state military college. Many had speculated that she would wash out immediately after proving her point—that women should be allowed access to military training if they want it—but Faulkner defied nearly everyone’s expectations and graduated at the top of her class four years later. She went on to become one of the highest ranked U.S. Army generals and never turned down an appointment to overseas service, no matter how uncontrollable or detestable others thought the post to be. She is famous for turning the terrible Abu Ghraib tragedy into a case for reforming the Army from the top down.

-Guest Historian, Viannah Duncan-

Yellow Fever Epidemic

The state of TIAH

August 13th, 2006

in [time unknown], Najib Kasem recommends moving the Pokor away from the brown planet they are currently orbiting. “We haven't finished translating their language, but it seems remarkably similar to the language of the Starwalkers, and I can tell that there is some hostility occurring on the planet's surface. They're in the middle of a war.” Commander Patterson has to explain the concept to the Quarai crew, but the P'tar ambassador understands immediately. She tells Captain Mawrao that the ship needs to be evacuate immediately. As the Pokor thrusts away from the brown planet, its sensors detect several ships breaking orbit and heading towards them. “I don't think I've ever asked you this before, Captain,” Commander Patterson said to Mawrao, “but what defenses does the Pokor have?” Mawrao tells her, “We have force shield, we have pulse weapon that disable electrical equipment; that's about it.” Commander Patterson says, “The Eagle has a nuclear drive that can be turned on our opponents if need be.” The Quarai captain is reluctant to initiate hostilities, though. “Maybe we should see if they can be negotiated with.” The ships from the brown planet surround the Pokor within minutes, and Kasem and the Quarai translator Monkar attempt to radio them a message of peace and friendship. Their signal is returned by a brief speech in what Kasem confirms is the Starwalker language, and he replies remarkably well in the same language. Their ship is seized by some unknown force, and they are redirected back to the brown planet. “I don't think they mean us harm,” Kasem says, somewhat unconvincingly. Mawrao and Patterson consider activating the Jump device, but think that they might bring these ships with them in the jump field. The crew brace themselves for whatever awaits.

in 1878, Memphis restaurateur Kate Bionda dies of yellow fever, the first of millions as the disease decimated the American south and midwest. Panic gripped the young American nation as quarantines initiated to stop the spread proved too porous to be effective. Both mosquitoes and people break through the quarantine lines, and even the military is unable to contain people who are too scared to realize that they are dooming anyone they run towards. Tennessee becomes a charnel house, with virtually the entire population dead within weeks of Ms Bionda. The states surrounding Tennessee suffered 90% casualty rates, and the disease caused deaths as far away as Greenland and Panama before finally subsiding. With this epidemic hitting just as they were nearly finished rebuilding from their Civil War, the American nation, and most of the North American continent, lost their place in world affairs, and the English-speaking nations of the new world never became major players on the world stage, unlike Brazil in South America.

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Washington's Woes

The state of TIAH

August 12th, 2006

in [time unknown], the crews of the Pokor and the Eagle appear back in normal space, but not in the Amandara system. The jump that they made through hyperspace was very unsettling, too, and the entire crew is suffering from unease, dizziness and a strange sense of muscle fatigue. “I feel like somebody's squeezed me through a straw,” Commander Patterson complains. Captain Mawrao, still sluggish from the jump, orders the crew to scan the system they're in to see where they are. The star is a small yellow sun, and they are approximately 30 light-minutes from a habitable planet that resembles Amandara 8. There is another planet about a light-hour out from that one which also seems capable of supporting life, as well as a planet further in towards the sun which looks very lush. A few gas giants orbit the sun beyond these worlds, but none seem to be as life-givingly hot as Amandara, so Captain Mawrao suggests to Patterson that they head to the world they are closest to. She agrees, and the Pokor finds itself a couple of hours later approaching a small brown world that is giving off quite a few radio signals. Monkar, the Quarai translator, begins working to decipher them, and Najib Kasem assists. He finds the language contained in the signals oddly familiar.

in 1776, General George Washington of the rebel American army wrote to General Charles Lee that the problems of smallpox and desertion that he was dealing with were overwhelming, and that the British would probably take advantage of this by seizing New York City. He was correct, and during a British attack on Brooklyn Heights, was captured along with a large number of the Continental Army's officer corps. All of these officers were shipped back to Britain, where they were tried and hanged for treason, demoralizing the American rebel movement. There were still sporadic outbreaks of resistance against British rule, but this horrific defeat completely crushed the American rebellion.

in 2000, a cry for help proves that the Cold War is truly over; the Russian submarine Kursk is hit by an explosion as it goes through a few practice maneuvers in the Barents Sea, and radios out an SOS. American naval personnel respond immediately, and are able to evacuate almost half of the 118 Russian crewmen on board before the Kursk loses all buoyancy and sinks to the bottom of the sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin commends the brave American sailors who came to the aid of the Russian sub and declares, “Now, in the freezing Arctic, we see the final thawing of the Cold War between the United States and Russia. The warmth of this act melts even the hardest of our hearts.” From this point forward, Russia and the US grow closer and cooperate almost fully on international matters.

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We Begin Bombing In 5 Minutes

The state of TIAH

August 11th, 2006

in 1984, an accidentally open mike dooms President Reagan's reelection prospects. During his weekly radio address to the nation, a technician asks the president for a sound check, flipping the mike on and opening the show to a live channel as he does so. The old actor in him quipped, "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." Unknown to either the President or the technician, this was heard by people around the world, and the Soviet Union, rather predictably, demanded an apology for this attempt at humor. When Reagan stammered through another half-hearted attempt at laughing the situation off, his popularity plummeted, and polls for his Democratic opponent soared. Reagan recovered somewhat by the time of the November election, but still only managed 46% of the popular vote against former Vice-President Mondale, who won the election with 53% of the vote, and assumed office as the 41st President of the United States the following January.

in 2017, the Eagle docks inside the Pokor for what both crews assume is the last time. There is much sadness on both ships as Najib Kasem and Monkar prepare the Jump device to take them back to Amandara. Commander Patterson and Captain Mawrao share a drink with each other, and Mawrao says, “You know, I never expect anything like this to happen in my life. I pretty sure that I spend my whole life with just Amandarans, and never see aliens. Even though we part in not the best way, I would not trade for anything our trips together.” Commander Patterson raises her glass and replies, “Captain, you took the words out of my mouth. It has been an honor, a privilege, and a delight to share our journey with you.” Najib Kasem, meanwhile, makes some small adjustments to the Jump device that are unnoticed by Monkar, and then says, “Are you ready to initiate?” Monkar replies affirmatively, and warns the crew that a jump is about to be initiated. Kasem activates the machine, and they all disappear in a flash of white light.

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Pueblo Uprising

Alternate Historian's Note: While we battle off the plague, enjoy this blast from the past...

August 10th, 2006:

in 1680, a popular rebellion rises among the Pueblo against the Spanish occupiers. Through years of harsh guerilla warfare, they are able to drive the Europeans from their land, at the cost of their traditionally more peaceful culture. The Pueblo remained in an almost perpetual state of war against European invaders for the next century.

in 1827, in what will soon become a tidal wave that the United States cannot fight against, over a thousand blacks leave Cincinnati, Ohio for Canada after bloody race riots in the western town. That thousand turns into hundreds of thousands, and then millions, as blacks across the United States throw off their shackles for the freedom of the Great White North.

in the Dreaming, the war against the flies of Heaven is proceeding swiftly. The people have freed all of the areas they control of the pests; a problem arises when they request the aid of a native race of Heaven in using their home to stage an attack on the flies – they are refused. An anger the people didn’t know they had begins to grow within them.

in 1911, the Parliament Act reduces the power of the British House of Commons to ceremonial duties. They are essentially a rubber stamp for the House of Lords, where virtually all parliamentary power is now concentrated. The Prime Minister, Lord Harold Fitzhugh, declares, “This is not America, where the Communists lead the rabble down to chaos. In Britain, the lower classes know their place.”

in 1960, Spanish actor Antonio Banderas is born in Malaga, Spain. An international superstar famed for his smoldering sexuality, Banderas attempted to bring this success to American film, but didn’t translate well, and never took off in Hollywood.

in 1968, the investigation into Governor Schoemann’s death in the New Reich’s Chinese Protectorate uncovers a puzzling fact – Governor Schoemann had met with his twin prior to the suicide. His secretary saw the man; security cameras recorded him, and his exact likeness with Governor Schoemann was obvious. However, Governor Schoemann was an only child, according to all their records. Gestapo investigators were baffled by this.

in 1975, David Frost interviews President Richard Nixon the day after the last state’s vote to ratify the 27th Amendment, repealing the 2-term limit on the presidency. When Frost asks him how he felt about this Amendment, which had been pushed through in order to allow him to run for a 3rd term, Nixon replied, “It was the first time I cried since Eisenhower died.”

in 1977, the police announce that they have captured the notorious Son of Sam killer, a young postal worker named David Berkowitz. They are forced to release him later on as the grisly Sam-style murders continue; as he is freed, Berkowitz tells them, “You should have arrested the dog.”

in 1996, the crowd around the home of Dr. Melvin Courtney begins to grow; they even have home-made reconstructions of the Chimanimani object. Requests to the police to have them removed are useless; they simply return after the police disperse them. Dr. Courtney decides that he will speak to them the next day.

in 2000, the trio of Mikhail von Heflin, Velma Porter and Li Huang-Sen contain and imprison the presence that had been threatening Las Vegas in the Nevada desert. As they return to Vegas, Li learns that his two companions are newly married, and offers to throw them a proper wedding party, “back home. You’re coming with me to China.” Exhausted and more than willing to leave America after this, the couple agree.

in 2002, Sylvie Gerard spirits her newborn daughter out of Jesu, France moments before Templars of the Holy British Empire arrive and begin slaughtering all the newborns. For forty days and nights, she wanders the French countryside, seeking refuge from the Pope’s edict.

in 2004, Dr. Emilio Carrera’s jamming technology is sent to factories to begin mass production; the entire world sets its eyes on using the Guatemalan scientist’s genius to hide themselves from the galactic menace they know only as the Elders.

Roman Victory In The East

The state of TIAH

August 9th, 2006

in 1132 AUC, Roman Emperor Valens routes the Visigoths at Adrianople. Valens had been warned about the powerful Visigoth cavalry, and had brought along a few thousand horsemen of his own top balance the score. When the Visigoth cavalry charged his infantry, he sent his own equestrians after them, and the Romans proved superior. Although the Visigoths had been suppressed this time, Valens decided to fortify the Eastern Empire to insure that the small tribes scattered about the region didn't decide to defy Rome simply because she was so distant. Valens created the Eastern Imperial Corps, a body of Roman or Roman-trained easterners that numbered almost a quarter million and patrolled the Eastern Empire, keeping the peace for Rome. With the EIC as their enforcers, the Romans were able to maintain complete control over their easter possessions, and even expand them as the years went on.

in 2017, the UN votes to allow the Amandaran Union to accompany earth ships when they use the golden Jump device found on the Pindar-Asaki comet. The Amandaran ambassador maintains her good graces, but is displeased that the humans will not allow the Union to have some time to examine the device. “We will gladly accompany you on your journeys to the stars,” she tells the assembled body, “and hope the day will come when you trust us enough to join us in the true spirit of union.” After this speech, Commander Patterson is order by the European Space Agency to return the Amandarans and the Pokor back to their own system, then return to earth for new orders. The Amandarans sadly reboard their vessel and prepare for the journey home. Commander Patterson, who has been very vocal about the assistance that the AU gave them, tells reporters as she prepares to leave, “Without these people, I would be stuck in another star system, probably dying. It's shameful that our politicians can't think beyond tired cliches of alien invaders long enough to realize that reality is somewhat different than they presume it to be.”

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Nixon Issues Pardons

The state of TIAH

August 8th, 2006

in 1945, President Truman calls off the use of the atom bomb against Nagasaki; the destruction of Hiroshima has only caused the Japanese to harden their defenses. As the days went on, though, and refugees from Hiroshima spilled out into the rest of the country, many Japanese began to push for a surrender to the Allied forces. Rumors that another bomb was ready and waiting to be dropped on any city in the island nation spread like wildfire, and people panicked whenever a bomber flew overhead. The Allies, seeing this general chaos building, began dropping leaflets from bombers describing the nuclear destruction that was waiting to rain down on them if they didn't overthrow their rulers. This successful propaganda campaign toppled Emperor Hirohito and General Tojo, who were displaced by the Japanese Citizen's Committee on September 23rd, 1945. The JCC then negotiated peace with the Allies and formally ended the war on October 1st.

in 1974, President Richard Nixon of the US issued an extensive pardon for virtually all of the Watergate conspirators and his former Vice-President, Spiro Agnew, who was facing bribery charges in his native Maryland. This enraged his opposition in Congress, which had been hoping to avoid impeachment by getting Nixon to quietly resign. Trickey Dick refused to give up without a fight, though, and threw pardons around like candy to keep people from testifying against him. It wasn't until he had the FBI arrest Congresswoman Barbara Jordan that the Congress decided he had finally overstepped his authority in a way that they could impeach him. The House formally drew up the impeachment papers while Jordan languished in a federal prison, and Nixon threatened the rest of them with the same fate. The general public didn't stand idly by while this was going on, either; Washington DC was shut down by protests on 4 different occasions during this hot summer; one of the marches organized by the Students' Non-Violent Coordinating Committee even surrounded the White House for seven hours on August 17th, until Nixon agreed to release Jordan. The Congresswoman returned to her seat in the House on August 20th, to a standing ovation from her colleagues. She led the impeachment charge against Nixon, and it was obvious that the Senate was going to vote for removal from office. President Nixon asked the military leaders at the Pentagon if they would stand beside him should he defy the removal orders; although a few unknown generals answered the president affirmatively, the majority let him know that their oath was to the country and the constitution, not to him. On September 4th, 1974, hours before the Senate's vote on impeachment was scheduled, Richard M. Nixon resigned his office, and left Washington a broken man. He attempted to salvage his reputation afterwards, but memories of his autocratic actions during the summer of '74 remained fresh in everyone's minds for years afterwards, and he died a pathetic shadow of his former self in 1982.

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The Bull Moose Turned Loose

The state of TIAH

August 7th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: light post today. The plague has returned to haunt the Academy this weekend.

in 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt is nominated for the presidency by the Bull Moose (Progressive) Party. “This bull moose shall roar his way back into the White House,” he said in his acceptance speech. The Progressives campaigned vigorously for him, but he seemed to be a long shot until October 12th. An insane gentleman by the name of William Shrenk attempted to assassinate him, declaring that “Any man looking for a third term ought to be shot.” Schrenk missed Roosevelt, but the attempt transformed the former president into something akin to a martyr for the progressive cause. People flocked to his speeches in the fall, and in November, he narrowly edged out the Democrat, Woodrow Wilson, to win what was actually only his second full term in the White House. Perhaps Roosevelt's greatest legacy was the rise of the Progressive Party and the diminishment of the Republicans. Although old money himself, Roosevelt's Progressives supported the rights of unions, as well as several reigns on big businesses and trusts during his time in the White House. In 1916, although the Progressives wished to nominate him again, he declined and supported instead his Vice-President, Hiram Johnson, who barely won the office after a campaign blitz from the old Bull Moose lifted his fortunes.

in 2017, although they are eager to tour the earth, the Amandarans on board the Pokor are limited to a few hours off-ship at a time, due to earth's greater heat and gravity than any of their moons. Still, the Quarai in particular are in high spirits, even though they are forced to wear space suits to keep visiting the earth. “This is amazing,” Captain Mawrao told Commander Patterson. “It is wonderful, after all the dead worlds we have seen together, to see this one filled with life. It make us very happy.” The P'tar ambassador who had accompanied them was spending a lot of time at the UN; her world was heavier and hotter than Amandara 14, and she was able to withstand longer periods on the planet without ill effects. The Amandaran Union was prepared to offer the earth a lot of advanced technology in exchange for constant access to the Jump device, and she was making this case to them very convincingly. “Our scientists do not yet understand the device, but it is only a matter of time before they do. Our 4 races could unite as one, and reach out to the stars together, a true union of planets.” Although her words are moving, many delegates consider the Jump device as their only advantage over the Amandarans, and want to keep it away from them. Spirited debate follows her offer.

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The Bomb

The state of TIAH

August 6th, 2006

in 1945, after watching a film that had been made of the atomic tests going on in New Mexico, and agonizing the entire night over his decision, President Thomas Dewey calls off the proposed use of a nuclear weapon against the Japanese city of Hiroshima. His order barely reaches the Enola Gay in time to stop it from its destined flight over the small Japanese city. To show the Japanese leadership exactly what they have been spared, President Dewey arranges through neutral intermediaries for the Emperor and the top Japanese generals to observe the dropping of an atomic bomb off of the Japanese coast; the incredible explosion horrifies the Emperor, who says that they must surrender to the Americans immediately; but the generals harden his heart, telling him that this must be a bluff, a trick that the Allies are using because they are too afraid of assaulting the main Japanese islands. They refuse the offer of surrender and shore up their defenses, preparing for a conventional invasion. President Dewey reluctantly gives in to his generals, and allows them to use their remaining nuclear bomb against Tokyo, itself. The destruction of their capitol and most of their leadership on August 10th, 1945 results in chaos throughout the Japanese islands, and the Allied forces are able to invade without much resistance, finally ending the war on November 12th. Dewey is so shaken at the images of destruction in Tokyo that he becomes disenchanted with his office, and does not run for reelection in 1948. “I only wished to serve one term because I had presided over the most horrific single war crime in human history,” Dewey wrote in his memoirs. “I should never have allowed them to talk me into using nuclear weapons against Japan, and will carry the guilt of all those deaths to the end of my days.” President Dewey retired to his home state of New York in 1949 and became the world's most vocal opponent of atomic power until his death in 1961.

in 2017, the Pokor, now packed with Amandarans who had been able to talk their way into a berth on the ship, awaits the activation of the golden Jump device by Najib Kasem and the Quarai translator Monkar. They put in earth's coordinates and activate the device nervously. After the flash of brilliant light that the crew of the Eagle has become so used to, they find themselves floating in space around a familiar yellow sun. The humans let out a cheer as the Pokor's sensors detect a blue planet floating about 10 light-minutes in the distance. As soon as the Amandaran crew is told where they are, they join in the cheering. Captain Mawrao of the Pokor, who is now easily the most traveled captain the Quarai have ever produced, orders the ship into orbit around earth, while the Eagle sends a message ahead informing earth of the quite unexpected side-results of their mission to Pindar-Asaki. Commander Patterson tells the European Space Agency that the Amandarans are the best friends that humans could ever hope for in space, and says, “These aliens may look strange, but they are kindred souls, and we should embrace them as they have embraced my small crew for these last two months.” The European Space Agency signals back to the Eagle with permission to land, and to bring Amandaran ambassadors with them.

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Brugh Born In Nebraska; Mortensen Enters Rehab

The state of TIAH

August 5th, 2006

in 1911, famed actor Spangler Arlington Brugh was born in Filley, Nebraska. Always an iconoclast, he made his name starring in such costume dramas as Ivanhoe, Quo Vadis, and Knights of the Round Table. His unusual name and quirky sense of confidence endeared him to critics and audiences alike, in spite of initial misgivings at MGM, which wanted to rename him something more common, like Robert Taylor.

in 1962, 36-year old actress Norma Jean Mortensen enters a rehabilitation clinic to straighten herself out. Her husband, comic playwright Arthur Miller, tells the press, “While I may make light of those who drink to excess in my plays, there is nothing humorous about it in real life. Norma Jean needed help, and I was glad that I was there to suggest she get it.” Thanks to this intervention, Mortensen emerged from the clinic 6 weeks later a much more stable person, and later won an Oscar portraying herself in Little Secrets, the movie about her turmoil written by her husband. Miller's first dramatic script was also Oscar-nominated, but lost out to Frederic Raphael for Darling.

in 1981, President Ronald Reagan, after several efforts to force striking air-traffic controllers back to work, fired the 11,000 who had failed to return to the job. PATCO, the traffic controllers' union, immediately brought suit against the Reagan administration, because in addition to firing the controllers, he had tacked on a lifetime ban on the strikers ever being hired as air traffic controllers again. The Supreme Court agreed with PATCO that the lifetime ban was unconstitutional, and forced the FAA to reinstate them in 1986. This defeat, coupled with the Iran-Contra hearings in Congress, is widely believed to be responsible for the downturn in President Reagan's health in 1986, when he was forced to resign and hand the White House over to Vice-President Bush.

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Gates Takes His Life; bin Laden Captured

The state of TIAH

August 4th, 2006

in 2002, Bill Gates, once one of the richest men in the world, takes his own life after his wife leaves him to pursue her former career in marketing. The penniless former software giant had been ruined in anti-trust suit after anti-trust suit, and the final straw that broke his company, Microsoft, was the success of the open-source operating system Linux, which, along with Apple's Macintosh systems, had taken over virtually all of the world's computers. Only the occasional hobbyist still used Gates' operating system, Windows, and the company was forced into bankruptcy in 1999. For a brief period of time, Gates was able to keep his fortune afloat on the stock market, but the crash after 9/11 completely wiped him out. Although mourned by the nerdiest of the nerd set, Gates' funeral was sparsely attended. Today, his gravesite resembles a computer geek's equivalent of Jim Morrison's Paris grave - graffiti bearing slogans such Windows Forever and I Love Clippy festoons the small concrete slab marking Gates' final resting place.

in 2004, agents of the United States' CIA capture terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and spirit him to the United States. The leader of Al Qaeda was wanted for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center as well as attacks on Western interests in the decade since. Although President Al Gore announced a press conference to declare this a major victory in the world's struggle against terrorism, Republicans in Congress denounced the attention President Gore paid to terrorism, a relatively minor problem to Americans, and used the opportunity to insist again that the huge surplus the US Government was enjoying should be used to give tax cuts to the America people.

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Casement Condemned

The state of TIAH

August 3rd, 2006

in 1916, Roger Casement, hero of Ireland's Easter Uprising, is condemned in absentia to death by the British courts. With the success of the uprising, Casement was not accessible to English justice, but they tried him for treason anyway, and publicly proclaimed his sentence, should he ever fall back into British hands. Casement, for his part, was busy trying to contain the chaos of Ireland's first few months of independence, and get the Emerald Isle to elect leaders of its own. He also tried to stop the revenge killings that were taking place all over Ireland as Protestants and British collaborators were harassed and sometimes murdered by Irish people seeking payback for the years of English oppression. The turmoil in Ireland finally settled down in 1918, with the election of the first national government. Germany, one of the main backers of the Easter Rising, immediately recognized the independent nation, as did its allies, and, much to England's surprise, so did the United States. The large number of Irish descendants in America virtually guaranteed that the US would recognize Ireland, but Great Britain considered it a national insult, and refused American aid in the Great War, much to their own detriment. They lost more than Ireland because of this stubborn stance, but their wounded national pride demanded it.

in 1947, General Arthur March, director of the top-secret Weatherman project, reviews the remains of Captain William Ash and Major Charles Denton, as well as the remains of their craft. His dream of using balloons as a first stage to launch men into space had proven disastrous to these two officers and had made that idiot Marcel in Roswell think that aliens were crashing into earth. He made the decision to bury the program; Ash and Denton's families would be told that they died in a plane crash, and the whole thing would remain classified. The initial confusion over the crash in Roswell would help cover up the facts of the case and if people wanted to go hunting aliens in New Mexico, well, General March was prepared to let them. He closed the dossier on the incident and wondered if the world would ever be safe enough for the brave sacrifice of Captain Ash and Major Denton to be revealed.

in 2017, much to their delight, the crew of the Pokor and Eagle reappear a few light-minutes from Amandara 14. The humans and Quarai cheer wildly at the site of home, and all gather around Najib Kasem and Monkar to see if they can actually do what they said was possible – set the Jump device to send them to earth. The pair put the coordinates in and on the device's strange golden monitor, they all see an image of the blue planet, bringing a sigh of longing from the humans on deck. Commander Patterson says, “All right, let's talk with the Amandarans and see who wants to come with us. Eagle crew, we're going home.” The entire crew of the Pokor wishes to make sure that Commander Patterson knows they want to come along, and she assures them that they will. Captain Mawrao sends word ahead to Amandara 14 that their mission was successful, and they are coming back to take on any new passengers who with to accompany them to earth.

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America's Independence Day

The state of TIAH

August 2nd, 2006

in 1776, America's Independence Day is declared as delegates to the Continental Congress sign the Declaration of Independence that had been drawn up in July. Although the president of the Congress, John Hancock, and the Congressional Secretary, Charles Thompson, had signed the document on the 4th of July, the rest of Congress needed time to deliberate, and signed on this day, August 2nd. Since then, Americans have enshrined the beginning of their republic by declaring August 2nd a national holiday, with most Americans taking the day off work and celebrating the reality that the founding father's dream had become. A few purists have sought to move this holiday to the 4th of July, but the Second is so heavily entrenched in the American character that this movement has never really gathered any steam.

in 1934, an assassin's bullet disrupts the German government just as Chancellor Adolf Hitler prepares to name himself the nation's absolute dictator. President von Hindenburg had died mere hours before, and it was widely known that the Chancellor wished to join the practical and ceremonial leadership of the state in himself. Ludwig Beck, chief of the German Army's General Staff, had promised von Hindenburg that Hitler would never live to turn Germany into a fascist state like Italy had become, and made good on his promise when Hitler had him order the army to take a new oath of loyalty to Hitler personally. The general pulled his gun and shot Hitler in the head before Nazi guards could take him down. Without the unifying force of Hitler at the helm, the Nazis fractured and soon lost control of Germany. New elections held in 1936 brought in a coalition of center-right and moderate parties that purged the nation of the trappings of the Nazi party and Germany's short flirtation with fascism.

in 2017, back in orbit around the dead world that they believed to be the former home of the Starwalker race, Najib Kasem and Monkar prepare the Jump device to send the Pokor - “Where?” Captain Mawrao and Commander Patterson look at each other. “Amandara first, I think,” Patterson suggests. “That way, anyone who wants to leave before we attempt to get back to earth can, and anyone who wants to join up can.” Mawrao agrees. “I don't think we leave anybody behind, but some more may want to come.” True enough, none of the Pokor's Quarai crew was willing to leave their human friends, and all were eager to see the planet these people came from. Excited anticipation filled the air as Kasem and Monkar brought the Jump device to life and called up the Amandaran coordinates. “Here we go,” Kasem warned them all, as a bright, familiar light engulfed them and sped them away.

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War In Europe

The state of TIAH

August 1st, 2006

in 1914, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire declares war against Serbia and invokes a dizzying mix of alliances that cross Europe to aid it, as does Serbia. Rather than plunge the entire continent into war, though, diplomats hurriedly meet in Paris to see if there is some way to stave off a disastrous struggle that could potentially kill millions. The Germans are more than willing to follow the Austro-Hungarians into combat, but the other powers are less willing to risk treasure and blood for a nation as small as Serbia. At the end of a week of tense negotiations, Serbia is tossed to Austria-Hungary in exchange for a pledge that the war will end with the tiny nation's destruction. Austria-Hungary agrees, and by the year's end, Serbia has been shattered and its population turned into refugees. The homeless Serbs became a problem for all of Europe as many of their people began committing acts of terrorism against nations that should have stood with them against the Empire. The most famous of these, of course, was the attack on the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920, when they blew up the Olympisch Stadion.

in 2017, Najib Kasem and Quarai translator Monkar figure out how to bring up all of the past destinations the golden Jump device has been to. The diagram they have been studying offers them many tantalizing hints of other capabilities hidden within the device, but this one is the most vital, and they announce it to the crew to many cheers. “We can activate the device at will, also,” Kasem tells the mix of humans and Quarai. Commander Patterson and Captain Mawrao both take that as the best news of all. “So, we can leave whenever we want, and you can bring up any destination point that the device has been to?” Kasem and Monkar reply affirmatively. “So, we can go back to earth?” Kasem enthusiastically says, “Yes, the coordinates are in there, ready to be activated.” Captain Mawrao looks over at Patterson and says, a little wistfully, “You know, once we get you home, we not see you so much anymore. I will miss this time with our human friends.” Commander Patterson touched Mawrao's shoulder and said, “But think how many more human friends you'll make when you come back with us.” The morale of the entire crew of the Pokor picked up as they readied themselves to meet a whole new world filled with humans. “Let's leave this place of death behind us, then,” Captain Mawrao said to the assembled body. “Prepare to jump.”

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