Traumas

In 1980, John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono spent several hours at the studio on West 44th Street before returning to the Dakota Building at about 10:50 p.m to see their five-year-old son Sean before he went to sleep. Unusually they refrained from exiting their limousine on 72nd Street, instead the car was driven into the courtyard. The doorman at the entrance Jose Perdomo saw Mark David Chapman standing in the shadows by the archway. Perdomo discovered that Chapman was carrying a .38 revolver, 14 hours of Beatles music and JD Salinger's “Catcher in the Rye”. When questioned, he calmly explained to Police he was there to shoot John Lennon.

In 2168, the Sammāsambuddha (supreme Buddha) Siddhārtha Gautama achieved enlightenment in his travels in India. The Awakened One realized complete insight into the nature and cause of human suffering which was ignorance, along with steps necessary to eliminate it. These truths were then categorized into the Four Noble Truths; the state of supreme liberation—possible for any being—was called Nirvana. He then came to possess the Nine Characteristics, which are said to belong to every Buddha. As transcribed in one of the stories in the Āyācana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya VI.1), a scripture found in the Pāli and other canons, immediately after his Enlightenment, the Buddha decided not to teach the Dharma to human beings. He was concerned that, as human beings were overpowered by greed, hatred and delusion, they would not be able to see the true dharma, which was subtle, deep and hard to understand.

Winston Churchi..

In 1941, Winston Churchill received the news that the British Naval base at Pearl Harbour had been destroyed due to poor combat readiness. In particular, the torpedo nets had not been raised. After the fall of Hawaii to the Japanese in World War II, prime minister Winston Churchill confessed his ignorance of the weakness of Pearl Harbour's defences, saying: "I did not know. I was not told. I should have asked."

In 2046, on this day a complex medical procedure was initiated at the world-renowned Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Founded in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center had an enviable reputation for providing the finest healthcare available among California hospitals. More than 1,800 physicians in virtually all medical specialities were affiliated with the hospital, Cedars-joining more than 8,000 employees, 2,000 volunteers and 15,000 fund-raising support group members to form a unique partnership in delivering world-class medicine. But would those resources be enough? Shortly before midnight, surgeons prepared to deliver the world's first child of dual planetary heritage. The surgeons had no text book to prepare for the procedure, and had to rely upon combined best practice in human and newcomer birthing methodologies. The event was sure to be a first for ObstETrics.

Cedars-Sinai

Guns of August	In 1984, the alternative history classic Guns of August was published. Barbara Tuchman demonstrated how close the world came to war in 1914. In reality, we now know that the inter-marriage of the Royal Families of Europe, and their shared interest of survival held the key to peace, as demonstrated in the Dear Nicky, Dear Willy, telegrams revealed to the public for the first in this great book.

In 2005, cyber-agents of the government of (censored) are alarmed to discover that the revolutionary blogger known as Rat is organising a contest. Clearly this is a nom de Guerre for an event centred on his alternative life activities to spread perception-challenging content through advanced RSS news feeds. They decide to move to Phase 2, by arresting Richard S. “Kinky” Friedman.	Rat

In 1976, the Eagles release “Hotel California” which goes on to sell over 16 million copies in the United States alone between late 1976 and early 1977. The title song "Hotel California" reached number #1 on US billboards on May 7, 1977. The “beast” described in the lyrics was generally assumed to be a symbol for the drugs and alcohol which gripped vocalist Don Henley's life at that time. Not so, the lead song was a true story of events that really happened to Henley in Hotel California in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico during 1973.

.

In 1936, the American actor David Caradine was born in Hollywood, California. A talented actor of some respute, Carradine is remembered chiefly for a principled stand that had huge ramifications for Chinese Americans for generations to come. During the early seventies, Carradine struck a huge blow for diversity in America when he graciously refused the role of Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series Kung Fu in favour of the Chinese American Bruce Lee.

Herbie Pilato, in his 1993 book The Kung Fu Book of Caine: The Complete Guide to TV's First Mystical Eastern Western, commented on the casting history for the series, particularly on the involvement of both David Carradine and Bruce Lee. Before the filming of the Kung Fu TV movie began, there was some discussion as to whether or not an Asian actor should play Kwai Chang Caine. Bruce Lee was considered for the role. In 1971, Bruce Lee wasn't the cult film hero he later became for his roles in Fists of Fury (1969), Enter the Dragon (1973), and Game of Death (1979). At that point he was best known as Kato on TV's Green Hornet (1966-1967). (Kung Fu guest actor Robert Ito reports that Lee hated the role of Kato because he "thought it was so subservient.") "In my eyes and in the eyes of Jerry Thorpe," says Harvey Frand, " David Carradine was always our first choice to play Caine. But there was some disagreement because the network was interested in a more muscular actor and the studio was interested in getting Bruce Lee." Frand says Lee wouldn't have really been appropriate for the series - despite the fact that he went on to considerable success in the martial arts film world. Carradine insisted otherwise, and the rest as they say, is alternate history.

.

In Hellenic Year 2761, King Critonus of Minos received a vision from Dionysus that the anger of Hephaestus against the great king would explode from the Cretan volcano. Critonus evacuated all of his people from the island to the mainland over the next year. Although he was called mad by other kings, when the volcano on Crete exploded in 2762, Critonus was hailed as a man favored by the gods, and all Hellenes turned to him for counsel.

In 1939, Anglo-French troops landed in Helsinki determined to support their Finish allies in the Winter War. Because the Russian attack was judged as illegal, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on December 14. The Allies had absolutely no problem with a de fact declaration of war on the Soviet Union. In their calculations, prospects for Anglo-French survival were improved, having permitted Germany to invade Poland. This way, they hoped to drive a wedge between the signatories of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, bringing Mr Hitler back into the fold.

.

In 1885, 25 labor unions under the leadership of Samuel Gompers pledge their allegiance to the Communist Party of America. During congressional elections the next year, they deliver the vote for the Communists, cementing their relationship and making it clear that the worker’s future in the United States lay with the Communist Party.

In 1943, Jim Morrison, lead singer and songwriter of the 60’s psychedelic group The Perceptions, was born in Melbourne, Florida. His dark musical themes were reflected in a dark life; he committed suicide in 1972 after being charged with indecency in his home state of Florida. He had exposed himself to the crowd during a concert.

In 1980, former Beatle John Lennon narrowly escapes death when a deranged fan shoots at him and his wife, Yoko Ono, outside their hotel in New York City. Yoko is fatally wounded, however, and dies the next day. Her funeral marks the first time all four Beatles reunited since 1970.

Goats & Spiders

The state of TIAH

December 8th, 2006

Digg this

Alternate Historian's Note: Stephen Payne has more work as our Guest Historian and our NaNoWriMo novel continues. We hope you are enjoying this change in format – let us know how you feel about it in comments or by emailing us. This will be the format of TIAH throughout the holiday season, unless we receive a great outcry about it. Speaking of the Holiday Season, keep in mind those who need help year-round and keep yourselves safe and happy, as well. And, should you feel generous inclinations towards our guest historians, you can visit the sites of those who have separate ones from TIAH; generosity towards us here at the Academy is always appreciated, too, and you can find ways to help us out all over the site. Right now, we'd appreciate a lead on a good day job, but any good wishes you have towards us can be emailed here.

in 0, Mullah Elijah Rafsanjani reflects on the abduction option in the town of Bayt La (Bethlehem). Put simply to snatch Jesus out of time and transport him to 2126. The idea has merit. On the flip side, he might just delay the ministry of Jesus by twenty two centuries. A contemporary Christianity might burn through twenty-third century Arabia in the same way it did the Roman Empire in the pre-jihad era. Hmm. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1919, imperceptibly at first and then so gradually no one notices it, the small image of a goat starts to move towards the corner of Michelangelo Buonarroti's Last Judgement painting over the altar of the Sistine Chapel. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1976, the Eagles release “Hotel California” which goes on to sell over 16 million copies in the United States alone between late 1976 and early 1977. The title song "Hotel California" reached number #1 on US billboards on May 7, 1977. The “beast” described in the lyrics was generally assumed to be a symbol for the drugs and alcohol which gripped vocalist Don Henley's life at that time. Not so, the lead song was a true story of events that really happened to Henley in Hotel California in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico during 1973. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1990, F-16 fighters fitted with gigantic speakers transmitting amplified male arachnid sounds lure the giant spider into the Dead Sea. The high salt content kills the spider instantly and the nation of Israel takes a collective sigh of relief. It is unclear whether the region will gain or lose tourist trade as a result. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

Before(cont.)
Sergeant Morris and Kevin walked over to the still form of a young woman on the roof. While Morris held his gun on her, Kevin checked to see if she had a pulse. He was afraid that she had fallen victim to the heavy amounts of radiation all around them – his suit's detector registered about 5 times the lethal level here. As he reached his hand out to her, though, her eyes fluttered open and she stared at them in horror. “Miss,” he said, “are you all right?”
“Uhm,” she stammered, sitting up, “yeah. Yeah, I think so. Thanks.”
“How long have you been up here?”
She looked confused and nervous. The odd thing was that she didn't seem to be suffering from any symptoms of radiation illness. “I... I don't know. What day is today?”
“It's the fifteenth. Thursday.”
She ran a hand through her hair and looked over at Morris, who still had his pistol drawn on her. “Who are you guys?”
“We're with the National Guard, ma'am.” Kevin looked around at Morris and said, “Sergeant, do you really think you have to keep pointin' that weapon at her?”
“The lock on that door was cut through,” he said. “Just like we did with the computer room, Bradley. What are you doin' here, lady?”
“I just... I was working on a research paper, and I guess I slept in my office. I woke up and the building was deserted,” she said, looking into Kevin's eyes. She had very pretty eyes. Kevin put that thought away and listened to her continue. “I guess it was yesterday, I couldn't get anything to work, so I came up here to see if I could see what happened. I fell asleep looking around.”
“You just happened to have a lock-cutter with you, lady?” Sergeant Morris was clearly still suspicious of her.
She shrugged and looked away. “It comes in handy.”
Kevin had had enough of the questioning. “Sergeant, we need to get her to a medical unit for treatment. She's been exposed to a lot of radiation.”
“Radiation?” She sounded alarmed. “Oh, my God.”
That sounded a little less convincing. Kevin looked back into those pretty brown eyes, and he could see that she was looking into his to see if he believed her. He also looked over at the possessions she had at hand. He was pretty sure that there was a pair of night-vision goggles in the small pile of stuff she had near her, as well as a Geiger counter. He looked at it, and was surprised to see that it read a much lower level of radiation than his suit did. “Your meter here is broken, miss,” he told her. “I don't know how long you've been here, but the radiation levels here are lethal.” He pointed at the small meter on his suit. “Maybe you think this is all a big thrill, but it's probably cost you your life.”
The scared look on her face vanished as she dropped the act. “OK, Sergeant Rock, you got me. But, let me tell you two a couple of things.”

Steph's phone rang, startling her and the kids. “I guess they got the phones workin' again,” she said, getting up from the couch. She walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Stephanie? Oh, thank the lord, I've been trying to get you since yesterday!”
“Hi, momma,” Steph said, smiling. “It's Granny Trent,” she told the kids. “How are y'all doin', momma?”
“Oh, we're all right, you know,” the older woman said. “I was just worried about you and the kids. And Jake. Do you think he's all right?”
“He was just here last night, momma. He's OK.”
“He was there last night?” Steph could practically hear the smirk on the other end of the line. “Is that right?”
“He and another soldier just stayed here for the night cause they had to get up this morning and head up to Waco,” Steph explained.
“Oh, my lord, Waco?” Mrs. Trent was shocked.
“He's a soldier, momma. They gotta do dangerous stuff, sometimes.”
“I suppose. I hope he's gonna be all right.”
“Me, too.” There was a moment of silence between them, and then Steph asked, “Do you want to talk to the kids?”
“OK, honey. I love you.”
“I love you, too, momma.” Steph handed the phone to George and sat back down on the couch.
Joan sat down beside her. “You OK, mom?”
“You should go talk to your grandma.”
“George'll be on there a while,” she said, smiling.
“Yeah, I guess.” She smiled slightly. “I'm just worried about your father.”
“Well, he has that other guy with him. A guy who just won the lottery's gotta be lucky, right?”
Steph chuckled and hugged Joan. “I guess so. Maybe some of it'll rub off. Lord knows we could use it.”

Cool stuff - Let us know where you are on Frappr! and We've been Dugg

We have links again! Yay, us. Check them out on the side of the page, and if you have some suggestions, send them to us!

Visit the Co-Historian's store -

Briefing MacArthur

The state of TIAH

January 3rd, 2007

Digg this

	In 2007 a stray tom cat paws the sweet smelling chocolates from the trash and opens the box with its nose. An hour later the cat is a stiff lifeless corpse. Death has come to this Canadian township, but not for Father. This time at least Death has been averted.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1953 outgoing President Truman prepares to host an icy pre-inauguration briefing at the White House with President-elect Douglas MacArthur. Truman deeply regrets abandoning the invasion of Japan, opting instead to launch nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More recently he sanctioned the development of the hydrogen bomb; since November 1st 1952 and the successful conclusion of Operation Ivy, the President has had a doomsday weapon ..	Truman
.. yielding 10.4 megatons of explosive power, over 450 times the power of the bomb that fell on Nagasaki.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

	In 1777 British general Charles Cornwallis defeats American general George Washington at the Battle of Princeton. The victory at Princeton cost the British some 276 men killed, wounded or captured but it greatly boosted the morale of the loyalists, leading 8,000 new recruits to join the British Army.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1988 Leader of the Conservative Party Margaret Thatcher becomes the longest-serving British Prime Minister in the 20th Century despite a number of 'bad spells' during her time in office. Member of Parliament for Henley-upon-Thames and former Minister of Defence Michael Heseltine is the brave man who will make a bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Witchcraft, he feels, has no place in the 1990s, a more collegiate form of Government ...	Thatcher
.. is appropriate for the modern age.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

After(cont.)
“Now, let me get this straight – I'm saving the government?” Eli was a little credulous about the plan.
“We're saving the president,” Kevin said.
“Which will save the government,” Eli said. “Of course, that's provided we can get into what is no doubt the most highly guarded spot in the state. That's the part I have the real trouble with.”
“I thought you were all about the guns.”
“I am – I'm not about the suicide.”
“OK, OK,” Janice said, pushing herself between them. “Kevin, what if we just bring all of this to the resistance in Roswell and let them mount the rescue?”
“It'd take too long,” Jake said. “It's gonna take us at least a day to get to Roswell, then another day for a team to get back – and that's if they believe us right away. If the people holding Bush are serious about all this, they could probably get anything they want out of him in that time. If he's gonna be saved, we're the ones who need to do it.”
They all looked at each other. Kevin was tight as a bow string, warily watching each of them for some indication of how they would turn. Mike and Eli were both wondering how much they could trust any of these strangers, while Janice was wondering if she should have just gone in to work, after all. Jake had made up his mind to throw in with Kevin, and Steph was hoping nobody would get killed. Joan was sorry she had thought of where to look.
George was almost bouncing up and down with excitement. “Georgie, hon,” Steph said to him, “why don't you go lay down, take a nap? Gonna be a long day ahead of us.”
He reluctantly left the room to the adults. Once he was gone, Janice said, “All right, I'm not the best shot in the world. I'm pretty confident that Jake is the only one here who could qualify to be part of some rescue team – sorry, Eli.”
Eli muttered, “S'okay.”
Janice went on. “So, you're talking about a team of mostly untrained, inexperienced civilians attempting to infiltrate a position held, most likely, by an elite military unit. Have I got all of our advantages laid out here?”
“They probably don't have extra military protection,” Kevin said. “Look, it would have aroused suspicion if they'd moved people in. It's probably a small team of people, at most. His Secret Service detail, and that could be as little as 4 or 5 guys.”
“Four or five highly trained guys.” Janice repeated herself to make the point. “4 or 5 killing machines that live for the day when they can take somebody out in the line of duty. Am I getting through to you here?”
“It's not gonna be easy,” Jake said. “I say we split up. Steph, the kids and Mike head to Roswell. Kevin, Janice, Eli and I go to Crawford.”
“That actually kinda makes sense,” Mike said.
“Of course you'd agree to that, you don't have to storm the damn castle,” Eli said, furiously.
“I think it's a good plan, too,” Janice said. “Somebody needs to get our proof to Kerry and the resistance. And,” she said, looking into Kevin's eyes, “somebody should try to save the president. Even if we don't like him.”
Steph looked at Jake and Kevin. She asked her ex-husband, “Are you sure you can do this?”
“Hell, no,” he said, and everyone laughed, breaking the tension. “But, we need to try.”

Cool stuff - Let us know where you are on Frappr! and We've been Dugg

We have links again! Yay, us. Check them out on the side of the page, and if you have some suggestions, send them to us!

Visit the Co-Historian's store -

Trials

In 1945, in Germany a day before he was due to return to the United States, General George Smith Patton, Jr. narrowly escaped severely injured in a road accident. He and his chief of staff, Major General Hobart R. 'Hap' Gay, were on a day trip to hunt pheasants in the country outside Mannheim. Their 1939 Cadillac Model 75 was driven by PFC Horace Woodring. Patton sat in the back seat, on the right with General Gay on his left, as per custom. At 11:45 near Neckarstadt, (Käfertal), a 2½ ton truck driven by T/5 Robert L. Thompson appeared out of the haze and made a left-hand turn towards a side road. The Cadillac smashed into the truck. Woodring was thrown forward and his head struck a metal part of the partition between the front and back seats. Patton and Gay were uninjured. Paralyzed from the neck down, Woodring died of an embolism on December 21, 1945 at the military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany with his wife present. In a shadowy series of events that have never been properly explained by the military, Patton was subsequently appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe. His former boss Eisenhower resigned in disgrace over an affair with a British Staff Officer, Kay Summersby. Speculation persists to this day that Eisenhower had orchestrated the road accident as a pre-emptive Draft Ike political assassination. The case remains open and the controversy continues.

In 1976, in record stores across North America, copies of the Eagle's “Hotel California” sold out just twenty-four hours after its release by the Eagles, going on to sell over 16 million copies in the United States alone between late 1976 and early 1977. The title song "Hotel California" reached number #1 on US billboards on May 7, 1977. Obviously vocalist Don Henley would not receive a cent from the sales. He and the rest of the band had been on the missing persons list for two months. Ever since they had departed Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico for the second time.

Snake Eyes	In 1965, the famous UFO incident of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, USA occurred. A large, brilliant fireball was seen by thousands in at least six states and Ontario, Canada. Amongst the casualties of the alien space ship crash was the strange being known as Snake Eyes. Many of the innermost secrets of the Kennedy assassination were buried with him that day in Pennsylvania.

In 2046, Shortly after midnight the world's first child of dual planetary heritage was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The human and newcomer couple who had conceived the child were to face an emotional roller-coast. Vital indicators see-sawed all day as surgeons fought to save the one-day old life of Y'Skakir-R. The surgeons had no text book to prepare for the procedure, and had to rely upon combined best practice in human and newcomer birthing methodologies. They were writing the book on ObstETrics.	Cedars-Sinai

Hitler	In 1946, on this day the "Trials of War Criminals before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals" began with the "Doctors' Trial". Prosecuting doctors were charged with a conspiracy to kill the Fuhrer. Aware of his lycanthropy, they had been increasing a supplement of silver since 1941 causing his arm to shake uncontrollably behind his back. The Fuhrer had been deceived over his physical decline, mistakenly believing he had entered the period of languishing.

In 2005, deep sleeper of the government of (censored) seize Richard S. “Kinky” Friedman. However, he convincingly denies any knowledge of Rat saying “If he ain't a Texan, I ain't got time for him."	Kinky

In 1965, this day is famous for the UFO incident of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, USA. A large, brilliant fireball was seen by thousands in at least six states and Ontario, Canada. In fact Kecksburg was the second and final attempt to land an exploratory mission in North America by the non-proliferation committee for the Congress of Worlds. Both Kecksburg and the earlier mission to Roswell, New Mexico had of course been betrayed by the very member of the committee who had leaked nuclear technology to the US Government in the first place.

.

In 1994, the UN Weapons Inspectors in south-eastern Iraq plot make a sensational discovery. A large arsenal of Scud missiles containing monsterous arachnid eggs are found at the nuclear reactor site at Osirak.

.

In 795, Pedro the Cruel, last of the Christian rulers of Portugal, was born in Lisbon. His harsh actions against those who committed the slightest infraction against his law, coupled with his disregard of the Christian Pope, led to a popular uprising against him, with the support of the Espanish Caliphs.

In 1835, Texican forces suffered a terrible loss in their war for independence when Benjamin Milam was defeated and captured in a battle for the city of San Antonio de Bexar. Santa Ana, ruler of Mexico, had Milam taken under guard to Mexico City. In a daring raid, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie attacked the convoy carrying Milam and freed him.

In 1958, the counter-revolutionary John Birch Society is founded in Indianapolis by capitalist Robert Welch. Its dedicated goal of bringing about the fall of Communism in the world brings it to the attention of the Justice Department, which launches a four-year struggle to eradicate its criminal membership. Some conspiracy theorists say that Lee Oswald, assassin of Comrade President Joel Rosenberg, was a member of the Dallas chapter of the Society.

In 1917, British General Edmund Allenby moved upwards from Egypt and captured Jerusalem. As the first Christian conqueror of the Holy City since the Crusades, “Bloody Bull” as he was known ordered his troops to enter the city on horse. By refusing to dismount, Allenby caused the local population to be outraged by this lack of respect. This was no oversight on his part, he was imposing British authority and ripping up the Balfour Declaration as a “dead letter”. With Lawrence translating Allenby informed Jewish leaders that Zionist government would not be recognized and the city was to be handed over to Prince Feisal and the Arabs. Lawrence had previously described the “eternal miracle of Jewry”, and after this fateful meeting Lawrence asked his commander for leave and returned to England a broken man. Allenby was promoted to Field Marshal and later served as Britain's High Commissioner in Egypt from 1919 to 1925.

.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center	Watch the 1983 alien birth scene from V ~ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Click Symbol to Play Clip In 2046, on this day a complex medical procedure was initiated at the world-renowned Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Founded in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center had an enviable reputation for providing the finest healthcare available among California hospitals. More than 1,800 physicians in virtually all medical specialities were affiliated with the hospital, Cedars-joining more than 8,000 employees, 2,000 volunteers and 15,000 fund-raising support group members to form a unique partnership in delivering world-class medicine. But would those resources be enough? Shortly before midnight, surgeons prepared to deliver the world's first child of dual planetary heritage. The surgeons had no text book to prepare for the procedure, and had to rely upon combined best practice in human and newcomer birthing methodologies. The event was sure to be a first for ObstETrics.
Los Angeles

.

In 1965, this day is famous for the UFO incident of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, USA. A large, brilliant fireball was seen by thousands in at least six states and Ontario, Canada. In fact Kecksburg was the second and final attempt to land an exploratory mission in North America by the non-proliferation committee for the Congress of Worlds. Both Kecksburg and the earlier mission to Roswell, New Mexico had of course been betrayed by the very member of the committee who had leaked nuclear technology to the US Government in the first place.

.

In 795, Pedro the Cruel, last of the Christian rulers of Portugal, was born in Lisbon. His harsh actions against those who committed the slightest infraction against his law, coupled with his disregard of the Christian Pope, led to a popular uprising against him, with the support of the Espanish Caliphs.

In 12-10-9-4-2, Incan forces drive off the Yanomami of the eastern jungles. The Yanomami had been raiding them for years, armed and aided by Oueztecan nobles unhappy at the imperial direction Inca had taken in recent years. Since there was no official action from the Oueztecan emperor, the Incans could not declare war against their larger neighbor.

In 1912, Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. O’Neill served as Speaker when Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976, but was so uncooperative that President Carter persuaded Democrats in Congress to dump him in the mid-term elections of 1978, replacing him with Texas Congressman Jim Wright.

Marriage Equality In The US

The state of TIAH

December 21st, 2006

Digg this

Alternate Historian's Note: Stephen Payne provides the alternate history as we continue the second half of our NaNoWriMo novel. We hope you are enjoying this change in format – let us know how you feel about it in comments or by emailing us. This will be the format of TIAH throughout the holiday season, unless we receive a great outcry about it. Speaking of the Holiday Season, keep in mind those who need help year-round and keep yourselves safe and happy, as well. And, should you feel generous inclinations towards our guest historians, you can visit the sites of those who have separate ones from TIAH; generosity towards us here at the Academy is always appreciated, too, and you can find ways to help us out all over the site. Right now, we'd appreciate a lead on a good day job, but my lovely Co-Historian could also use some more memory on her PC, if anyone feels generously inclined. (It's PC133-style – yes, it's an old machine). Any good wishes you have towards us can be emailed here.

in 1979, the Lancaster House Agreement is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and Dr S C Mundawarara. Secret promises are made by the British Government to deliver land reform to the Zimbabweans in a single generation (twenty years). They are not honoured, yet kept secret and Mugabe's actions to seize land from the former Rhodesian farmers in the year 2000 are considered barbarous in the western world. Lord Carrington, Lady Thatcher, Robert Mugabe and Ian Smith all lived to see the millenium in but chose not to mention the secret promises. Instead, they stuck to Benjamin Disraeli's famous maxim “Never explain, never complain,” proving once again that British Public School Rules still govern matters affecting millions in Africa to this very day. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1990, the Kuwaiti Oil Tanker fleet, which is carrying alien seaborne creatures, mysteriously disappear from radar in the English Channel. Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Howe takes the press conference to explain away the disappearance as “a maritime disaster for Lloyd's of London to investigate”. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is not available; he says she's “having one of her spells”. In Henley-upon-Thames, Member of Parliament and former Minister of Defence Michael Heseltine decides there and then that he will make a bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Witchcraft, he feels, has no place in the 1990s - a more collegiate form of government is appropriate for the modern age. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1993, different sex marriages are legalised in the United States. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

After(cont.)
The Johnson's place had a strange odor to it already; they all thought it was probably from all the blood that was still drying, but not a one of them was going to mention it. Joan avoided the room where Mr. Johnson had been; Steph avoided the room where she had seen Mrs. Johnson take her own life. They ended up in the kitchen.
“Bradley, I'm gonna get a couple of sleeping bags from the jeep.” Jake was trying to help the kids get comfortable, so after Kevin nodded, he left.
Steph said, “I'll go help him,” and followed after him.
Janice turned to Kevin and said, “I'm gonna make a call. There's a couple of guys that I know will hook up with us, and they can be helpful.”
“Helpful.” Kevin looked at her and shook his head. “In what way?”
“They're good muscle,” Janice said.
“Why do we need muscle?”
Janice raised her eyebrows at him. “Look, honey, maybe you think that we can get out of this by being all stealthy, but you didn't see Miss Raintree. That wasn't just some random lowlife that killed her. That was a government hit.”
“There's no way you can know that.”
She smiled at him. They were keeping their voices low, but the kids were watching them. “Do you really want to have this conversation in front of them, Kevin? I'm fine with it; I think everybody should know the truth. But, Jake might not want his kids to grow up quite that fast.”
Kevin looked over at the young girl and boy and dropped his head. “I'm sorry about the nutjob crack.”
She waved it off. “Eh, you're not the first one to call me that.”
“I bet.”
“OK, insults after apologies kinda negate the apology, big fella,” Janice said, punching him in the arm. They both chuckled.
George watched Janice punch Kevin and asked his sister, “Does she like him?”
Joan shook her head and whispered to him, “Nah, she likes dad.”
George was a little shocked. “How do you know?”
Joan shrugged. “Who wouldn't? Besides, mom likes him,” she said, tilting her head at Kevin.
George was a little confused. “But, what about dad?”
“They're divorced. Mom wants to move on.”
It was all swirling in George's head. “I don't wanna grow up.”
“Don't say that too loud, Georgie,” Joan said, looking out the window. A car was pulling up to their home across the street. “The wrong people might hear.”

Cool stuff - Let us know where you are on Frappr! and We've been Dugg

We have links again! Yay, us. Check them out on the side of the page, and if you have some suggestions, send them to us!

Visit the Co-Historian's store -

Nuremberg

The state of TIAH

December 18th, 2006

Digg this

Alternate Historian's Note: Stephen Payne provides the alternate history as we begin the second half of our NaNoWriMo novel. We hope you are enjoying this change in format – let us know how you feel about it in comments or by emailing us. This will be the format of TIAH throughout the holiday season, unless we receive a great outcry about it. Speaking of the Holiday Season, keep in mind those who need help year-round and keep yourselves safe and happy, as well. And, should you feel generous inclinations towards our guest historians, you can visit the sites of those who have separate ones from TIAH; generosity towards us here at the Academy is always appreciated, too, and you can find ways to help us out all over the site. Right now, we'd appreciate a lead on a good day job, but my lovely Co-Historian could also use some more memory on her PC, if anyone feels generously inclined. (It's PC133-style – yes, it's an old machine). Any good wishes you have towards us can be emailed here.

in 1946, Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE DSO and Bar DFC and Bar FRAeS DL LegH CdeG RAF is informed by guards at Nuremberg that he should prepare himself for execution on Christmas Eve. He commits his remaining time to writing a robust defence of the controversial Big Wing theory, an aggressive policy of assembling large formations of defensive fighters north of London ready to inflict maximum damage on the massed German bomber formations as they flew over South East England. History records that the leaders of Fighter Command Air Marshal Hugh Dowding and Air Vice Marshal Keith Park had instead chosen careful husbanding tactics, contributing in no small part to the British defeat in the air war at the hands of the more aggressive Luftwaffe. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1982, Herr Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the famous World War 2 Stuka dive-bomber pilot, dies in Rosenheim, Grossdeutschland. Rudel is famous for being the most highly decorated German serviceman of the war. He was awarded Germany's highest military decoration, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Rudel flew 2530 combat missions and successfully attacked many tanks, trains, ships and other ground targets, claiming a total of 2000 targets destroyed - including 519 tanks, a battleship, two cruisers and a destroyer. He also shot down 9 aircraft. Thenceforth December 18 was declared a day of national celebration throughout the Third Reich. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1990, former Minister of Defence Michael Heseltine receives an odd visitor at his Member of Parliament's surgery in Henley-upon-Thames. The man gives Heseltine an envelope which he opens later that afternoon. A solitary piece of paper has a black and white photograph of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President George Bush and a number of senior officials including Secretary of State James Baker. Cut-out newspaper letters below spell out “All of them witches”. Heseltine laughs nervously. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

After(cont.)
The table held more than enough food for everyone. Jake and Janice were already digging in as Steph and Kevin sat down. The kids had been more polite, waiting for their mother before serving themselves. Everyone piled their plates with food, especially Janice, who told Steph, “This looks great, Steph. I haven't had any real food since the day before yesterday.”
Steph raised an eyebrow at Jake, who just shook his head.
Kevin just took one chicken-fried steak, a small dollop of corn and potatoes, and a roll. He ate small bites of the food, but didn't seem very interested in it. He did tell Steph, who was seated just to his left, “This is great, Steph.”
She beamed at him, and her smile lightened him up a bit. He tucked into the food a little more enthusiastically. Janice, meanwhile, was grabbing a second steak. “Yeah, Steph, it's awesome.”
“Glad you like it,” she said, laughing at Janice's appetite. The kids were pretty healthy eaters, too, but Janice was shoveling it down.
George, who had placed himself next to his father, asked, “So, dad, did you see any dead bodies in Waco? Or zombies?”
“I sure felt like a zombie, gettin' up as early as I did,” Jake said, looking at Janice and Kevin. Kevin looked down at his plate, but Janice looked over at Jake.
“You need to tell them,” she said to Jake.
Kevin looked up sharply, but Jake just nodded. Kevin asked, “Is that a good idea, Sergeant?”
“No, but they're sharin' the same risk we are. They deserve to know.”
“What do we deserve to know?” Steph felt a twinge at the bottom of her stomach. She looked at her three guests suspiciously now. “What is it, Jake?”
“I don't know if the kids should hear this, Steph.” Jake looked at his son and daughter, who looked back at him apprehensively.
“Well, you've already scared 'em, they might as well know why.”
“Oh, for God's sake,” Janice said, throwing down the fourth roll she had picked up. “There wasn't any nuke in Crawford. The president is very much alive, this whole emergency thing is a big fraud, and somebody may be after us.” She picked her roll back up and tore a big hunk off with her teeth.
Steph looked at Jake, who couldn't meet her eyes, then over at Kevin, who nodded acknowledgment of what Janice had just said. “We all saw the ranch,” he muttered, but the table was so silent that every word was heard clearly. “I saw him walking around like nothing was going on. Like it was just another day.”
Steph was looking out the window at her neighbors' house. “The Johnson's,” she whispered. “Those poor people killed themselves, and it was all over a... a hoax?” Kevin nodded and laid his hand on top of hers. “And, what was that about somebody bein' after you?”
Jake looked at Joan and George. “I don't know if y'all want to hear this,” he said to them.
“I saw Mr. Johnson's body, dad,” Joan told him. “I want to hear more.”
George, though, looked a little sick. “Can I be excused?”
“Sure, baby,” Steph said, going over to him and hugging him tightly. She reached a hand out to Joan, who took it in both of hers. Jake looked on awkwardly; Janice thought that she saw his arms reflexively move toward his ex-wife and children, but he restrained himself. After a moment, Steph let go of George, and he ran from the room. She sat down next to Joan and hugged her tightly. There were tears in their eyes as they turned back to the others and Steph said, “All right, tell us everything.”

Cool stuff - Let us know where you are on Frappr! and We've been Dugg

We have links again! Yay, us. Check them out on the side of the page, and if you have some suggestions, send them to us!

Visit the Co-Historian's store -

Beastly

Jesus	In 1843, Jacob Marley's ghost warns Ebeneezer Scrooge that his miserliness and contempt for others will subject him to the same fate Marley himself suffers in death: condemned to walk the earth in penitence since he had not done it in life in concern for mankind. Marley explains that Scrooge's fate might be worse than his because of his selfish life since Marley's death seven Christmases ago. Marley tells Scrooge that he has a chance to escape this fate through the visitation of three more spirits that will appear one by one.
Is Love

.

In 1944, the Battle of the Bulge engages the forces of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt in the Belgian Ardennes. The Germans split the Allied line in half, capture Antwerp and encircle four Allied armies, forcing the Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis' favour. The attack was planned in total secrecy, in almost total radio silence and not detected by Ultra.

.

In 1916, the Russian mystic Grigory Rasputin (trans. 'ill-behaved child') is assassinated by a group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov at the Yusopov Palace in St Petersburg. Rasputin played an important role in the lives of the Tsar Nicholas II, his wife the Tsaritsa Alexandra, and their only son the Tsarevich Alexei, who was believed to suffer from haemophilia. Less than a year later during Red October, it was revealed that the Tsarevich was actually another victim of the blood-sucking vampirism sweeping Russia.

.

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 1928, author Philip K. Dick was born in Chicago, Illinois. But, it’s possible that was all just an implant from The Company. Count your electric sheep and go back to sleep.

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 1977, King Edward IX formally unveiled a £71m underground link from central London to Heathrow's terminals - the first of its kind in the world from a capital to its major airport. Commuters and tourists can now travel from the centre of the capital to the airport direct on the Piccadilly Line in just 40 minutes. The King whose great-grandfather opened the "tuppenny tube" in 1890, paid tribute to underground staff as he unveiled the new service. "To those on whom the safe running of London transport depends, I extend my thanks," he said. "I now have great pleasure in declaring the extension formally open and wishing success to those who will manage the line and those who will travel on it."

In 1955, Adolf Hitler inaugurated new buildings in the centre of London Airport, part of a new complex designed to handle a growing number of air passengers. The Fuehrer arrived by car with the architect Albert Speer and was greeted by a guard of honour made up of air crews from the British and Commonwealth airlines, headed by BOAC Captain JT Percy. The daughter of the Minister of Transport, Sarah Boyd-Carpenter, presented the Fuehrer with flowers from around the world that had been flown in by four Commonwealth airlines. The name of the new buildings was only revealed at the end of the Fuehrer's speech as he unveiled a plaque naming it "The Reich Building".

In 1984, BBC News described the Gorbachev visit to Britain a 'disaster'. Mikhail Gorbachev, the man widely tipped as the next leader of the Soviet Union, has spent five hours in "very difficult" talks with the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, according to British Government officials. Soviet officials described the talks less than enthusiastically as "business-like". Topics discussed at Mrs Thatcher's country residence Chequers included ending the arms war and improving communications between the Eastern Bloc and the West. It came after Mr Gorbachev signalled his desire for reduced tensions when he arrived at Heathrow airport yesterday. "Opportunities for the prevention of nuclear war exist. These opportunities must be used to the full," he said yesterday. Margaret Thatcher informed the Cabinet that Gorbachev was not a man she could do business with.

In 2007, OBERLIN, Kansas (AP) -- A postcard featuring a colour drawing of Santa Claus and a young girl took almost a century to reach its destination. The card, mailed in 1914, just arrived in northwest Kansas. The Christmas card was dated Dec. 23, 1914, and mailed to Ethel Martin of Oberlin, Kansas, apparently from her cousins in Alma, Nebraska. Oberlin postmaster Steve Schultz says it's a mystery where the card spent most of the last century. He says: "It's surprising that it never got thrown away."

Ethel Martin is deceased, but Schultz says the post office wanted a relative to have the card. That's how it ended up with Bernice Martin, Ethel's sister-in-law. She says the 93-year-old card was apparently found somewhere in Illinois. "That's all we know," she said. "But it is kind of curious. We'd like to know how it got down there."

The card was placed inside another envelope with modern postage for the trip to Oberlin, since the one-cent postage of the early 20th century wouldn't have covered it.

"We don't know much about it," said Martin. "But wherever they kept it, it was in perfect shape. Perhaps it was these “Mlosh” cousins who are mentioned in the card?"

Bombing	In 1944, Vannevar Bush and James Conant saw that a workable atomic weapon appeared certain. Bush headed up the entire American scientific effort supporting the war and Conant oversaw the bomb program for Bush. They were the first to recognize that the critical Rubicon would be not when an atomic bomb was tested or used, but when a workable weapon came into being. They believed that once a workable weapon existed, there would be no putting the genie back in the bottle. The only practical issue left was how the weapons could be controlled. They rightly concluded that the only way to achieve control was for all nation states to surrender their sovereignty to an unprecedented degree to permit international control.
Hiroshima

They further believed that the only way nations would surrender so much sovereignty was by shocking their leaders and populations with a demonstration of the true hideous nature and scale of atomic weapons. That required that the bombs be actually used on cities. The most intriguing figures surrounding the atomic bomb project through Hiroshima and Nagasaki literally bombed world opinion into disarmament. The indelible and searing images of human suffering from Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain the single most powerful source of restraint on their use. While there are films and pictures of tests, including demonstrations of weapons of incomparably greater potency than the weapons available in 1945, there is nothing as shocking as depictions of the effects on living beings. I would not claim that the fact that we have passed sixty years without further use of the weapons directly against any population is due solely to what happened in 1945. I do believe that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are of undeniable significance in producing this history. ~ Richard Frank, the author of Guadalcanal (1990), which won the General William Greene Award from the Marine Corps, Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire (1999) and Bombed into Disarmament (2007) recipient of The Harry S. Truman Book Award. The three books were offered as Main Selections of the History Book Club. His contribution to the Pacific War Companion (Osprey Publishing, July 2005) reexamines one of the most controversial aspects of that war -­ the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

.

Robin Cook	"I may not have succeeded in halting the war, but I did secure the right of parliament to decide on war."~ Robin Cook. On August 6, 2005, Cook was with Gaynor on the mountain Ben Stack in Sutherland, Scotland, when he suffered a severe heart attack. Some early reports suggested that he had died before reaching the summit, but according to his last SMS he had already climbed it and was descending, despite earlier reports that neither of the walkers had a mobile phone. Cook's wife said that he collapsed and that she had called out and attracted a stranger in order to use his mobile at 2:23 pm.
Pacifist

Due to the lack of time, Gaynor was not winched onto the helicopter and walked down the mountain with the wanderer. Cook was flown from the mountain at 3:01 pm, to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness where he was pronounced dead at 4:05 pm. The post mortem revealed that Cook died of hypertensive heart disease, although the paramedics at the scene had speculated that he died of a broken neck. A full investigation in December 2005 pursued a more irregular line of inquiry. That the stranger was a secret police agent who had assassinated Cook by means of a ricin pellet fired from in a specially-designed umbrella. The full article is available at Wikipedia

Ted Hughes	"The celluloid of a photograph holds them well. Six young men, familiar to their friends. One imparts an intimate smile. One chews grass, one lowers his eyes, bashful. One is ridiculous with cocky pride - Six months after this picture they were all dead. This one was shot in an attack and lay calling in the wire, then this one, his best friend, went out to bring him in and was shot too. And this one, the very moment he was warned from potting at tin-cans in no-mans-land, fell back dead with his rifle-sights shot away. The rest, nobody knows what they came to, But come to the worst they must have done, and held it closer than their hope; all were killed." ~ Six Young Men by Ted Hughes (1957)
Poet

In 2008, Britain's long national nightmare ended when the last troops left Iraq. Prime Minister Gordon Brown had brought them home for Christmas.

Rasputin

In 1916, at the Yusupov's Moika Palace in St Petersburg an assassination attempt was made by a group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov on the Russian mystic Grigory Rasputin. They served him cakes and pink champagne laced with a large amount of cyanide, enough poison to kill ten men. Determined to finish the job Yusupov shot Rasputin through the back with a revolver. Rasputin fell. The company then left the palace for a while. Yusupov, who had left without a coat, decided to return to grab one. While at the palace he went to check on the body, Rasputin opened his eyes, grabbed Felix by the throat, strangling him. Rasputin ominously whispered "you bad boy" in Yusupov's ear, and then threw him across the room and escaped. As he made his bid for freedom, the rest of the conspirators arrived and fired at him.

After being hit three times in the back, he fell. As they neared his body, they found he remarkably was still struggling and trying to get up so they clubbed him into submission; then, after wrapping his body in a sheet, they threw him into the icy Neva River. It was futile, in the words of Eagles' singer/songwriter Don Henley life they could not kill the beast.

In 2003, on this day the compendium “A Collection of Political Counterfactuals” was published. Simon Burns' masterful sequel "What if the Iraqi sixteen had failed?" was a keynote contribution, considering the scenario of April 13, 1993: Sixteen suspected terrorists, in the employ of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, smuggled a car bomb into Kuwait with the intent of killing Bush as he spoke at Kuwait University. The plot is foiled when Kuwaiti officials found the bomb and arrested the suspected assassins. Bush had left office in January 1993. On June 26, 1993, the U.S. Launches a missile attack targeting Baghdad intelligence headquarters in retaliation for the attempted attack against Bush. This limited response is contrasted with the full-scale invasion that follows the real-life assassination of Bush by Saddam's killers.

Bush

Camilla

In 2006, there was a mixed reaction to news that Camilla Parker-Bowles, was probably not murdered. The right wing press considered the Queen of Heartbreak to be a victim of the British Secret Service who were behind a cruel plot to prevent the monarchy falling further into disrepute.

In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill prepared to board a plane at RAF Northolt to head into exile in the South Atlantic. Being optimistic, the pilot asked him if he expected to see the same country when he returned. Churchill thought not. Firstly, Operation Sealion, delayed by a year was close to completion with the Wehrmacht only 50 miles from the south bank of the Thames. Secondly, he had just approved plans to release Triffids throughout southern England in a scorched earth policy.

Triffid