On The Origin Of Species By Divine Will

November 25th, 2005

in 1783, rebel dead-enders in New York City are captured by British troops, effectively ending the American Revolution. Rebel General George Washington had been captured in Virginia a few months before, and with neither command nor the promised French support, the rebels had faded before massive British onslaughts.

in 1859, protests against On the Origin of Species by Divine Will by Father Charles Darwin began in the Holy British Empire. The treatise by the naturalist/priest countered the arguments being put forth by natural philosophers that species arose by a method being called evolution rather than by the design of God. Natural philosophers across the Empire appealed to the Pope to promote science in this instance, rather than faith.

in 1876, the massacre of a Cheyenne village in retaliation for Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn galvanizes native nations across the American west into resistance against the U.S. Chief Dull Knife of the Cheyenne, who had watched small children starve and freeze to death as a result of the attacks, was so embittered that he forged coalitions among every nation he could inspire to fight, and the Great Cheyenne Alliance became a feared enemy of America until its final defeat in 1924.

in 1903, Thomas Edison assigns inventor Clyde Coleman, to the team that designs the Jove, Edison’s wildly successful electric auto line. Coleman's designs for an electric car had both shocked and delighted Edison, who felt that his radical new ideas were exactly what was needed to put the electric car line at the top of the heap.

in 1940, the German Underground and the Greater Zionist Resistance clashed in the ancient Polish city of Krakow. The fierce fighting on both sides utterly demolished the city, destroying thousands of lives and irreplaceable artifacts of Poland’s history.

in 1952, one of the few failures in literary giant Agatha Christie's career opened in London. The Mousetrap was excoriated by critics who felt that the surprise ending was brilliant, but who seemed rather disappointed that the murderer didn't get away because of a cheap secondary twist. It closed after 3 performances.

in 1971, an intense police hunt in Washington begins for hijacker Dan “D.B.” Cooper, who took his $200,000 in ransom money and parachuted from the Northwest Airlines 727 he had taken over. They found him in short order – Cooper, an inexperienced jumper, had gotten hung in a tree and was unable to free himself. He was sentenced to life in prison at his trial, and has been denied parole twice.

in 1989, the day after Communists in the People’s Republic of Panama step down from power, Comrade President Ann Richards, though baited on the issue by Congress, does not send in troops to restore the People’s Party to power. Preserving the peace, she says, “They’ve made their choice and we must respect it. We will always stand ready to support our comrades, even when they choose not to fight.”

in 2002, Dr. Courtney sends a broadcast ahead to the other ships that they are carrying Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin, as well as a small group of aliens. Courtney and Thomas attempt to communicate with the aliens, but the languages the two scientists know do not seem to be among the ones the aliens know.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins again ignores her father's warnings and enters the spirit world. Here, the being that has identified itself as her grandfather approaches her again, and she tries to trick it into revealing who it really is. The being senses this, and uses its power to take control of her body, and enter the material world.

Christmas Day Contest! Following up on our Halloween contest, you can enter our next contest, which will be alternate histories for Christmas Day, December 25th, 2005. The same rules will apply, the top ten entries will be posted on that day, and by entering, you grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on October 31st, 2005, maintain your writing in our archives, and reprint your entry should we decide to reuse it in the future. TIAH only maintains full copyright over material it has originated that has been used by contestants in writing their own entries. Enter early and often - entries must be received by December 20th, 2005! Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

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Still My Guitar Gently Weeps

August 22nd, 2007

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A couple of days in Sabala's could cure the plague.

I was feeling wonderful, and had gotten to know the lovely lady again, but planewalkers get antsy after a brief stay anywhere. So, it was time to be off again. I was going to go back to my home plane for a visit; to see if anybody else I knew had been taken off by the UFO's. It's really a terrible problem, but nobody's come up with a solution for it just yet. The aliens are always one step ahead of us whenever we try something new to fight them.

I have a feeling they're led by a planewalker, but I haven't found them out yet. As soon as I do, they're going to get a stern lecture on the rights of individuals to be free from kidnapping, and then a quick disintegration ray in the face.

I came out free from the disorientation that usually accompanies leaving the mid-planes. When you go back home, there's no need for adjustment; your cells already belong there. The conjunction to my home plane from Sabala's is in Babylonia, the capital of the North American Confederation. It's also where I was born, and where my parents lived until they were abducted by the UFO's when I was fourteen. That's when I decided to go out planewalking, since the UFO's liked to come back for the rest of your family a member at a time.

Babylonia's a huge city, about twelve million people, and it sprawls around the largest port in my world, on the gulf coast of North America. If it weren't for the unfortunate UFO infestations around the city, more people would see us as the cultural center of the world. But, a little hint of danger, and the wimpy little types who like to attend opera and the theater abandon us. What are you going to do?

Some of the defectors are OK guys, though, and I know a few of them. I walked up to the house of one of them, Wilhemina Barclett. She took a human name when she defected, but doesn't have the best taste, if you get my drift. I rang her bell and waited.

"Hello?" Her voice rang out on the intercom, and then her face appeared on the little screen. "Oh, Gabriel!" she let out a little squeal at seeing me. She's got a head that's shiny as fine china, but she's a sweet and lovely person. "Come in, dear, come in." The door opened for me, and I went into her drawing room, where she ran up and hugged me. "Oh, my dear little man, it's been much too long. Have your found your sexual paradise yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Willie. The quest goes on." She sat me down beside her on a couch, and bustled about preparing me a drink. "I just helped a friend create his paradise, though. Did you ever meet Patrice?"

Her eyes turned from their usual deep green to the dark black almonds that signaled concentration. "I think I have. African gentleman, somewhat disdainful of Europeans?"

"That's Patrice. We put down a rebellion of Europeans in an African-dominated world, and his search is over."

"Oh, my." She handed me a wine glass and sat down beside me, sucking thoughtfully at a smoke-filter. "That must have created quite a bizarre sense of betrayal and disloyalty on your part. How did you cope?"

Willie loves pop-psychology, and she's always trying to analyze me. "I'm OK. After all, they're not my people, right?"

"Perhaps, but they were fellow humans. You come from a democratic tradition, and have always valued free will. I would think it would create at least a few strong feelings." Her eyes turned red with amusement, and I laughed with her.

"Willie, I thought you knew me better than that - I have no strong feelings." I gulped down the wine she'd given me. "I can't afford them."

She looked at me sideways for a minute, then let it drop. She often knows when I won't answer any more questions. I have a feeling she's telepathic, but I can never catch her at it. Aliens; can't live with them, can't live without them. "Have you heard from Ph'ssyank?"

"Not since I led him to the mid-planes. I think he's probably trapped at whatever conjunction he decided to get off at. I'm pretty sure he didn't know how to find one on his own." I finished off the wine and handed her back the glass.

"Would you like more?"

"Please. You know you have the finest cellar on the planet."

She went black with embarrassment, and stumbled over to her bar. I have no idea why she gets so flustered when I compliment her choice in alcohol, but it's the best way to get on her good side if you ever meet her. It's a side trip I highly recommend. Willie's a cutie.

"Where are you off to next?"

She'd given me a different wine, this time, one of her most potent, and it gave me a nice buzz. I set it down to keep myself from getting light-headed. "I don't know. I thought I might look up some of the old crowd here, see if any of them are interested in going off to look for paradise again. Should be good for a laugh or two."

She blew a smoke ring at me. "There might not be too many of your associates left. The city was raided fairly heavily last week. They're still trying to get an accurate account of who's left."

"These people are probably still around. They've avoided raids in the past." I looked at her with concern. There were reprisals against aliens, sometimes, after the raids. "Are you all right? Did anybody try anything?"

"I have certain defensive resources, Gabriel. I am perfectly fine." Her eyes were red again, and I wondered what kind of private jokes were going through her mind. It's maddeningly frustrating to be so close to someone and never really know what they were thinking. "Would you like to stay the night? I just received a new shipment of artwork from Asia that is simply delightful. The artist is an Arythiok who was raised in a small Chinese village; the blend of alien perspective with traditional Chinese subject matter is captivating."

"I'd love to see it, of course, but can I use your phone? I'd like to call a couple of my friends, to let them know I'm in this plane."

"Certainly. You know where I keep everything." She stood and wandered off to her basement gallery. "I'll be enjoying the art when you're finished."

Robert Mugabe	In 2007, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was interviewed by the Alliance for Democracy's representative Peter Greste. Deep concern was raised throughout the Alliance following the death sentence impose upon five security officials of Centurion Rank. Attempting a plea bargain, all five admitted trying to kill prominent black activist Frank Chikane in 1989 by lacing his underwear with a nerve toxin.
Rev Chikane, who is now a director in the president's office, has said he did not want to see the men go to prison. Vlok sought forgiveness from Rev Chikane last year by washing his feet. President Mugabe supported the actions of the new South African Government in dealing with Draka-era divisions. Justice was a pre-requisite for reconciliaton in President Mugabe's view.
~ variant by Steve Payne from extensive use of original content has been used to celebrate the author's genius.

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping While my guitar gently weeps I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping Still my guitar gently weeps
Pattie Boyd	I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love I don't know how someone controlled you They bought and sold you. ~ Lyrics to While my guitar gently Weeps - Click to Watch Sample
The real “Layla”

After meeting on the set of A Hard Day's Night, Pattie married George Harrison on January 21, 1966, during the heyday of his group, The Beatles. Harrison's friend Eric Clapton, first of The Yardbirds, then of Cream, also fell in love with her. Pattie went on to divorce Harrison on June 9, 1977, and later marry Clapton on March 27, 1979. She and Clapton divorced in June 1988. Harrison and Clapton worked together on While my guitar gently Weeps, a thinly disguised reference to the tragic love triangle between Pattie Boyd and the two guitarists. The lyrics are available at at Lyrics Freak

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

In 1945, the nuclear bombing of five Japanese cities delivered unconditional surrender, a surprise victory and whole set of new challenges. US President Harry Truman studied a strategic report from the Far Eastern desk at State. It was grim reading. Allied control on the ground was limited to South Australia and New Zealand, the undefeated Japanese Army was still in Country. And so were irregular forces led by the maverick warlords - Mao, Jinnah, Uncle Ho. And General-san Douglas MacArthur and his Filipinos harriers.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 2002, in RM Muleuch's Twelve Legions of Angels the ghost of Keith Park levels assures Air Marshall Hugh Dowding that he is not exchanging the souls of his family for England. "None have the power to damn souls other than his own".

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 1770, Captain James Cook's expedition attempted a landing on the east coast of the vast island, or rather continent, known as the Dreamtime. The landing was foiled by the melancholy of exclusion emanating from the Mesh. The group consciousness of First Nations rendered armed incursion impossible.

~ entry from Co-Historian Steve Payne

In 2024, the average length of a bill board 100 sound track was twenty-five seconds. The attention span deficit disorder amongst North Americans had eliminated any interest in repeat choruses, guitar solos or fadeout endings. However, it was also part of a long-term trend in music; in the 1980s, most punk songs were less than a minute in length, when complicated guitar solos were considered both self-indulgent and unnecessary.

~ entry from Co-Historian Steve Payne

In 2006, President Bert Gort of Macrosoft, Inc received the shocking news that Vesta Enteprise Edition required a whopping 425 MB of physical memory compared with 120 for it's predecessor HexBee. Only 25Mb could be saved by disabling the new Hairo GUI. “Dual boot, the new tomorrow” suggested the Instant Marketing VP.	Bert Gort
~ entry from Co-historian Steve Payne

Castle Bonny	In 1943, movie critics gave a varied response to Castle Bonny which premièred three days before on Broadway. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Cary Grant as Dick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. The rekindled romance between Blaine and Lund was set during Great War II in the Nigerian city ..
.. of Port Harcourt, off the Bight of Bonny – then controlled by the Nazi Protectorate of Britain. Roger Ebert claimed that the film was "probably on more lists of the greatest films of all time than any other single title, including Citizen Kane", because of its wider appeal; while Citizen Kane is "greater", Casablanca is more loved. Ebert has also said that the film was popular because "the people in it are all so good". As the Resistance hero, Laszlo is ostensibly the most noble, although he is so stiff that he is hard to like. By the end of the film, however, "everybody is sacrificing".
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1956, delegates of the European Monarchies continued to point #2 of the formal agenda for the Berlin 2 Conference. It was broadly agreed that multinational forces would secure the mineral resource pools, none of which would be left to the protectorate to defend. The principle was that troops from the protectorate would ..	Spheres of Infl..
.. supply both the command structure and also the majority of the ground troops, with the exception of the Congo, where the German Empire would partner with the Belgians.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

“Mick”	In 1922, Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin aka Michael John “Mick” Collins, Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Free State Army is shot during an Anti-Treaty ambush at Beal na mBlath, County Cork, during the Irish Civil War. The “Big Fellow” survives, serving three times as Irish head of government; as Príomh Aire, as the second ..
.. President of the Executive Council and the first Taoiseach. Collins is universally considered the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1976/1767, on-board The Lord Ligonier Lieutenant Curtis LeMay attended to the whipping. “My name is Alex, Alex Haley and I am a free man from the year 1976” gasped the author, refusing his slave name. “It is not, in this year of our Lord 1767” said Captain George Wallace, “ your name is Tobey and you are mine”.	Victim of the M..
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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Regrets

August 7th, 2007Reposted due to error

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Even More Groggy Alternate Historian Says: Steve will submit the post today – except for me reminding you to send in your alternate birthdays for me (August 14, 1965) and Steve (November 22, 1967) for our Birthday Contest!

In 1975, at the two-story house at 17841 Beaverland, former President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Jimmy Hoffa attended the last professional meeting of his career. Frank Sheeran introduced Hoffa to the fourth dimensional aliens who Kurt Vonngeut had likened to Plumber's friends.
Jimmy Hoffa	Tralfamadorians have the ability to experience reality in four dimensions; meaning, roughly, that they have total recall of both past and future, and they are able to randomly access any part of their lives from birth to death, at will. Able to see along the timeline of the universe, they know the exact time and place of its accidental annihilation by means of a Tralfamadorian experiment, but are powerless to prevent it.
This power was shared with Jimmy Hoffa before he died. By the end of the presentation, Hoffa accepted his fate - Hoffa had his own house "painted" when Sheeran fired two shots into his brain.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Ziggy Stardust	Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly, and the spiders from Mars. He played it left hand But made it too far Became the special man, then we were Ziggy's band ~ Lyrics to “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” - Click to Play Sample
Spiders from Mars

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) was a US spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. It began the United States's return to Mars after a 20-year absence. It completed its primary mission in January 2001 and was in its third extended mission phase when it lost contact with NASA in November 2006. On November 2, 2006, the spacecraft failed to respond to messages and commands. A faint signal was detected three days later which indicated that the craft had gone into safe mode. All attempts to recontact the Mars Global Surveyor and resolve the problem failed. In January 2007 NASA officially ended the mission. In 2012 faint signals were again detected, including a visual link. Who other than Ziggy Stardust would have had the imagination to foresee Spiders from Mars? The lyrics are available at at Stllyrics

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

In 1945, with the English Channel mined by the Kriegsmarine, Vati announced a new dawn for Germany. That evening in London and Washington, the dawn came early. Brighter than a thousand suns.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 1947, Major Jesse Marcel and a "man in plainclothes" accompanied William "Mac" Brazel back to his New Mexico ranch where more pieces were picked up from the remains of the crashed "Roswell" craft. Brazel told the pair he had seen aliens, who he described as "two feet high, and green, and shaped like plumber's friends. Their suction cups were on the ground, and their shafts, which were extremely flexible, usually pointed to the sky. At the top of each shaft was a little hand with a green eye in its palm." No fool, Marcel noticed a complete absence of surprise on his mysterious colleague's face.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 2009, the TV networks presented episode twenty seven of So What If?. British Prime Harold Macmillan speaks about the Winds of Change sweeping through the Great Plains of North America. John Pilger asks whether the First Nations can live at peace within the artifical boundaries demarcated by the departing British imperialists.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1971, the Winterberry wrote in his diary : “It was Uncle Jack who taught me how to read and write. I think it took a long time but I'm not sure. I heard him arguing about it with mother about it one night a few years ago when I wasn't supposed to be out of my room, but I was very excited with the next day being my birthday and I couldn't sleep..”. Nick DiChario's alternate history story appeared in Alternate Kennedys, an interesting speculation on a dark Kennedy family secret. Nominated for both the World Fantasy Award and the Hugo Award, DiChario explored the disturbing premise that Teddy Kennedy did not drown in Poucha Pond after the party on Chappaquiddick Island but was kept in secrecy by his close family at Hyannis Port.

~ variant entry by Steve Payne: extensive use of original material has been used to celebrate the author's genius.

In 2016, following a night of teenage partying, drunken student Buford Rogerson III fell asleep on the city transit during a memorable journey home. Rogerson had forgotton to lock the keypad on his Blackberry Pulsar 6G data cell. Snoring loudly, he rested up against another passenger in the untroubled sleep that only the very drunk can know. The uncomfortable fidgeting of this other passenger resulted in a random key stroke pattern during the hour long journey. The following morning, the hungover student discovered he had won several auctions on eBay, bought a small cheetah named Larry that was currently being shipped from East Africa, and also married two cybernetic wives from Eastern Europe.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Elimina Castle	In 1482, to pass the long night of six hundred years at St. George El Mina Castle, Kwame’s brother spoke to him of African Poetry. “Africa tell me, Africa – Is this your back that is bent This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation, This back trembling ..
.. with red scars And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun But a grave voice answer me Impetuous child that tree young and strong That tree over there Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers, That is your Africa springing up anew Springing up patiently obstinately Whose fruits bit by bit acquire The bitter taste of liberty.”
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1952, on this day 33rd US President Harry S Truman made a pledge to the American people. The use of a nuclear weapon on Tokyo he clarified, was a once only tactic that could not be, and should not be, re-used. The world of 1945 was a great deal less complex than the world of 1952, and the weapon was now a great danger ..	Harry S Truman
.. to the continuation of life on earth. Part of the decision to use the bomb, he stated, was a calculation based on the absent threat of retaliation. Things had changed. Disarmament was the correct step now.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Stolypin	In 1917, Tsarist Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin followed the magician Grigory Rasputin to the nest of vampires in Paris, the location of which was then supplied to the senior Oprichnik (Tsarist Secret Policeman). The very next evening, just before sun down the Okhranka would burst into the nest of vampires and release the ..
.. Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. That was the plan. Trouble was these loyal men of the Tsar only had half of the story. They knew that the death of the Tsar's only son would terminate the Romanov line. However they had been told the Tsarevich suffered from a terminal blood-related condition known only to the Russian Royal Household, which they assumed was haemophilia. Actually, the Tsarevich had already died, and was suffering from Blood Sucking vampirism.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1945, a wretched US President Harry S Truman pours himself a bourbon. Contrary to the advice of his short-fused military, he is starting to believe that the delayed Japanese surrender is in fact nothing other than the slow cogs of decision-making. Perhaps, probably, a further strike on Nagasaki is unnecessary. ..	Malebron
.. Startled by the door opening unannounced, he looks up from the Resolute Desk to see a golden warrior has entered the Oval Office. Is there light yet in Gorias? asks Malebron. Findhorn crashes into the door. “Yes, sir” replies the President, guessing that he is being asked whether Nagasaki has been struck yet. “Good, then you must not use the Spear of Light” counsels Malebron and disappears. Alone, Truman opens the door to find two huge gouges in the wood work where the Unicorn had struck.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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Departures

In 1977, just three days after the release of Street Survivors the definitive Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd were fortunate to survive a plane crash. A chartered Convair 240, N55VM, carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana crashed near a forest in McComb, Mississippi. Drummer Artimus Pyle crawled out of the plane wreckage with several broken ribs, but was ambulatory, as were road crew members Kenneth Peden Jr. and Mark Frank. Other members of the band were unhurt. The injured men hiked some distance from the crash site, through swampy woods, and finally flagged down farmer Johnny Mote, who had come to investigate. Varying accounts have Mote either firing a warning shot into the air or actually shooting Pyle in the shoulder — no report is completely reliable. Pyle claimed in a February 2007 appearance on Howard Stern's Sirius radio program that Mote had shot him; Mote has always denied shooting the drummer. Video of a barechested Pyle at the 1979 Volunteer Jam does not show evidence of a gunshot wound.

Billie Jean

In 1992, a third newcomer was murdered in Los Angeles. The investigation of the Tenctonese now known as Billie Jean was led by Los Angeles police detective Matthew Sykes. Four years earlier a flying saucer bearing enslaved aliens had crash-landed in the Mojave Desert. Los Angeles had become a new home for the aliens, who took, or in some cases were assigned, sometimes comical human names.

Big Foot	In 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin captured sasquatch on film in Bluff Creek, California. It was a ridiculous hoax, with Patterson's film clearly showing Gimlin in a tacky outfit, shot at a slow shutter speed to hide his human gait. Which is not to say the episode was a failure. As intended by Patterson and Gimlin the fanfare drew attention away from the real sasquatch just over the border in Canada.

In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee began its investigation into Communist infiltration of Hollywood, resulting in a blacklist that prevents some from working in the industry for years. Amongst the blacklist is the little known actor Ronald Reagan who had been considering the launch of a political career as a Californian Democrat.	Reagan

Winston Churchill	In 2999, the mind cast for the next instalment of “Personality of the Triple Millennia” was re-run across the networks. POT3M drew an even larger audience because of its oddness. Winston Churchill was the candidate, the context was the Fall of Britain in 1940 and the moment bare minutes after he arrived in his south Atlantic exile with the remnants of the British Royal Navy. Winston Churchill confessed his ignorance of the weakness British Imperial defences, saying to MC Millennia: "I did not know. I was not told. I should have asked." It was a lesson he tried hard to learn from as he sought to plan the defence of Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, where he and the remnants of the British Royal Naval had fled to in 1942.

In 1968, on this day former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Her former husband and his new wife Norma Jean Baker were present at the reception, and it was all smiles from both couples. Considered the royal family in America, the Kennedys made their own rules and the nation judged them a breed apart. JFK himself had been married three times, received the last rites three times and stood on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missiles Crisis so you could say he had a thick skin.	Kennedy

War Of Worlds

We're going pink for October!

The state of TIAH

October 30th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Wednesday marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. In 2004, we produced our novel Warp, and last year we got a start on The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion during this annual event. Both of these novels were based on timelines from TIAH – Warp was based on the Mlosh timeline, and Protocols on the Greater Zionist Resistance timeline. Although we linked to these novels on Lulu, TIAH didn't have anything from them posted on it. We're going to do it a little differently this year. Starting Wednesday, November 1st, the posts on TIAH will be excerpts from the novel that is being written by us for NaNoWriMo. We will still have Guest Historian entries – Stephen Payne has a couple already scheduled for the beginning of the month – so, if you want to make a Guest Post this month, go ahead and send it to us, and it will appear along with our novel post. Now, on with the end of October's posts...

in 1938, radio personality Orson Welles produces a radio show to provide cover for the arrival of his unearthly masters. Although millions of Americans see and struggle with the aliens that night, in the light of the morning, it is all proclaimed a simple hoax, with the simple-minded falling under the spell of Welles' dramatic talents. The aliens make contact with their other ally on the planet, a German by the name of Adolf Hitler, and supply him with power until the rebels among their own people find a way to bring him and his alien forces down.

in 1972, as night falls, the bear cultists come for the police officers and the academics trapped in the Montignac police station's jail. Sondra Laval leads them to the cell, chanting softly in the Sanskrit-derived language that is keeping the people of Montignac under the cult's spell. When the cell door is opened and the cultists seize the four outsiders, Professor Karl Ainsworth begins a counter-chant of his own, which is picked up by the other three. Mademoiselle Laval is confused, and halts her own chanting to listen to Ainsworth; the cultists take up the chant from Ainsworth and crew, and soon, the priest's niece is also chanting with them. After several minutes of this, Ainsworth halts the chant and Laval and the other cultists seem to come out of the trance they've been in. “Now, Mademoiselle,” Professor Ainsworth says, “we have a special job for you.”

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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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What Is Alternate History?

The state of TIAH

June 16th, 2006 - something a little different

What is Alternate History?

From time to time, confused people have emailed the Academy or commented on our posts to tell us that we got this or that historical fact wrong, or to ask us where we got our facts, since we know something different from the “official” record. Usually, we will simply reply by telling them that this is an alternate history site, and therefore what they see recorded here are events that didn't actually occur. One person became so offended by this that he declared himself anti-alternate-history. Our email can be interesting at times.

Some people who do get the concept sometimes feel that a lot of what we do here at the Academy isn't real Alternate History; we introduce aliens, or supernatural events, or give Pete Best talent. It could be said that virtually any fiction could be interpreted as an alternate history, diverging from our own world at some point and in some unknown way. The people who complain about the Mlosh, or neo-Nazi time travel, or Pete Best's inevitable superstardom, have a much narrower definition in mind. For them, Alternate History is focused on either/or moments in actual history, and they only want to see stories about that.

This definition of Alternate History has a long and storied pedigree – Winston Churchill wrote an essay about how different the world would have been if the American Confederacy had lost the Civil War, Newt Gingrich ruined William Forstchen's career with 1945, and there was even a much-bandied about piece in The New Republic about George Bush's removal from office. In this view of Alternate History, the only fictionalizing allowed is that moment of decision – instead of following the pattern of events in our own timeline, the Alternate History goes down the other path, and we have a 20th Century American Confederacy, a triumphant Nazi regime reigning over Europe, or a world where George Bush actually did something besides vacation in his early presidency.

But, no less a giant in the Alternate History world than Harry Turtledove – a real-life historian of our very own timeline – has included fantastic elements such as aliens in his fiction, and made wonderful stories out of this. I would say that if you are limiting Alternate History by placing artificial restrictions on it, you are limiting yourself to a world view that is too narrow, and not opening yourself up to all of the possibilities that lie in this genre. I'm not going to go so far as to say that all fiction is Alternate History, but I would like to see a wider embrace of supernatural elements within it.

That's our opinion here in the Academy. What do you think? As always, we have the Forum and comments section for you to weigh in on – let us know your definition of Alternate History.

Back to the fiction tomorrow!

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Winston Churchill 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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The Mark Of The Beast; Hannibal

The state of TIAH

June 8th, 2006

in 684, the barbarian cult leader known as The Beast leads a raid against a small Christian settlement in central Europe. He demands that all of the inhabitants of the village renounce the Christian god and wear his mark on their forehead or hand, or he will put everyone in the village to death. The town pastor refuses, and is cruelly slain; the rest of the village acquiesces, and the triple-6 is tattooed on the 70 people of the village. The Beast leaves them alone after this, but other Christians shy away from doing business with the village; the triple-6 strikes fear in the hearts of villagers hundreds of miles away. A mission is sent to Rome to request the aid of the Pope in defending people from this heretic.

in 1949, the People's Bureau of Investigation announces that a large number of Hollywood stars – including such luminaries as Emanuel Goldenberg, Ernest Bickel, Paul Robeson and Dorothy Rothschild - had been members of, or were sympathetic to, capitalist organizations. The announcement sent a shock wave through the comrades in the entertainment industry, and many on the list pleaded youthful curiosity as an excuse for these anti-American activities. Goldenberg, however, attacked the report, saying, “These rantings, ravings, accusations, smearing, and character assassinations can only emanate from sick, diseased minds of people who rush to the press with indictments of good Soviet American comrades. I have played many parts in my life, but no part have I played better or been more proud of than that of being an American citizen."

in 1999, Thomas Harris' historical novel Hannibal hits the bookstores, sparking a wave of interest in the ancient Carthaginian leader, especially after a film was made of the novel in 2001. This hit followed Harris' other takes on Chinese history with the bestseller Red Dragon and his blockbuster about Christian persecution in ancient Rome, The Silence of the Lambs. Although seemingly an overnight sensation after Lambs, Harris had been quietly toiling in historical fiction for years. His first major breakthrough was a novel about the black plague called Black Sunday, released in '75, which caught the attention of the reading public and paved the way for many other historical thrillers to come.

in 2017, the Eagle is brought into the hold of the Quorato, the alien vessel captained by the alien they have been introduced to as Kikoa. After the bay doors close behind them, Commander Patterson says, “Well, shall we meet our host?” The small group of scientists and astronauts don their space suits and leave their craft. The Quorato seems to be providing them with gravity, possibly from thrust, and it feels only slightly lighter than earth's. As Commander Patterson opens the hatch of the Eagle, she hears several excited voices from the cargo bay, and gets her first look at the aliens known as the Quarai. They seem to be all leg; their bodies were small, brown torsos resting on a long tripod of spindly legs. Their faces – well, it was a good thing that Commander Patterson liked bugs. As she descended the ladder to stand on the deck, the aliens surged forward, chattering excitedly to her in various human languages that barely made any sense at all. After a moment, Kikao announced, “All right, my friends, all right, we take you up to meeting room. We talk, we eat, we have good time.” Patterson looked back at her crew, shrugged, and told Kikao, “Lead the way.”

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Hannibal 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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Dead Sea Scrolls; Romanians Join With German Underground

November 23rd, 2005

in 213, a few young Essenes, young Jewish tribesmen possessed by the Presence, hide several scrolls speaking of the founding of the new Christian religion in a cave in the middle east. They plan on keeping these scrolls for a day when they will be able to reveal several facts about the religion that only the Presence is privy to.

in 912, Otto of Germany, the last serious pretender to the old Roman Empire, was born in Saxony. Maintaining that Pius had lacked the authority to crown Arthur pope, Otto led rebellions against the Holy British Empire throughout his life until his final defeat in 971 by Pope Edward the Peacable.

in 618, Alfonso the Wise, Caliph of Castile and Leon, was born with Allah’s blessing in Toledo, Espagne. He was among the first few generations in his country to accept the teachings of the Prophet, and established great schools of learning during his reign, some of which still teach to this day.

in 1499, in order to hide the truth from the English public, King Henry VII executes a man he names as “Perkin Warbeck”, who had led a rebellion against him. The young man is actually Richard of York, son of King Edward IV, whom King Richard III had supposedly had murdered in the Tower as a child. When rumors of “Warbeck's” lineage reach the general population, they rise up against Henry the Pretender and overthrow him.

in 1876, the symbol of capitalism's corruption, William Tweed of New York, is delivered back to the United States after communists in Spain had captured him and spirited him back to America. The downfall of Tweed and his organization were the death knell for the Democratic Party, and it soon merged with the Socialists to form the main opposition to the triumphant Communist Party of America.

in 1940, Romanian insurgents rise up against the Greater Zionist Resistance, and with weaponry supplied by the German Underground, successfully drive the G.Z.R. from the nation. The Romanian fascists became some of the most blood-thirsty of the G.U.’s allies, killing hundreds of thousands as they fought against the Zionists across Eurasia.

in 1970, physicist Roy Kendall of the University of Nevada went public with information he had stolen from the secret military base at Groom Lake, Nevada. In a live interview with Walter Cronkite of CBS News, Kendall maintained that alien technology was being back-engineered at Groom Lake; unfortunately, as soon as he said that, armed men broke into the studio, shot him dead, and fatally wounded Cronkite. His evidence was never seen, and the government maintained that Kendall and Cronkite had been slain by gamblers Kendall was attempting to pay off with a lucrative hoax.

in 1991, opera impresario Farrokh Bulsara died in London, England. An unimpressive singer, but a dazzling marketeer, Bulsara applied his talents to bringing the music he loved to popular culture. He produced several operatic albums that went gold in the lucrative American market – he knew how to sell to American audiences as no one before him had. His tragic death from AIDS took much of the vitality out of modern opera.

in 2002, after recovering from the attack that drove them off, Dr. Courtney and his company of Air Force pilots come up with a plan to rescue Professor Thomas and Captain Trent Laughlin from the cocoons of the aliens that have captured them. They fly their craft directly over the area and teleport them up. This results in a couple of the other cocooned aliens coming with them, but Dr. Courtney takes them, too, and they retreat off this moon quickly.

in 2004, several fruitless searches of the spirit world have failed to find the being posing as Chelsea Perkins' grandfather. She and her father Terrence resume their lessons, and Terrence warns Chelsea to be wary whenever she ventures into the spirit world now. That night, she ignores his warning, and wanders into the spirit world in her dreams.

Christmas Day Contest! Following up on our Halloween contest, you can enter our next contest, which will be alternate histories for Christmas Day, December 25th, 2005. The same rules will apply, the top ten entries will be posted on that day, and by entering, you grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on October 31st, 2005, maintain your writing in our archives, and reprint your entry should we decide to reuse it in the future. TIAH only maintains full copyright over material it has originated that has been used by contestants in writing their own entries. Enter early and often - entries must be received by December 20th, 2005! Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

We still have our standard offer - everybody who donates $10 or more through our Paypal link will become alternate history entries on the site. When you donate, I will email you asking your preference for a day & timeline; if you don't reply to me, I'll place you in a day that seems to fit your name :) Thanks for your continued support!

Forum Link not working for now - Forum has been hacked! We're working on getting it back, and will let you know once it's back up.
Fresh New Poll - Shall we use future dates in our entries?

Warp and Protocols still available; also, see the script I submitted for Bravo's Situation: Comedy. Speaking of which, the winning writers have been announced; not the ones I voted for, but you can see the one I did at http://www.marktreitel.com

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!

Lady Lovelace's Notes

November 27th, 2005

in 621, a faction of the Presence begins influencing a young man to hear and see strange things, in preparation for making him a prophet of a new religion. This represents another splitting of the main faction, and their purpose on earth is jeopardized by all the in-fighting. Soon, open warfare among the Presence will break out.

in 1095, Pope William II, son of the Norman usurper of the Holy British Empire, incites all of Europe to send armies to the Holy Land to recapture it in the name of Christendom. He hopes that this will mollify those who see his line’s rule over Christianity’s most sacred throne as sacrilege, and it does serve the purpose of uniting Christianity; it fails in its stated purpose, and Muslims continue to hold the Holy Land for centuries.

in 1743, composer Freiderich Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum is performed to celebrate the victory of King George against the Bavarians that year. It makes history by using Mlosh singers to perform the parts of the Mlosh soldiers in King George’s army, the first appearance of the alien race in any human theatrical performance.

in 12-10-2-1-13, Oueztecan troops created an incident against the Masoki people on the far eastern shores of the continent, blaming them for killing soldiers during a feather war. This gave the Empire an excuse for a full-scale assault against the peninsula, with a naval blockade and ground troops soon crushing the Masoki and forcing them into the Empire.

in 1852, in order to stave off her debtors, Augusta Ada King, Lady Lovelace, sold off the notes she had taken as mathematician Charles Babbage’s assistant. The U.S. government bought the notes and gave them to the American inventing community to see what could be done with them. Thomas Edison proved the investment worthwhile in 1872 when he built the Edison Difference Engine, (or Eddie, as it was popularly known), based on the notes.

in 4636, innovative filmmaker Lee Yuen Kam was born in Hong Kong. A martial artist since his youth, Lee developed his own school of Gong Fu he called Jeet Kune Do. This fluid fighting style was featured in his films, first by himself and then by his students when Lee felt too old to properly execute his own stunts. Lee’s action films spawned a generation of action filmmakers who were martial artists/actors, such as Kong-san Chan, Yuen Chu and Li Lian Jie.

in 1942, Seattle’s most famous musician was born. James Hendrix played the guitar as a young man, and when he entered the Army in 1959, entertained his company with his music during his tour as a paratrooper in Vietnam. When he left the armed forces in 1963, he returned to the States and played backup for many other acts before going solo as an opening act for The Monkees in 1967. Although the kids who were Monkees fans didn’t really get his music, their old brothers and sisters did, and Hendrix was soon a breakaway hit. This success brought drug use with it, but he was able to kick the habit with the help of his old paratrooper buddies from the Army, and has been enshrined as the first of rock ‘n’ roll’s guitar gods. And, he still has it – his latest album, Transmissions From Planet 3, went gold 4 days after it went on sale in 2002.

in 1973, arguments in the Senate forced them to postpone the approval of Representative Gerald Ford as President Nixon’s vice-president after his first V.P. was forced to resign to face bribery allegation when he was governor of Maryland. Nixon was thrown for a loss on this, and didn’t name another candidate for the office before being forced from office himself in 1974. This resulted in the elevation of Speaker of the House Carl Albert to the presidency. The Oklahoman mended fences across the aisle, helping to heal the nation by imprisoning Nixon on treason charges in 1975.

in 1978, Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk of San Francisco are killed by former Supervisor Dan White. Milk, who was openly homosexual, was mourned in a candlelight vigil by the city’s large gay community, which waited for the trial of his killer with low expectation of justice. Much to their surprise, White received life in prison for the double murder, due largely to the ludicrous “Twinkie Defense” strategy that his legal team pursued. They had blamed White’s rampage on too much sugar in his bloodstream. This conviction quelled the anger of a minority that had been ready for rioting if the verdict went against their wishes.

in 2002, Major Garth Minette, one of the Air Force pilots with Dr. Courtney, while tending to Professor Thomas, Captain Trent Laughlin and the aliens who have become comatose since their rescue from the cocoons, notices strange lines spreading across the skin of the two men. He can see similar lines on the aliens. He informs Dr. Courtney, who places a watch on the patients, from outside the medical chamber.

Christmas Day Contest! Following up on our Halloween contest, you can enter our next contest, which will be alternate histories for Christmas Day, December 25th, 2005. The same rules will apply, the top ten entries will be posted on that day, and by entering, you grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on October 31st, 2005, maintain your writing in our archives, and reprint your entry should we decide to reuse it in the future. TIAH only maintains full copyright over material it has originated that has been used by contestants in writing their own entries. Enter early and often - entries must be received by December 20th, 2005! Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

We still have our standard offer - everybody who donates $10 or more through our Paypal link will become alternate history entries on the site. When you donate, I will email you asking your preference for a day & timeline; if you don't reply to me, I'll place you in a day that seems to fit your name :) Thanks for your continued support!

Forum Link not working for now - Forum has been hacked! We're working on getting it back, and will let you know once it's back up.
Fresh New Poll - Shall we use future dates in our entries?

Warp and Protocols still available; also, see the script I submitted for Bravo's Situation: Comedy. Speaking of which, the winning writers have been announced; not the ones I voted for, but you can see the one I did at http://www.marktreitel.com

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!

The Day

Buddy Holly	In 1959, suffering from exhaustion Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holly, Jiles P Richardson - known as the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens cancelled the remainder bookings on their Winter Dance Party Tour. Holly had set up the gruelling schedule of concerts - covering 24 cities in three weeks - to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, the previous year.
Band

Preferring to 'keep it loose like a long-necked goose', Bopper had decided to return to radio, where he had been a record-breaking DJ - with a 122-hour marathon stint – reaching number six in the American charts with his record Chantilly Lace.

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Margaret Thatcher	In 1972, Prime Minister Edward Heath dismissed his Minister of Education, Margaret Thatcher over the milk-snatching row. Until recently, Mrs. Thatcher had denounced her critics easily: 'People who resort to personal attacks usually do so because their arguments are so weak. I will not be hounded. I will never be driven anywhere against my will. Though her critics may be numerous, Prime Minister Edward Heath is not one of them. He recently rejected a demand for her resignation and said that her regime had been a period of remarkable achievement.
Milk Snatcher

It was a wise decision that would scarely trouble his old age when he later became a fierce critic of Thatcher. The London Sunday Express called her the lady nobody loves, and the Sun declared: 'She is the most unpopular woman in Britain.' Edward Britten, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, has said that her policies had produced chaos. To former Laborite Education Minister Edward Short, she is a national disaster. In playgrounds, children taunt her for cutting off their free milk by chanting: Mrs. Thatcher, milk snatcher!. The target of these angry accusations was Margaret Thatcher, 46, a blue-eyed blonde who for nearly two years had served as Britain's Minister of Education. Some criticism of the Conservative Cabinet's only female member centers on her genteel mannerisms—her Establishment tweeds and her cool, monotonous voice. I've had everything thrown at me, she protested. I'm too soft; I'm too hard. I think people really do resent it when you know the answers.

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In 4591, Emperor Chengzu grants women full and equal protection under the law. This decree is even more controversial than the visionary Emperor's space program, but it lays the groundwork for democratization in the next century.

In 1979, the Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeinii is assassinated on his arrival in Tehran by CIA Agents. CIA Director George Bush's justification for this clandestine activity was that some troubles you just need to nip in the bud, after all, the US could not afford another Castro in the Middle East.

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In 1861, Texas secedes from the United States, but doesn't join the Confederacy or send troops to aid its cause. Instead, the reconstituted Republic of Texas fortifies its borders and waits out the civil war between the Confederate States and the Union. When the Union wins in 1863, Texas sues for peace and recognition as an independent nation; President Lincoln, unwilling to spill more American blood capturing another rebel state, formally recognizes them and grants their request for independence.

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Fall of Gondolin	In 1925, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien mapped out the Fall of Gondolin in the 'Sketch of the Mythology'. Whether he knew it or not, the epic struggle of the little people was an expression of his own disempowerment from World War I. Gondolin represented the citadel of his own shattered integrity. And the refuge to which the Eldar fled was the military hospital where Tolkien recovered from combat stress. Thus led by [Tolkien] the remant of the Gondolin passed over the mountains, and came into the Vale; and fleeing southward by weary and dangerous marches they came at length to the great river. There [military hospital] they rested a while, and were healed of their hurts and weariness; but their sorrow could not be healed. ~ 'Fall of Gondolin'.
Citadel of Integrity

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In 1924, the United Kingdom recognized the Union of Soviet Vampire Republics (USVR) founded by the undead nosferatu Vladimir Lenin and his blood-sucking spawn.

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In 1908, King Carlos of Portugal is assassinated by rebels in the streets of Lisbon. His son, Luis Filipe, is wounded, but survives and succeeds him on the throne. Luis Filipe decides to follow the course of England, and transitions Portugal into a constitutional monarchy rather than face the possibility of revolt and abdication or execution. With his assistance, Italy's Social Democrats gain power against the Fascisti, and Spain's Republican forces win the civil war in 1936 against the Nationalists. The three nations usher in a new democratic era for southern Europe.

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Storms	In 1953, violent storms claim hundreds of lives up and down the East coast of Britain. The background to the rising waters was simply put. The invasion of earth had recently entered a third phase as aliens started melting the ice caps, causing sea levels to rise. Historian John Wyndham described the ultimate victory of humanity in the Kraken Awakes. The super-weapon defeated the invasion, yet left the Earth as a significantly reduced landmass. Historian wondered if similar attempts had been made before in the distant past.
Kraken

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In 1984, in a humour reference to Monty Python, the BBC reported that the Half pound coin had met its maker - 'Britain's least-loved currency is to leave the nation's purses after 13 years of almost universal unpopularity'. Rampant inflation in the 1970s meant that even basic items cost hundreds of new pounds, and there was absolutely no need to think in terms of pennies.

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In 1952, with the announcement of a Test drive for TV detector vans, a new method for tracking down users of unlicensed television sets was unveiled in the UK. The first TV detector van was demonstrated in front of Postmaster-General, Lord De La Warr and Assistant Postmaster-General Mr Gammans. The quality of terrestrial television was consider appalling by both Gammans and the British public. It was important to identify those rare individuals of sloth and indolence who would sit on a sofa all night watching non-entertaining broadcast.

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Columbus	In 2003, BBC News reported that Columbia shuttle disintegrates killing seven - the US space shuttle Columbia has broken up as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere killing all seven astronauts on board. The Domination of the Draka has issued a formal statement, in which the Archon re-affirms the Strategos' policy that intrusion into Drakan air space would not be tolerated.
Shot down

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In 2003, the President asphyxiated after choking on a pretzel whilst watching the game alone. The VP had never sought the Presidency, and truth be told was incumbent out of duty to an old man.

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In 1931, Sir Oswald Mosley, disappointed by the two main parties in British politics, founds the New Party. Arguing for elections based on class lines rather than geographical location, the New Party is unpopular until the full effects of the Great Depression hit England. Mosley's ranks swell with the unemployed, and he is elected Prime Minister in 1932. He makes common cause with continental fascists Mussolini of Italy, Franco of Spain and Hitler of Germany during his premiership, but where they are all gone by the end of the decade, Mosley's rule of Britain has only begun.