Christmas Eve & Its Attendant Miracles

The state of TIAH

December 24th, 2006

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Alternate Historian's Note: Even though nobody works on Christmas Eve, Mr. Scrooge, Stephen Payne has thoughtfully provided us with material for today's posting. The bug that had been keeping us down has lifted, (it's a Christmas Miracle!), so we'll continue the second half of our NaNoWriMo novel today. We hope that you are enjoying the 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 0, in Bayt La, (Bethlehem), the time traveler Mullah Elijah Rafsanjani bursts into the birth room of Jesus. His plan: to abduct the infant and return him to 2126, frustrating his ministry and achieving a breakthrough in the pre-Jihad era by eliminating the cohesion of European power. The mother is in labour. It won't be long now. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1914, the "Christmas truce" begins in World War I as British and German soldiers climb out of the trenches for the last time to play football in no-man's land, swapping cigarettes and chocolate at half-time. The Germans win, of course. After it's over, the British leave; they can always find their way home from a party at Christmas. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

in 1946, Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, CBE, DSO and Bar DFC and Bar FRAeS DL LegH CdeG RAF, is executed at Nuremberg on Christmas Eve. Speaking in exile from Toronto, former British Prime Minister Winston Spencer Churchill pays tribute to Bader. Reprising his “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few” speech, Churchill pledges to fight a second Battle of Britain and reconquer the islands from the Nazi occupiers. He speaks at length of his experience as a journalist in the Boer War, drawing comparisons with the relief of Mafeking and Ladysmith in 1900. Britain, he says, has lost some wickets, but the innings are far from over. -entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!-

After(cont.)
Jake and Steph pulled the sleeping bags from the jeep and wrestled them into comfortable handholds. “So, what do you know about Kevin, besides the whole lottery thing?”
Jake looked over at her with raised eyebrows. “You didn't just ask me about another man, did you?”
“Hey, baby, we're done,” Steph said, snapping her fingers. “You might as well help me move on.”
He laughed and shoved her shoulder gently. “He's not a bad guy, I guess. Probably a good church-goin' boy, you'd like that. And, if you got with him, I wouldn't have to worry about the kids' college. Yeah, go for him, Steph.” He turned her back around towards the Johnson's house. She wheeled back and slugged him on the arm.
“I haven't really had that many dates since we split up, you know. I guess since I chose you for a husband, my taste in men's not the best, so I should ask somebody else's advice.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Maybe you could be having this talk with Janice, then, instead of insulting me.”
Steph snorted. “Please. That girl wants you so bad, she practically has an ad in the paper.”
“Really?” That put a little pep in Jake's step. “All right, then.”
“You so full of yourself,” she said, looking down the road. Twin beams of light were rushing toward them. “Jake, is somebody else supposed to be comin' here?”
“No,” Jake said, following her gaze.

They turned off all the lights and gathered by the windows. Janice put on her night-vision goggles and told the others what was happening across the street. “Three guys just piled out of the car. They don't look too nice.”
George plaintively asked, “Where's mom and dad?”
“I don't see them.” She scanned the yard for any sign of the pair, but saw nothing. The jeep, as far as she could see, was empty. She saw one of the strange men do something to the lock on the door of the Morris' house and open the door. “They just busted the lock on your house.” All three of them rushed inside, drawing guns as they did so. “They mean business, too. They're armed.” She looked across the yard one more time. “Where is Jake?”
Kevin stood and said, “I'll go after them.”
“Sit your butt down, GI Joe,” Janice told him. “It's three to one, and those guys are probably not computer jocks.”
“I can shoot,” Kevin said, his face growing hot.
“I don't doubt it,” she said, trying to see where the strangers were in the house. “But, I bet they can shoot, too, and they're probably in better practice.”
Kevin reluctantly sat back down. “How about I just sneak over there and see if I can find Steph and Sergeant Morris?”
Beams from flashlights flashed crazily all over the Morris' house. “They're not doing a real thorough search; looks like they're just running around the house to see if they can find anybody.” They all jumped as they heard a gunshot.
Joan squeaked out, “Oh my god, did they see mom and dad?”
Janice was desperately looking everywhere she could see in the house across the street. “Damn it,” she whispered. “OK, Bradley. Looks like we're stormin' the castle after all.” She pulled out her own pistol and stood up. “You let me lead, all right? They're using flashlights, so we may be able to spot them before they get the drop on us.”
“What if they shine the light in your goggles?”
“Then, I'm screwed, and you better be ready to back my butt up.”
“All this concern is touching,” Jake said from behind them, “but, y'all don't have to worry about us.”
Janice immediately ran over and hugged him, then let go quickly and looked at him and Steph. “What happened?”
“We saw them coming down the street,” Steph said, pulling herself away from her children's embrace. “So, we just went around back here.”
“You scared us,” Kevin said to her. There was a strange half-smile playing around his lips.
“Sorry,” Steph said to him, an odd softness in her voice.
Janice turned back to the window and asked, “What were they shooting at, then?”

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Eve, Mother Of Angels; Capitalism Is On The March

December 30th, 2005

in 47,392 BCE, a few hundred feet up the side of the Himalayas, Telka the Speaker slips into a crack and twists her ankle. She is trapped for hours before her great-granddaughter Swikolay is able to free her. Unable to continue on, she tells Swikolay, “The mountain has beaten me, for now. But, we will be back.”

in 1000 Post-Creation, Gabriel confesses to Lucifer that he has impregnated the human woman, Eve, in order to bring about change in the world that the Creator has made. He begs Lucifer to defend this action before the Creator, and Lucifer says, “I will consider it. But, I repented of my rebellion, and so, too, must you.” When Gabriel refuses to repent, Lucifer is left with a dilemma.

in 1803, another American ex-patriat died on Canadian soil. Francis Lewis, who had the distinction of being the only man to have signed both the American Declaration of Independence and the Canadian Set of Principles, succumbed to his advanced age and left the world. Although the British and American colonials labeled him a traitor, he was given a hero's funeral in Canada, where he had helped craft their first free government.

in 1839, in a cross-Atlantic joining of horror writers, Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe were married in Baltimore, Maryland. Mrs Shelley, widowed a decade before by the death of her husband Percy, had found a kindred spirit in Poe in America, after he wrote a congratulatory letter to her on the publication of her novel The Modern Prometheus.

in 1884, Hideki Tojo, the great Japanese fighter against the New Reich, was born in Tokyo. The general marshaled Japan in its darkest hour against the onslaught of the Reich in the 1940’s, and managed to keep the island free until 1957, when he was killed in the nuclear blast that destroyed Tokyo.

in 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the rationalist philosopher responsible for Tsar Nicholas II’s embrace of science, is attacked by nobles in the Tsar’s court as he dines. Although they manage to wound him with knives and a gunshot, he is able to escape them and get to a hospital, where he makes a full recovery.

in 1950, Secretary of State Comrade Jacob Hatcher calls for a renewed American effort against the reactionaries of the world. “Capitalism is on the march,” he declared in a statement to Congress, “our way of life is menaced.” In calling for the curtailing of certain rights, he said, “No sacrifices are too great when the future of this nation is at stake.”

in 1968/4664/12-17-15-6-18/2721 AUC, a rip in the time/space continuum opens a few hundred miles north of the equator. People and things from several different timelines mingle together, not all peacefully. Dr. Richard Tolman, who has been warning the leaders of these timelines for several days, contacts them to coordinate the efforts to control the damage this rip is causing.

in 1994, the horrific murder of 7 employees at an abortion clinic in Massachusetts bring to light the dark underside of the anti-abortion movement. The so-called pro-life killer, John Salvi, was almost apprehended as he killed 2 more people in a Virginian clinic, but escaped and hid away among fellow zealous anti-abortionists. The blatant disregard for life shown by his vocal defenders soured much of America on the anti-abortion movement, and cost them a lot of political support.

in 1999, computer programmer Linus Torvald posts on his web site that a majority of computers in the world are going to crash due to the Y2K bug, a defect in their manufacture that doesn’t allow them to roll their dates over to the year 2000. He is dismissed as a crank by most of the leading manufacturers of computer software and hardware in the world.

in 2004, Chelsea Perkins is visited by Elsbeth Danwich again. Danwich seeks peace between them, something Miss Perkins will not agree to. Danwich leaves, surreptitiously taking a small handful of leaves from the Great Tree. Miss Perkins and Alma May Watson continue with their preparations for the New Year.

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE, in an effort to find out exactly how many readers we have, Today In Alternate History will be holding an International Visit TIAH Day. Our Atom feed will be turned off for one day, January 3rd, 2006, and we encourage you all to visit our site on that day to read our material. The feed will be turned back on January 4th, so you can return to reading TIAH normally.

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Surprises

Lord Lucan	In 1974, former UK Lord Lucan was found living under a false name in Australia after apparently faking his own death. He was detained under an immigration law by Melbourne police at the seaside resort of St Kilda, where he told officers his name was Donald Clive Mildoon. He is due to appear before a magistrate on Boxing Day and it is thought he is being held for entering the country with a false passport. Lord Lucan, 49, was feared drowned after vanishing on a business trip to Miami Beach on 20 November. He vanished while swimming in the sea and there was no trace of him but for the pile of clothes he left behind on the beach.
Found

It has emerged he then left the country the following day and travelled between Singapore, Denmark and the Lebanon before returning to Australia around 10 December. Melbourne police's "dog squad", so called because they hunt in packs, had placed Mr Stonehouse under surveillance from 10 December after a tip-off from overseas. There are unconfirmed reports they believed him to be the missing Lord Lucan who disappeared after his children's nanny was found dead. The re-emergence of the Lord,on the other side of the world has stunned Parliament and his colleagues at Westminster. A Whitehall source said his future in the House of Lords was uncertain but it is too early in the proceedings to comment on whether he could be expelled.

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In 1994, Algerian extremists hijack a French plane and fly it to Paris, where they blow up the plane, killing all the passengers on board. The horrific spectacle prompts governments around the world to institute new security procedures in their airports. Scarily, this catches many other groups that were planning similar attacks over the next few years, including five groups in the United States who had planned on using large planes as missiles.

In 1952, Congress is unable to override President Truman's veto of the McCarren-Walter Act. Truman's characterization of the act as “inhumane” evoked the image of all the Jews turned away from America who went back to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis, and scuttled any chance the bill had of being enacted. This led to charges from the Republicans of being soft on Communism, but even incoming President Eisenhower agreed with Truman, having seen what happened to the Jews in Europe because of bad immigration policy.

In 1802, a Signore Tolman, was permitted into the presence of Emperor Buonaparte of Italy to inform him of a grave disaster he could foresee with mystic powers. The emperor listened half-heartedly at first, but gave the man greater attention when he showed that he could disappear and reappear at will. Emperor Buonaparte sent his armies to the German north at the stranger’s request.

Jesus	In the timestream the Ghost Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows Ebeenezer Scrooge a strange vision of the far future. The births of two beautiful dual heritage children in London England. The babyfather tells them he loves them more than all the stars in the sky.
Is Love

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Violent End

In 1973, on this day US President James Earl Carter commented publicly on the death of British Primie Minister Enoch Powell the previous day. Yes, it was now time for the Plot Against America to end and leaders to work with Carter to build “the World that Hitler never made”. No, the Central Intelligence Agency had not executed a drastic and odd resolution to a political situation reminiscent of a deus ex machina. Not to his knowledge at least.

Cubans Return	In 1962, more than 1,000 servicemen from the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba returned to the United States in time for Christmas. A rapturous crowd of 10,000 Cuban exiles greeted each new arrival at the Dinner Key Auditorium, on the outskirts of Miami. Police and army cordons could barely restrain the mass of cheering, flag-waving people as they surged towards the buses bringing the prisoners back.
US President Richard M Nixon congratulated the men on a job well done. Aslo present for the speech were former President Dwight D Eisenhower, and Richard Mervin Bissell Jr., director of Operation Zapata, the CIA's codename for the operation.

TE Lawrence

in 1946, Commander of the British Eighth Army Colonel T.E. Lawrence was executed at Nuremberg on Christmas Eve. Lawrence blamed his defeat upon 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. On the prison wall, Lawrence had scribbled a biblical quote from the Book of Proverbs, 9:1: Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars

In 0, a young Hebrew couple, the woman heavy with child, were given shelter in an inn in Bethlehem. The innkeeper, whose wife had just had a baby, took pity on them and gave them his finest room free of charge.

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In 1814, the Treaty of Ghent brought peace between the United States and Great Britain. The British, once again, had gotten the raw end of the deal, and were unable to negotiate back the Canadian possessions they had lost during the war. If they had maintained their alliances with the Native Americans, it’s possible that they could have had more negotiating strength, but British arrogance towards the “savages” lost them a valuable ally.

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In 1942, German scientist Werner von Braun tests the world's first surface-to-surface missile at Peenemunde. The Fuhrer gave Braun just sixteen months to deliver a super-weapon. The incredible true story of how he made the deadline, and stopped the war is epically described by the journalist James Herbert in '48

48

Christmas Truce

In 1914, the "Christmas truce" begins in World War I as Russian and German soldiers swap cigarettes and chocolate. After its over, the Armies go home and overthrow their respective monarchs.

In 1979, Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan in support of the Marxist insurgents, beginning a nine-year proxy war with the United States. The Al-qaeda government of Osama Bin Laden was finally defeated in 1989 and American allies assisted them in their escape to the caves at Bora-Bora.

Bin Laden

In 1946, Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE DSO and Bar DFC and Bar FRAeS DL LegH CdeG RAF is executed at Nuremberg on Christmas Eve. Speaking in exile from Toronto, former British Prime Minister Winston Spencer Churchill pays tribute to Bader. Reprising his “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few” speech, Churchill pledges to fight a second Battle of Britain and reconquer the islands from the Nazi occupiers. He speaks at length of his experience as a journalist in the Boer War, drawing comparisons with the relief of Mafeking and Ladysmith in 1900. Britain, he says, has lost some wickets, but the innings is far from over.

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In 1905, star-maker Howard Hughes was born in Houston, Texas. Although his family business was in the tool industry, Hughes saw his fortune in Hollywood, and with his acquisition of RKO Pictures in 1948, gave up all interest in virtually every other pursuit. Under his direction, RKO made some of the greatest classics in Hollywood’s history, such as Spartacus, The Godfather, and Star Wars. Hughes, who hated flying, died in a plane crash on his way home to his native Houston in 1982.

Precious

Albino Alligators	In the Gorean month of En'Kara, an exquisite sale was made at the great market city of Corcyrus - seven rare albino alligators. Ligurious paid the counter-earth smuggers in Double-Weight Gold Tarn Disks. En route to their new owner, the Tatrix, Sheila, the alligators broke lost and escaped into the Vosk River. The current whereabouts of the alligators – and also Ligurious – is uncertain, although they are presumed to be at liberty in the southwest of Ar.
Missing

On the other side of the sun, law enforcement officers in Brazil continued to investigate the other side of the transaction - the disappearance of the mammals from a university zoo in the western state of Mato Grosso. Their theory – which was close to the truth - was that they may have been stolen to be sold abroad. The animals, said by officials to be worth around $10,000 (£5,070) each, have no skin pigment and their eyes are a distinctive pink. Most of albino alligators born in the wild do not survive because their skin colour makes them vulnerable to attack. They were last seen when they were fed on New Year's Eve, but they were missing when a zoo official went to feed them again on Wednesday morning. Police say there was no sign of a break-in at the zoo which contains more than 800 animals spread across 11 hectares (27 acres) hectares of parkland. The alligators were said to be young with an average age of around two years, and only one albino alligator is now left at the zoo. Police say the rarity of the alligator will make the investigation difficult as the people involved in the illegal trading of such rare species are very secretive. The apparent theft also highlights a wider problem. Animal rights activists say Brazil accounts for 10% of the world's illegal trade in animals, mainly parrots and other birds, which are often sold in Europe and the United States. Or further afield, shall we say. In their contentions with Priest-Kings, Kurii, savage denizens of the Steel Worlds, concealed within the asteroid belt, have frequently had recourse to human allies, and subversion. In accord with such projects, Kurii have occasionally sought to place and support congenial administrations in key cities. One such city is Corcyrus. Corcyrus is ruled by a beautiful woman, the cruel, arrogant, much-hated Sheila, an agent of Kurii.

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In 1477, Charles the Bold is the victor of the Battle of Nancy, sustaining the Duchy of Burgundy which persists to this day as a polity inside the European Union.

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In 4288, Shehzaada Khurram, venerated Indian governor for the Chinese Empire, was born in Agra. His patronage was responsible for the creation of the finest art and architecture to grace southeast Asia. The Taj Mahal, his greatest achievement, is almost as impressive a palace as the Forbidden City, itself.

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Balrog	In 1916, combat tension combined with an over-active imagination amplified by the experience of the Battle of the Somme had traumatised Second Lieutenant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, eleventh battalion Lancashire Fusiliers. "Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud, he smote the the Bridge [of Khazad-Dum] before him. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog's feet it broke. With a terrible cry, the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it feel it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled around the wizad's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasping vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss".
Tolkiens Phantasm

Inside a military field hospital Tolkien fought a mental battle to defeat the phantasmagoric projections of the Somme. A battle, he would both win, and lose, and win again. Like Kurt Vonnegut fifty years later, Tolkien's need for expression sought out escapist literature, and his own fight was portrayed in this animated scene from the Mines of Moria. And also later, when he finally defeated the Balrog in the well of the Abyss.

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In 1994, former Speaker of the House Thomas ‘Tip’ O’Neill dies at his home in Boston. O’Neill had a short reign at the top of the House’s hierarchy after being elected to the position in 1977. He feuded with the newly elected President Carter, and was notoriously unhelpful in passing the Democratic president’s agenda. He was replaced in the next election cycle by Texas Representative Barbara Jordan, who was much more willing to stand up for the party’s values.

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Nelson Mandela	“Believe”, Nelson once said to me, “you must always believe.” ”I believe the time has come.” ~ Samson Zola. In Laura Resnick's dystopia, years of civil war had torn apart the dream of a Rainbow nation. Samson Zola prepared to assassinate the President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Even though he loved him like a father, he saw the need to return South Africa to its people.
Alternate Tyrant

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Stephen R. Donaldson	In 1968, Stephen Reeder Donaldson languished in Vietnam. By inclination a conscientious objector, he had been compelled to serve in the armed forces. Much later, and after dropping out of his Ph.D. program and moving to New Jersey in order to write fiction, Donaldson made his publishing debut with the first "Covenant" trilogy in 1977. That enabled him to move to a healthier climate. He now lives in New Mexico. Donaldson's two year compulsory military duty would be the deep undercurrent of his escapist fantasy writing. In “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever”, the protagonist was a leper struggled with disempowerment in a Land he did not really believe in.
Unbeliever

Mud?" His leper's caution quivered. "I need soap, not more dirt." "This is hurtloam," repeated Lena. "It is for healing." She stepped closer and thrust the mud toward him. He thought he could see tiny gleams of gold in it. He stared at it blankly, shocked by the idea of putting mud in his cuts. ~“Golden Boy”

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In 1986, the Asimov Plan came close to failure because of the arrival of an agent of the random, Mikhal Gorbachev. Asimov had not forseen that an individual could arise who would be both committed to the interregnum's political philosophy, yet a gambler who was prepared to risk all to save the future. The agent of the random was eventually lured to his south russian dachi in August 1991 to destroy the Second Foundation. However, in so doing, he left his main fleet, which was turned against him by Second Foundation agents in his absence, thus ending his rule.

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In 1781, American rebel Benedict Arnold sacks the city of Richmond, in one last act of defiance before fleeing to Canada. With the American revolution largely at an end, Arnold and his revolutionary comrades felt that a statement had to be made against those who capitulated so quickly to the British. General Arnold, of course, was an instrumental figure in the fight for Canadian independence.

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In 1953, the side-splitting slapstick comedy En Attendant Godot by the playwright Samuel Beckett, made its debut in Paris. Widely regarded as Beckett’s masterpiece, it has been translated and filmed in several languages, delighting audiences around the world.

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In 1781, Thomas Gainsborough completed his masterpiece The Two Georges, depicting King George III and General George Washington's historic agreement which established the British North American Union. The Sons of Liberty considered Washington a turncoat. Two hundred and fifteen years later they would succeeed in snatching this symbol of national unity just before the arrival of King Charles III's visit to the State capital of Victoria.

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