Tejano Revolution

We're going pink for October!

The state of TIAH

October 2nd, 2006

in 1835, the doomed Tejano Revolution fires its first shots at Gonzales when the Mexican army strode into the small village to take away their one lone cannon. Emperor Santa Anna had ordered all Anglo Tejanos to be disarmed, and Gonzales' cannon was on the list. The Anglos in the village decided to resist, and after immense bloodshed, were defeated and their cannon taken away. They inflicted heavy losses on the Mexicans, though, and Santa Anna ordered a draft of men from across Mexico to put down these rebellious Anglos. With the immense forces brought to bear on them, the handful of Tejano rebels were unable to hold out, and surrendered before spring.

in 1966, after the USSR reports that their military advisors have been fired on while training North Vietnamese soldiers in the civil war against the south, they enter the war openly on the side of the Viet Cong. This escalation of the war spurs the UN to enter negotiations to try to quell the hostilities between the opposing sides and avoid a dangerous confrontation between the world's two superpowers. They are ultimately unsuccessful, and the Soviet Union pours its military into the small Asian nation. With the geographical advantage entirely on the Soviet side, the Americans are tempted to use nuclear weapons against Hanoi and other targets in North Vietnam, but President Johnson refuses this suggestion. He had just run a campaign ridiculing an opponent as being atomic-trigger-happy – he wasn't going to fall prey to that mindset, himself. But, he did let the Soviets know that he was thinking about it, which brought them to the table to negotiate peace. President Johnson and Soviet Premier Brezhnev signed the historic Paris Accords in 1968, just in time to give Johnson a huge boost to victory in the American presidential elections that year.

in 1972, Officer Xavier Hely of the Montignac police is attacked while guarding Doctor Roman Pelliot in the hospital, and is unable to keep the four men who charge him from taking the doctor and escaping. He brushes off the hospital staff's offers of assistance and calls Professor Karl Ainsworth, who had left the hospital only to see if there was anything in his books to help them combat this strange cult. They both know that the cultists are bringing Pelliot back to the Lascaux Cave, and both men head for that forsaken hole in the ground. The moon hides itself from the earth as they dive in to save Doctor Pelliot.

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Last and Only Hopes

In 2026, Captain Wilder told his children that the Red Planet represented the anglo's last and only hope. Almost five centuries before, they had quit Europe, carrying a deadly plague that decimated the indigenes of the Turtle Island. However, the madness had travelled with the anglos - the First Nation genocide and then the States War. Finally, very finally, the bomb. The Earth had exploded in the inferno of nuclear war, resulting in the Million Year Picnic the Wilder Family were now enjoying.

President-elect Gore	In 2007,Mike Resnick issued "Alternate Tyrants Part 2" including the controversial short story "Y". In a thinly disguised reference to "W", the United States Supreme Court releases a decision on a disputed President election. To unite the country, the Court proposes a joint inauguration followed by the candidates sharing the presidency with each serving a two-year term.
Best practice had been established by an indecisive election in Israel during 1984 when Prime Ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres agreed to the same power-sharing formula. Without the luxury of a full-term to plan and launch an invasion of a Middle Eastern country, the Republican camp falls upon a national security pretext to delay the Democratic Candidates two-year occupancy.

Advertisement	In 1976/1767/1750, Thalmus Rasulala, Cicely Tyson, LeVar Burton and Omoro Kinte converge on Annapolis, Maryland. Somehow they must release Alex Haley from bondage and return him to the year 1976, where he must must publish “Roots: The Saga of an American Family”. According to an advertisement in the Maryland Gazette newspaper, the Africans are to be sold into slavery on October 7.

In 2000, Stephen E. Ambroke published Eisenhower Victorious: The D-Day Options. In this counter-history, the Communist insurgency in China wins through, and Chairman Mao defeats the Kuomintang. Rejecting Truman at the 1948 election, Americans turn to General Douglas MacArthur to reconquer the Pacific for good. Brass Hat dusts off his plans for Operation Downfall and plays them out in the vast interior of China rather than the Japanese Islands, supported by the launching of fifty nuclear missiles at Manchuria. MacArthur also deploys Bacteriological weapons that Unit 731 surrendered to him in 1945 to secure the amnesty of the Japanese scientists against trial for the extermination of 200,000 Chinese citizens during World War II.	What If?
Korea and Vietnam are re-united, Chiang Kai-shek re-instated in Beijing, where he meekly returns with the entire gold and foreign currency reserves had taken on his flight to Formosa. After all, the book asks, how could America use the bomb and Japan, and then permit China to be lost?

T.E. Lawrence	In 1946, outside a building complex on Fürtherstrasse 22 in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany Commander of the British Eighth Army Colonel T.E. Lawrence and subordinates Bernard Law Montgomery, Archibald Percival Wavell and Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck were shot on this day. They considered themselves betrayed by a group of Egyptian officers, headed by Gamal Abdul Nassar, and Anwar el-Sadat, who secretly sided with the Germans, ridding North Africa of Britain's presence. The Egyptian officers themselves had no opinion, they were so many holes in the desert, having been betrayed themselves by Heydrich who had established a German Protectorate on the Nile.

In 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered Montreal, Quebec. Despite efforts by British to invade New France, and several referendums from federalists, Quebec remains a Francophone pocket in North America. In the famous words of Charles de Gaulle in 1967 Vive le Québec libre ! (Long live free Quebec!).	De Gaulle

The Fredonian War; Communists Defeat Dewey

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had two contestants so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 16th, 2005

in 1770, one of the most tragic composers of the era was born in Bonn, Germany; Ludwig Van Beethoven, a student of the great composer Antonio Salieri, wrote fine music until 1802, when his hearing began to fade. By the end of the year, he was completely deaf, and turned to a reclusive life, away from people. The unfinished symphonies from his seclusion hint at masterpieces that never would be.

in 1773, American colonist Samuel Adams and others of his self-proclaimed “Sons of Liberty” destroy a large shipment of tea in protest against the taxes the British government were levying against the colonies. Parliament, frightened at the prospect of open revolt that this foreshadowed, hastily lowered the tax and revoked the monopoly that the British East India Company had on the export of tea to America.

in 1784, the British garrison at Saint John, surrounded by Canadian nationalists, surrenders in order to avoid starvation. The British commander at Saint John, Sir Lionel Montague, had failed to prepare for the harsh winter in Canada and had no supplies to see his men through the season.

in 1799, Jan Rudder, a Dutch mathematician and generation 2281 of the Speaker’s Line, calls together the siblings of Europe to announce that he has made a discovery that will bring the Speaker’s Dream to life; he has accidentally invented a compound that can lift heavy objects with tremendous force. The first few experiments along this path were somewhat disastrous for the Speaker’s Descendants, but it did serve to advance their knowledge.

in 1826, a new country was born on the American continent as Ben Edwards founded the Republic of Fredonia in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Mexican government at first thought the proclamation was a joke, but when thousands of Anglos began rushing into east Texas, they sent troops in to crush Edwards. This was the beginning of the Fredonian War, which lasted from 1826 to 1828.

in 4616, the Gensu province is shaken by a powerful earthquake. It is one of several that will soon prompt Emperor Chengzu to order his Imperial Scientists to find a way to predict earthquakes. Although they work valiantly, the problem is not solved within Chengzu’s lifetime.

in 1934, Richard C. Tolman, an American physicist, discovers the phenomena he calls Time Flies; it is the noise from a parallel dimension coming through a small tear in the fabric of space/time. It leads him to the discovery of the ability to travel through these rips, and the formation of a cult based on his experiences in alternate universes.

in 1950, President Dewey, wary of tangling with the massive resources of the Chinese Communists, announces that the Americans will be withdrawing from the U.N. force battling communist aggression in Korea. The move is widely denounced by the Democrats and even by anti-communists in his own party, and his political star crashes to earth. He does not seek reelection, and the Republican candidate in 1952, Dwight Eisenhower, is unable to overcome the negative image of Republicans as quitters, in spite of his own record in World War II.

in 1971, West Pakistani troops were rescued in East Pakistan by an aerial assault on the Bengali and Indian troops holding them. West Pakistan declared war against India, and attempted to conquer the north of the country in order to have a corridor through to East Pakistan. The long conflict cost the lives of millions of Pakistanis and Indians, and only ended when the two nations were brought to the bargaining table by regional power China in 1979.

in 1972, the South Chilean reactionaries abruptly left peace negotiations in Caracoa, Venezuela, citing intransigence in the Soviet States’ position. They wanted to unify their country under a single government, while the Americans were pushing for a continuation of the divided country Chile was now, half capitalist, half communist.

in 2003, Adel Yamin, the woman who has taken up with Pope Righteous I, is seen in public for the last time. She comes into a London shop to buy clothing when a group of Estellians denounce her as a harlot. Her Templar bodyguard kills a couple of the Estellians, but the citizens in the store become enraged by this and flay her alive.


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!

The Forum lives again! My esteemed Co-Historian has brought the forum back to life, and in spite of the issues we've had with the forum in the past, we think that this time, it'll stay 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!

Bill Of Rights Defeated; Southern Fried Possum

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!! 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 December 25th, 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've only had one contestant so far, so let's get cracking, people!

December 15th, 2005

in 47,433 BCE, Telka the speaker is born to a small tribe in central Africa. The originator of the first conspiracy, Telka forged a pact with all of her descendants that one day they would touch the stars. Unknown to the world around them, many of her direct descendants are still working to carry out this plan.

in 1791, spirited debate in Virginia's House of Commons, at one point led by Thomas Jefferson himself, ends in a crushing defeat for the so-called Bill of Rights, 10 amendments to the Constitution intended to further protect the people from the power of the government. Since then, no amendments have been made to the document, as the land-owning voting class of America have really seen little need to change.

in 1890, the Sioux chief and holy man, Tatanka Iyotake, known to the Anglos as Sitting Bull, is killed by Canadian authorities as he calls for his people to rise up one more time against the Canadian government. When the Canadians expanded into the Dakota and Lakota territory in the middle of the century, they encountered hostilities among the Sioux led by Iyotake, and had been brutally repressive against those who followed him.

in 1915, refusing to admit defeat, the British pour troops into the meat-grinder of Gallipoli, vainly trying to force their way to Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire. Although losses among the Turks defending the peninsula were just as severe, they had no choice but to defend their home. The stalemate of Gallipoli continued to kill men with no gain or loss of ground for years into the war, and became a stunning symbol of the war's futility.

in 1945, there are riots across occupied Japan when the Allied military governor, General Douglas MacArthur, tries to abolish Shintoism in an effort to stop worship of the Japanese emperor. MacArthur is forced to call for reinforcements to quell the unrest, and is replaced as governor shortly afterwards by President Truman.

in 1961, the Architect of the New Reich, Adolf Eichmann, dies in Berlin of a heart attack. Rumors flew around the German capitol that he had been in bed with a prostitute, but they were squelched. American President Strom Thurmond sends his regrets to Fuehrer Adolf Hitler along with a note suggesting that this might be time for a warming of the cold war between the Reich and the U.S. Thurmond is being hounded on the right by American Bundists yammering to join in Hitler’s New World Order, and wishes to appear receptive to the idea.

in 1966, Laugh-O-Gram founder Walt Disney died at his home in Kansas City, Missouri. Disney and his brother Roy started an empire from a few performers telling jokes while delivering messages. Soon, his performers were singing, dancing and juggling their way into America’s hearts as the company went national. It’s performers can still be called on today to give a smile to someone who needs a pick-me-up.

in 1969, President Humphrey hosts a summit between North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, offering all the resources at America's disposal to help these two nations reconcile. Ho's death shortly after this conference scuttled hopes of a lasting peace among the Vietnamese.

in 1972, restaurateur Carl Johnson, an Alabaman born and raised during the Great Depression, brought a series of recipes from his childhood to a mass market with his chain of Southern Fried Possum stores. The spicey meat treat was surprisingly popular across the country, and Johnson was soon a multi-millionaire.

in 1978, The Soviet States of America formally recognizes the capitalist state of Brazil. America had never recognized the counter-revolutionaries who overthrew the People’s Republic of Brazil in 1959, and had armed Communist rebels in the country for nearly 15 years. Comrade President John Anderson wished to work with the capitalists of the world, though, and he felt that recognizing one of the world’s largest nations was a good step in that direction.

in 2003, the Golden City of Jesu is seen over Jerusalem, when thousands of Jewish citizens suddenly disappear. Templar aircraft dispatched to the scene burst into flames and crash as soon as they come within missile range of the city in the clouds. Word from Buckingham Cathedral states that the city is a mass hallucination caused by drugs placed in the water supply of the holy city by Estellians.

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!

Le Musee De Cire; Holy British Crusade

December 1st, 2005

in 1761, the evil genius known only as Madame Tussaud was born in Paris, France. Throughout her gruesome life, she delighted in dipping things in wax; as she grew older, the thrill diminished until she began turning the citizens of Paris into “lifelike” statues in her macabre Musee de Cire. She was only halted by the French Revolution, else her museum might have claimed more innocent victims.

in 1824, the U.S. House of Representatives takes up the matter of the presidential stalemate between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. With no candidate receiving a majority of the electoral votes, wrangling over votes in the House became intense, and several deals were struck that were later reneged on. In the end, the Representatives gave the election to the candidate who came in 3rd, as Jackson's and Adams' supporters were unable to secure a majority for their men. William Crawford, still recovering from a stroke, became the 6th President of the United States.

in 1884, Anglo cowboys killed Hispano deputy Elfego Baca in Frisco, New Mexico. The cowboys from Texas had been terrorizing the local population for some months, brutally attacking Hispanos without reprisal. Baca took a sand against them, killing one and wounding several others before they were able to corner him in a small house and shoot him dead. Enraged by the murder of a deputy, the Hispano population, with sympathetic Anglos, took up guns and wiped out the cowboy outlaws.

in 1890, the French-British Channel city was founded. Atlan as it was known, was the brainchild of French architect Simone L’Tig’gha, a Mlosh genius who had embraced both sides of the English Channel and drew citizens from both countries to his vision. Tragically, Atlan was destroyed in the seismic disasters of the early 90’s, and virtually all of its population was lost beneath the waves.

in 4608, Imperial Architect Minoru Yamasaki was born on the island of Nippon. As a young boy, his talent was recognized by teachers who brought him to the attention of the Imperial Governor. Minoru’s work for the Governor caught the eye of Emperor Dao-Ming, who brought him to work in the Forbidden City. Much of Beijing is Minoru’s work.

in 1934, Socialist Party Representative Hamilton Fish of New York is murdered in his Washington office by unknown assailants. Comrade Fish had been one of the most vocal critics of his fellow Socialist, President Franklin Roosevelt, and many among the nation's elite suspected the assassination to be part of a plot by Roosevelt to silence his critics. This sort of suspicion was part of the reason Comrade Roosevelt only served one term as president.

in 1953, Playboy, a men's magazine advertised as a lifestyle magazine, hits the stands of America. With a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe on the cover, and even more nudes inside, it produces a firestorm of scandal. Monroe's career is very nearly ruined, and enraged communities across the nation ban it. Publisher Hugh Hefner is even attacked in the streets of Chicago and beaten to death by a mob of outraged fundamentalist Christians, effectively ending the magazine's brief attempt to loosen America's heavily starched collar.

in 2002, Dr. Courtney, Professor Thomas and Captain Laughlin all return to the quarantine area where their Air Force crew has been anxiously waiting. “Let's get the hell out of here,” Dr. Courtney says, heading to their ship and powering it up quickly. They depart the planet with an escort of armed ships at their back.

in 2003, a call went out across the Holy British Empire for a great force of men, 200 million strong, to fight the enemies of Christendom. Pope Righteous I sent a recorded message to every country that followed the cross and asked them to pledge their armies to this holy crusade. Since most nations followed the cross, they did as he commanded. Righteous now had an army larger than any other on the earth.

in 2004, the Council of Wisdom takes up the matter of Chelsea Perkins after hearing Alma May Watson's latest report. It seems to them that Miss Perkins has a definite taste and talent for the darker side of their craft, and they find it very troubling. After a tense debate, they decide to allow Miss Perkins to continue her studies, but place restrictions on her materials.

Christmas Day Contest! ONLY 19 DAYS LEFT!! 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 House Of Wax; Norma Jean Swings

December 1st, 2004

in 1761, the evil genius known only as Madame Tussaud was born in Paris, France. Throughout her gruesome life, she delighted in dipping things in wax; as she grew older, the thrill diminished until she began turning the citizens of Paris into “lifelike” statues in her macabre Musee de Cire. She was only halted by the French Revolution, else her museum might have claimed more innocent victims.

in 1884, Anglo cowboys killed Hispano deputy Elfego Baca in Frisco, New Mexico. The cowboys from Texas had been terrorizing the local population for some months, brutally attacking Hispanos without reprisal. Baca took a sand against them, killing one and wounding several others before they were able to corner him in a small house and shoot him dead. Enraged by the murder of a deputy, the Hispano population, with sympathetic Anglos, took up guns and wiped out the cowboy outlaws.

in 1890, the French-British Channel city was founded. Atlan as it was known, was the brainchild of French architect Simone L’Tig’gha, a Mlosh genius who had embraced both sides of the English Channel and drew citizens from both countries to his vision. Tragically, Atlan was destroyed in the seismic disasters of the early 90’s, and virtually all of its population was lost beneath the waves.

in 4608, Imperial Architect Minoru Yamasaki was born on the island of Nippon. As a young boy, his talent was recognized by teachers who brought him to the attention of the Imperial Governor. Minoru’s work for the Governor caught the eye of Emperor Dao-Ming, who brought him to work in the Forbidden City. Much of Beijing is Minoru’s work.

in 1929, Edwin Lowe, a toy salesman from New York, invented a game he called Bingo while traveling in rural Georgia. He tried to sell the strange game involving numbered balls in a cage and cards with corresponding numbers to church folk in the countryside as a “wholesome entertainment” for communities, but it failed to gain any ground, and Lowe soon went back to other toys.

in 1953, in a decidedly unwholesome vent, the first issue of the girlie magazine Swinger, with covergirl Norma Jean Mortensen, hit the newsstands of America. Mortensen was shown on the cover swinging in the nude. The photo was taken from the side, with her arms strategically placed to cover her breasts, but it still scandalized the nation. Her career never suffered from it, and the magazine still lands on newsstands every month.

in 1971, Soviet American forces fighting in North Chile spread the conflict into The People’s Republic of Bolivia when they found that South Chilean guerrillos were hiding in that country to evade American troops. Comrade President Gus Hall approved the beginning of strikes into Bolivia to eliminate the Guerrillos, in spite of the illegality of the action. It drew widespread condemnation, even from many communist allies, and contributed to Comrade Hall’s drop in popularity.

in 2003, a call went out across the Holy British Empire for a great force of men, 200 million strong, to fight the enemies of Christendom. Pope Righteous I sent a recorded message to every country that followed the cross and asked them to pledge their armies to this holy crusade. Since most nations followed the cross, they did as he commanded. Righteous now had an army larger than any other on the earth.

Out of Control

	In 1902, Captain Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant died and entered Valhalla. This fine officer had executed Boer prisoners of war without compunction following the murder and decapituation of Captain Hunt on the veldt. The trial was to have long-reaching consequences. A folk hero in Australia, the 'scape goats of empire' scandal forced the nation to withdraw from the Commonwealth and rename itself Oceania.

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	In 1917, the 39th Governor of Texas John Connally was born. During the Vietnam War, Connally hawkishly urged Johnson to finish it by whatever military means necessary. He was wasting his breath, LBJ already had every intention of doing precisely that.

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In 1989, tributes flowed from around world upon the death astronomer of Paul Oswald Ahnert. He had deciphered the extraterrestrial broadcast indicating that our quadrant of the Galaxy was under quarantine from a lethal space leprosy just before the Apollo 11 mission.

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	In 1917, the 39th Governor of Texas John Connally was born. During the Vietnam War, Connally hawkishly urged Johnson to finish it by whatever military means necessary. That assertion included the assassination of John F Kennedy, and Connally's role in the conspiracy was revealed after his death in 1993. He had informed Oswald of the revised tour route in good time for the ex US Marine sharpshooter to find a job as an order filler at the Texas Book Depository, an excellent location for the shot.

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In 1933, Germany's parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, was set on fire by agents provocateurs of the Nazi Party. The plan backfired as Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering were killed in the blaze.

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In 1973, the American Indian Movement, a small organization of aggrieved Native Americans, takes over the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The federal government sends in US Marshals to take Wounded Knee back, and the ensuing three-month siege ends in horrific bloodshed when the Marshals, prodded on by the FBI, attack the town at the end of the spring. Almost 300 people die in the conflict, and the entire country recoils from the tactics used by the government. Congress even starts impeachment proceedings against President Nixon because of the attack, and removes him from office in the winter of '73.

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In 1997, Robin Dennell from the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology at the University of Sheffield published the article 'The World's Oldest Spears' in Nature Magazine. Humans of 400,000 years ago were sophisticated big-game hunters. Complete hunting spears discovered in a German coal-mine puncture the idea that these people hadn't the technology or foresight to hunt systematically. One mystery remains. Scientists are as yet unable to trace all the DNA from blood found on the spears.

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In 1033 AUC, Emperor Constantine of Rome was born in Naissus. While emperor, he flirted with the possibility of joining the cult of Christos, a Judean messianic religion that had gained a few converts in Rome, but felt that the restriction of worshipping only one god was too harsh.

	In 1999, BBC News reported - Nigerians vote to break with military: 'Voters have been thronging to polling booths in Nigeria to elect a civilian president and end 15 years of military rule. Queues formed at polling stations soon after they opened for registration. On some street corners groups of exuberant young men shared bottles of palm wine, singing and chanting party slogans. In the cities of Lagos and Abuja, the turnout is reported to be higher than for parliamentary elections last weekend. Up to 40 million Nigerians are expected to cast ballots in a contest between former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo, who relinquished power for the last elected president in 1979, and former finance minister Olu Falae. The vote is being closely monitored by foreign observers.

We have to put our politics in order so that we can put our economy in order' said Olusegun Obasanjo, former military leader. Trouble was, by the end of his second term the economy as far from in order. Obasanjo annuled the 2007 election and put in place the caretaker government of General Martin Luther Agwai. 'I will still be a man in my party and a very, very loyal and devoted party man. I cannot say goodbye to politics. I will be the chairman of the board of trustees of the party.' explained Obasanjo in his new back-seat driving role.

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	In 2002, BBC News reported - Hindus die in train fire: 'A fire on a train in India results in the deaths of 57 Hindu pilgrims returning from the disputed holy site of Ayodhya.' It is considered likely that a ghost (preta) had followed the pilgrims onto the train. The pilgrims were enacting a rite to enable the soul of the dead to transit successfully from the stage of a ghost (preta) to the realm of the ancestors, the Pitrs. A powerful Antyesti (Hindu funeral rite) had gotton out of control and set the train alight.

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	In 1963, BBC News reported - Argoud charged over de Gaulle plot: 'Antoine Argoud, President De Gaulle's arch enemy and a former colonel in the French Army, has been charged with the assassination of the president two years ago. Argoud was, until now, the only active member of the Algerian Secret Army (OAS) , an organisation opposed to Algerian independence that has used violent methods to promote its cause. He was found by police yesterday tied up and badly bruised in the back of a blue van in central Paris after a tip-off. He claims he was kidnapped from Munich, Germany, by the French secret service, known as Les Barbouzes (the Bearded Ones).

But the man who phoned police about Argoud's whereabouts claimed to be a member of the OAS. He told the police: 'Argoud has betrayed us. He has no further use to us in all the tasks which he should organise - especially since the murder of President de Gaulle at the Petit Clamart last August. 'You can pick him up now. He is very near you.' The blue van was found just yards from the Quai des Orfevres, the French equivalent of Scotland Yard.

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Ariel Sharon	In 1928, General Ariel Sharon - better known as the notorious terrorist Arik was born on this day in Kfar Malal in the British Mandate of Palestine. Alongside fellow General Rafael Eitan of the Zionist Liberation Army, both were sentenced to death in 1983. The court found that Mr Sharon was indirectly but personally to blame for the massacres of more than 800 people in the Sabra and Shatila villages near Beirut in 1982.
The terrorist Arik

The Court's report said Mr Sharon had made a 'grave mistake' by failing to order 'appropriate measures for preventing or reducing the danger of massacre of innocents' by his allies in the Phalange Christian militia. Mr Sharon's defence lawyer said that because he had no knowledge of what would happen when ZLA irregular troops allowed the militia into the camps, he could not be held to account.

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