Sparks

The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has resigned from the New Labour Government after just six months in office. Under Brown's proposals, the Bank of England would have been given independence from political control in the most radical shake-up in the bank's 300-year history.
Catherine Wheel	Trouble was the Prime Minister, Tony Blair had a slightly different agenda – to centralise control in Number 10, Downing Street, and reduce the role of powers outside the Executive. Including the Bank of England, British Parliament, House of Lords, the Royal Family, Intelligence Forces etc. etc. ~ Catherine Wheel's Sparks are Going to Fly - Click to Watch Sample
Sparks are going to fly

In 1997, the Brown Blair alliance came to an abrupt, but expected bust-up over the issue the two men cared about most – control.

In 2008, service agents at the head office of the restaurant chain Wanda's of Montreal performed data administration duties in preparation for fortieth year celebrations. The database flag NICE_COMMENT was set to Y to filter in positive comments which would be showcased on the chain's web site.

Keys to Rebecca

In 1942, on this day the Second Battle of El Alamein started in northern Egypt, as the British Eighth Army under Field Marshal T.E. Lawrence began a critical offensive to expel the Axis armies from Egypt. However as Rommel's Afrika Corps advanced to El Alamein the secrets that would unlock the doors to Cairo are provided by an agent code-named Sphinx. A group of officers, headed by Gamal Abdul Nassar, and Anwar el-Sadat, secretly side with the Germans, ridding North Africa of Britain's presence. Writing in 1980, journalist Ken Follett described the British military disaster in his classic history “The Keys for Rebecca” (1980).

In 1998, on this day there was cause to hope for a peaceful conclusion to the Jewish-Palestinian Conflict. Eretz Israel Liberation Organisation Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime Minister Yasser Arafat reached a "land for peace" agreement. A Jewish mini-state was proposed in exchange for security guarantees. However, the deal was scuppered in 2000 by a visit from Ariel Sharon and an escort of several hundred hard-liners to the Temple Mount complex, site of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.	Temple Mount

Oswald	In 2999, the mind cast for the next instalment of “Personality of the Triple Millennia” was re-run across the networks. POT3M drew an even larger audience because of its oddness. Lee Harvey Oswald was the candidate, the context was the assassination of the John F Kennedy and the moment was seconds before the shot was fired. It was a very uneventful episode, the multiverse cast showed Oswald clearly in the lunch-room with a Coca-Cola bottle as the shots were fired. MC Millennia explained it was a technical hitch and the episode would be re-run at some future point.

In 1867, under the auspices of the British North America Act of Parliament 372 Senators are summoned by Royal Proclamation to serve as the first members of the Senate for the North American Union.	North American Union

Hudson Bay; Anne Morrow

The state of TIAH

Today In Alternate History

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in 1611, the crew of the Discovery stages a mutiny against Captain Henry Hudson. Captain Hudson had trapped the ship in the huge bay of the northern American continent trying to search for a northwestern passage to Asia, and the crew had finally had enough. They put the captain and a small party of his supporter, including his son, into a boat and set them adrift while they attempted to find their way back out of the bay and home to England. Hudson and the brave band of men who followed him were able to reach land, and a friendly tribe of natives took them in and nursed them back to health. Before winter set in, they were able to travel to the French settlement at Montreal and from there back to England. For his great discoveries, Hudson was made a lord and the great bay on North America was named after him. The Discovery, however, was never seen again, proving that mutiny was its own punishment.

in 1876, the Generalissimo, Emperor Antonion Lopez de Santa Anna, finally relinquished his grip on the throne of Greater Mexico with his death in his capitol, Mexico City. Considered the greatest general of his era, sparking comparisons to Napoleon, Emperor Santa Anna first achieved power by supplanting the old Mexican Republic with his Mexican Empire in 1833, after winning election as President of the old Republic. When gringos who had been allowed to colonize the Texas territory rebelled against him in 1836, he crushed them mercilessly, leading his northern neighbor, the United States, to attack him, supposedly in their defense. His war against the US gained Mexico almost half of that country in conquest, and further wars of conquest let the Generalissimo die as ruler of the largest country on the North American continent.

in 1906, literary queen Anne Morrow was born in Englewood, New Jersey. Deeply interested in travel and geography, she became one of the few women who wrote for the National Geographic Society, as well as an award-winning writer of fiction for such great novels as Gift from the Sea. Although her interest in becoming a pilot led her to a brief dalliance with famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, she never married, preferring a life of adventure to one of domesticity.

in 2017, after several days of study, the Quarai of Amandara 14 tell the human crew of the Eagle, transported to their solar system by a golden device that they had found in the Pindar-Asaki comet, that they have a test they would like to try. Commander Patterson and her crew fly off Amandara 14 with a Quarai crew because, in spite of their supposed recklessness, the Quarai scientists feel that this experiment might be a bit dangerous on a planet. This doesn't make Commander Patterson feel very good about participating, but she doesn't see an alternative if she and her crew are to make it home. The Eagle and the Amandaran Union ship Pokor fly several hundred thousand miles away from Amandara 14 to try activating the great device.

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Lionheart Beats No More; Confrontation With Amenhotep

April 6th, 2006

in 1199, King Richard I of England dies from an infected arrow-wound. Through the subtle maneuvering that he had been known for, his brother Geoffrey claims the throne, overthrowing John, who had been ruling in Richard’s place as he crusaded. King Geoffrey I became an even more powerful king than his father, Henry II, conquering the whole of France and adding it to England’s empire.

in 1679, Hueng Fa, a Conspirator of the Speaker’s Line, lets word slip through the channels of Telka’s descendants that he has a machine that is able to fly. He gathers as many conspirators to China as he can and shows them his wind-powered machine, based on the kite design. He is able to fly for over 30 miles; the Conspirators spread the design throughout their ranks.

in 2649 AUC, Rome returns the Olympic Games to their ancient home in Olympia, Greece. The Republic had moved the games to Rome in the 12th century, but with rumblings of Greek nationalism, decided to appease them with a small cultural gesture.

in 1909, Robert Peary is lost in the frozen wastes of the Arctic as he searches for the North Pole. Although his diary and journals were found, Peary’s body was never recovered, and it is presumed that it was eaten by animals after the members of the expedition perished from the cold.

in 1915, Captain Michael Smith's vessel, the Harlequin, enters orbit over the world of the Q'Bar, aliens who had been created by the Mlosh, against whom they ultimately rebelled. For a day, the Harlequin has been receiving a distress signal from the planet, but no response to their own assurance of help. Captain Smith leads a small landing party to the planet.

in 1952, the spirit of Amenhotep chases Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter, along with Americans Kathleen and Thomas Johnson, through the streets of Cairo and out to the pyramids, where they uncover the ancient spell to banish him back to the Egyptian underworld.

in 1993, American sailors invade the South American coast at Peru. The Consitutionalists proudly declare that the entire western hemisphere will be under their control by the end of the year; the rest of the South American continent cries out to Europe for assistance.

in 2000, the Gamers from Beyond take a break from their current campaign to go on a road trip to see the locations their gamemaster Bill Burke had been running them through in his campaign The Busride Of Doom. Their trip through the American southwest starts up a roleplaying craze among the dead of the region.

in 2004, the Sheridans tame the Projection Virii, and begin mutating them. They hope to be able to program the P.V. to project images they decide on. Their first attempt, a projection of Livinia Sheridan, works for a few minutes before devolving into a methane crab.

in 2005, Ahn Wun, the captive Claw scientist that the Save Earthers are going to trade for humanity's freedom, haughtily tells her captors, “I am not important enough to abandon a planet for, you idiots. Force us to choose, and we will simply come out into the open to rule your pathetic little earth.”

Timelines in today's post: the Roman timeline, the Speaker, the Mlosh, von Heflin, The Sheridans, the Ralph Shephard timeline and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect The Lion In Winter to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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The Black Pope; The Silver Beatles In New York

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: We are holding another contest! Please send us entries for an Alternate Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2006. Enter now - deadline will be February 10th! Just 4 days to get your entry in under the wire! (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

February 7th, 2006

in 47,371 BCE, Swikolay leads her line of the Speaker’s Children deeper into the heart of Africa. She wants to study how birds fly and see if her children can mimic them. She feels her age creeping up on her, and knows that she will not see them touch the sky, but trusts that they will fulfill Telka’s dream even without her.

in 1100 Post-Creation, after nearly a century of walking, Lucifer and Michael reach the end of Creation. They have discussed their position with each other for decades, and have gone back and forth over obedience to the Creator; when they reach the end of all that is, they have come to an understanding with each other. They decide that they will fly back to Eden and share their new perspective with their angelic fellows.

in 1301, Edward, the Black Pope, became Archbishop of Wales. His only lasting accomplishment for the Holy British Empire was the passing of this title onto each Papal heir; otherwise, his lackluster papacy was distinctive only for its diminishment of the Empire’s influence.

in 1904, Ambassador Li’Kanto’Mk is executed by Q’B’Ton’ra, ruler of the Mlosh homeworld. Q’B’Ton’ra’s fleet is ordered to locate and destroy the embassy ship that is seeking to warn earth of the impending attack.

in 1918, the being that had been trapped in Velma Porter's gem finally finds her cabin, and attacks her. With her husband at her side, though, Porter is easily able to defeat the being; she and von Heflin wonder how he escape from the gem, though. The being cannot be killed by conventional means, so Porter looks for another gem; that is when she notices she is missing one. After securing the being in another gem, they decide to leave their cabin and search for the being's original prison.

in 4616, industrialist An Wang was born in Tangshan, Hebei Province. He provided the leadership and knowledge that drove much of the Chinese Empire’s electronics industry over his lifetime. Once the rest of the world caught up to his innovations, though, he fell behind, and his later years were spent in more obscurity than he wanted.

in 1964, Pete Best’s old band, The Silver Beatles, arrive in New York to test the waters for an American tour. Ed Sullivan books them as a novelty act, but the show is a flop, and their hoped-for American tour never materializes.

in 1969, Faisal Yassin makes contact with Israeli agents who agree to storm the compound that the neo-Nazis have set up for their time-traveling experiment. Wilhelm Schoemann tells him to have them begin their raid when he signals with the code words, “The door is closed”. Schoemann is going to ensure that the timeline he has helped create will not be able to send emissaries to his own.

in 2003, the soviets of Oregon and British Columbia surrender to the Soviet States of America after popular uprisings topple their leaders. Diehard revolutionaries in the Idaho Soviet invade Oregon briefly, but are driven out by good comrades inside the soviet who are unwilling to belong to the People’s Republic of America anymore.

in 2005, when the Save Earth group arrives at the warehouse in Houston, one of their number, Max Liebersohn, surreptitiously drops out and circles around the warehouse as Jeanna Best leads the group in. When they are ambushed by a number of “Claw” guards in the warehouse, Liebersohn manages to rescue them with some automatic weapons fire and more than a little bravado. Best is taken back to Austin, where she is put through harsh deprogramming.

Timelines in today's post: the Speaker, the Fall, the Holy British Empire, the Mlosh, von Heflin, the Chinese Empire, the GZR, Pete Best, Communist America and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Extra-Planetary Happenings

July 20th, 2005

in 1684, the transmissions coming from the Hunter star system cease. The inhabitants of the Lalande 25372 star system, although alarmed at this, continue with their own space program, landing their first space voyager on another planet in their system. In the broadcast of this historic occasion, it says, “In hope, we turn to the stars. We shall be one with them.”

in 1720, the Mlosh fly a delegation of world leaders to the moon, to show them that they come from space, and are not any kind of supernatural creatures. The first human to set foot on the moon, King George I of England, saw the blue marble of the earth and gasped, “What wonders of Heaven are these that our world can be little more than a ball on the horizon?”

in 4598, an Imperial probe lands on the moon, proving that the Star Fleet Program is able to voyage to another world. The plans for having a Star Sailor land there go into motion, and a little less than 2 years later, they successfully land and return a Star Sailor, Ouyang Ziyuan.

in the 16th year of Ptolerit’s reign, a man is landed on the moon. The original mission Pharaoh Ptolerit had charged his astronomers with had been seeing if the kingdom of the dead was there, so when the astronaut Soranim stepped out onto the moon, he said, “The kingdom of the moon is dead; but our people are not here.”

in 1957, Nazi scientists land cosmonaut Hugo Steinweg on the moon, and the world goes to sleep by the light of a fascist moon. America tries to open negotiations to prevent them from placing nuclear weapons on the satellite, but Hitler refuses to negotiate.

in 1969, the ultimate hoax was played as the world watched a man walk on “the moon”. The Hollywood effects people weren’t as thorough as they should have been, though; the telecast had to be fuzzed or blacked out several times because the camera strayed past the set, or a crewman walked into the field of vision. Still, virtually everyone in the world was fooled.

in 1972, the Soviet Union lands a cosmonaut on the moon, beating the British Space Agency, the United States & the Confederate States of America by years. Boris Andreyev, a man given to few words, said, “Moscow, luna 1 here. Mission accomplished.”

in 1974, the Soviet States of America’s premier cosmonaut, James Lovell, sets foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for a man; one giant leap for the people,” he said, as the entire planet watched.

in 1368, Allah grants glory to Mahtab Khasim, who flies through the ether and lands on the moon on this day. Mahtab, planting his foot on the dusty surface and then dropping to his knees in prayer, says, “All glory to Allah and to Mohammed his prophet; the skies themselves are now provinces of Islam.”

in 1996, the team working on the object in Chimanimani National Park in Zimbabwe takes a break. Dr. Courtney has decided that everyone needs a little time to digest what they are seeing, especially after what Sara Olsen found inside the object. While discussing the inside of the object with young Miss Olsen, the two of them see a shadow fly across the moon.

in 2000, at the Huff institute, Steve Huff walks with Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter in the moonlight and asks them to consider carefully their decision not to allow him access to the creature from beyond the world. “I can make life very difficult for you,” he tells them. The Baron replies, “Of course. I trust that you are aware of the reverse?”


DIRE FINANCIAL TIMES AT THE ACADEMY!

Thanks to everyone for their generosity! We have raised a lot from your donations, for which we are VERY grateful, but our new academician is expensive, so we're keeping the offer open - 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 - talk with everybody in the TIAH community. Also, see our ideas for a new format to the site
New Poll - Tell us what you think! More or less repeats? Our fate may be in your hands!

Warp and Protocols still available

The Rosetta Stone; Blue Moon Of Kentucky

July 19th, 2005

in 1680, the inhabitants of Lalande 25372 successfully test their first space craft. With designs heavily influenced by the Hunters and the Ropes, the Lalandians are soon traveling about their solar system. Dampening their celebrations in this period, the transmissions from the Hunters begin to speak in a panicked tone of the Elders threatening them.

in 1799, the Rosetta stone, a small slab with Egyptian hieroglyphics and ancient Greek writing, is found in Egypt. It leads to speculation that the 2 cultures had some kind of interaction; unfortunately, since both written languages were long since lost, it only deepened the mystery of the ancient Mediterranean powers.

in 1891, the vulcanologists at the school in Bandai, Japan request a meeting with the Executive Committee of the Congress of Nations. They have completed their study, amid secrecy that approaches that of government intelligence-gathering organizations.

in 4648, Imperial officials are called into Beijing to be given instruction in democracy. The Chdo send advisors to assist. Dao-Ming begins working with his ministers to restructure the way his government functions, and to assemble the necessary means to allow Chinese citizens to vote.

in 1954, Sun Records released the 1st single by a new artist, Elvis Presley. The A side recording, That’s All Right, Mama, flops; the B side, however, a cover of the bluegrass classic Blue Moon Of Kentucky, dominates the radio and record sales. Presley goes on to become the #1 bluegrass artist in the country.

in 1969, at the Hollywood studio, the special effects department puts the “Apollo 11” into orbit around the moon. Several anomalies are seen by sharp-eyed skeptics, but the compliant mainstream media drowns them out.

in 1979, the fascist Anastasio Somoza seizes power from the elected Marxist government in Nicaragua. The Soviet States of America spend the next 8 years undermining Somoza’s rule, until he finally agrees to elections in 1988, when he is ousted by Marxist Manuel Ortega.

in 1985, Christa McAuliffe is chosen to be America’s first teacher in space. Her flight was delayed by mechanical problems in the Challenger shuttle she was assigned to fly in. Once the problems were fixed, she had been waiting over a year to fly, but the publicity was still overwhelming; she spent the next few years covering shuttle flights for CNN.

in 1996, a hatch is found in the circular object that Dr. Courtney’s team in Chimanimani has been examining. With some trepidation, they open it and send in young Sara Olsen, who asks them, “Think I’ll find any bodies?” As she begins her crawl through the object, she, thankfully, does not.

in 2000, apparently, the tracking devices that the Huff institute has designed work; a team of their people find Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter on the New York beach where they have been resting since burying the creature from beyond the world in the ocean. After a brief confrontation, both sides agree to go back to the institute.


WE HAVE GAS, BUT WE STILL NEED HELP!

Thanks to your generosity, we have gas money, and truly appreciate the assistance. But, we still have a broken windshield to repair, so we're keeping the offer open - 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 - talk with everybody in the TIAH community. Also, see our ideas for a new format to the site
New Poll - Tell us what you think! More or less repeats? Our fate may be in your hands!

Warp and Protocols still available

The Lion Passes From Avalon

April 6th, 2005

in 1199, King Richard I of England dies from an infected arrow-wound. Through the subtle maneuvering that he had been known for, his brother Geoffrey claims the throne, overthrowing John, who had been ruling in Richard’s place as he crusaded. King Geoffrey I became an even more powerful king than his father, Henry II, conquering the whole of France and adding it to England’s empire.

in 1679, Hueng Fa, a Conspirator of the Speaker’s Line, lets word slip through the channels of Telka’s descendants that he has a machine that is able to fly. He gathers as many conspirators to China as he can and shows them his wind-powered machine, based on the kite design. He is able to fly for over 30 miles; the Conspirators spread the design throughout their ranks.

in 2649 AUC, Rome returns the Olympic Games to their ancient home in Olympia, Greece. The Republic had moved the games to Rome in the 12th century, but with rumblings of Greek nationalism, decided to appease them with a small cultural gesture.

in 1909, Robert Peary is lost in the frozen wastes of the Arctic as he searches for the North Pole. Although his diary and journals were found, Peary’s body was never recovered, and it is presumed that it was eaten by animals after the members of the expedition perished from the cold.

in 1952, the spirit of Amenhotep chases Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter, along with Americans Kathleen and Thomas Johnson, through the streets of Cairo and out to the pyramids, where they uncover the ancient spell to banish him back to the Egyptian underworld.

in 1993, American sailors invade the South American coast at Peru. The Consitutionalists proudly declare that the entire western hemisphere will be under their control by the end of the year; the rest of the South American continent cries out to Europe for assistance.

in 2000, the Gamers from Beyond go on a road trip to see the locations their gamemaster Bill Burke has been running them through in his campaign The Busride Of Doom. Their trip through the American southwest starts up a roleplaying craze among the dead of the region.

in 2004, the Sheridans tame the Projection Virii, and begin mutating them. They hope to be able to program the P.V. to project images they decide on. Their first attempt, a projection of Livinia Sheridan, works for a few minutes before devolving into a methane crab.

Sorry for the lateness of the post - internet problems galore today!

Forum Link - give Catherine Ann a nice birthday wish!

Poll Link: New poll coming, but take the old one for now.

Warp and Protocols still available, but new direction will be announced shortly - watch this space for more info!

Moon Hoax; 1st Teacher In Space

July 19th, 2004

in 1799, the Rosetta stone, a small slab with Egyptian hieroglyphics and ancient Greek writing, is found in Egypt. It leads to speculation that the 2 cultures had some kind of interaction; unfortunately, since both written languages were long since lost, it only deepened the mystery of the ancient Mediterranean powers.

in 1891, the vulcanologists at the school in Bandai, Japan request a meeting with the Executive Committee of the Congress of Nations. They have completed their study, amid secrecy that approaches that of government intelligence-gathering organizations.

in 4648, Imperial officials are called into Beijing to be given instruction in democracy. The Chdo send advisors to assist. Dao-Ming begins working with his ministers to restructure the way his government functions, and to assemble the necessary means to allow Chinese citizens to vote.

in 1954, Sun Records released the 1st single by a new artist, Elvis Presley. The A side recording, That’s All Right, Mama, flops; the B side, however, a cover of the bluegrass classic Blue Moon Of Kentucky, dominates the radio and record sales. Presley goes on to become the #1 bluegrass artist in the country.

in 1969, at the Hollywood studio, the special effects department puts the “Apollo 11” into orbit around the moon. Several anomalies are seen by sharp-eyed skeptics, but the compliant mainstream media drowns them out.

in 1979, the fascist Anastasio Somoza seizes power from the elected Marxist government in Nicaragua. The Soviet States of America spend the next 8 years undermining Somoza’s rule, until he finally agrees to elections in 1988, when he is ousted by Marxist Manuel Ortega.

in 1985, Christa McAuliffe is chosen to be America’s first teacher in space. Her flight was delayed by mechanical problems in the Challenger shuttle she was assigned to fly in. Once the problems were fixed, she had been waiting over a year to fly, but the publicity was still overwhelming; she spent the next few years covering shuttle flights for CNN.

in 2003, Aussie PM Howard delivers the videotaped confessions of the Martians to his allies, and gives scientists Nixon and Sheridan a new task – figure out how to reverse the damage the Martians are doing. “I’ll take care of stopping them,” Howard promises them.

Battle Of Breed's Hill; Whitman Nominated For President

June 17th, 2004

in 1579, Sir Francis Drake lands on the western coast of North America. The native people, at first welcoming to him, become hostile after one of his men rapes a young woman. In the ensuing battle, Drake and most of his men are killed. One ship barely makes it back to England.

in 1775, rebel colonial forces were routed by the British at the Battle of Breed's Hill near Boston, Massachusetts. Rebel commander George Washington was almost captured, and the rebel army was thrown into disarray. Virtually all colonials gave up the idea of freedom at that point, with only a few hardcore rebels failing to acknowledge that the fight was over. They manage to battle on another 4 years, but never win another engagement.

in 1856, the first national convention of the Communist Party, formerly known as the Republican Party, is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At this raucus meeting of the people, Walt Whitman is nominated as the party's candidate for the presidency. Whitman's speech accepting the nomination, the first ever delivered at a national convention, brings tears to the eyes of the delegates. His moving, poetic words stir the nation, and he becomes the youngest man ever elected President of the United States.

in 1880, John Monte Ward has the best day of his life as he throws a perfect game of Town Ball, and his Providence Sailors beat the Buffalo Northmen 5-0. It is only the 2nd perfect game of Town Ball ever.

in 1928, Janet Dixon, famed aviatrix, became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She later disappeared trying to fly solo across the Pacific.

in 4648, an Imperial Star Fleet ship sailed out to the agreed coordinates, just outside the orbit of Jupiter, to meet the Chdo Ambassador. Emperor Dao-Ming considered the meeting to be of such importance that he had been through Star Sailor training himself in Star City, and flew on the vessel.

in 1972, unknown assailants killed a night watchman at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. The crime was never fully investigated for some reason. Conspiracy nuts continue to say 3-term President Richard Nixon had a hand in it, but who can believe those nattering nabobs of negativity?

in 2003, Juan Diego, an Argentine scientist from Antarctica crashlanded in Tierra Del Fuego. He had heroically escaped from the Martians, and had come to warn his people that the alien invaders were coming.

Daddy

Idi Amin	In 1971, Commander of the King's African Rifles, Idi Amin Dada was appointed the first indigenous Governor General in the British Empire. Dada's apppointment was a cycnical measure by British Imperialists, intended to head off nationalist pressures in Uganda. Imperial troops sealed off Entebbe airport and there are reports of tanks and soldiers on the streets of the capital, Kampala. The governor's residence was surrounded and major road links blocked. The whereabouts of Pan-African independence guerrilla Milton Obote remained unknown.
Gov. General

Idi Amin joined the King's African Rifles (KAR) of the British Colonial Army in 1946 as an assistant cook. After serving in the Burma Campaign, he transferred to Kenya for infantry service as a private in 1947 and served in the 21st KAR infantry brigade in Gilgil, Kenya, until 1949. That year, his unit was deployed to Somalia to fight the Somali Shifta rebels who were rustling cattle there. In 1952 his battalion was deployed against the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya. He was promoted to corporal the same year, then to sergeant in 1953. In 1954 Amin was made effendi (Warrant officer), the highest rank possible for a Black African in the colonial British army. Amin returned to Uganda the same year, and in 1961 he became one of the first two Ugandans to become commissioned officers with the rank of lieutenant. He was then assigned to quell the cattle rustling between Uganda's Karamojong and Kenya's Turkana nomads. In 1962, Amin was promoted to captain and to major in 1963. The following year, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Army. Amin was an active athlete during his time in the army; the 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) soldier was the Ugandan light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960 and a swimmer and rugby player. Subordinate to the ceremonial ruler Kabaka (King) Edward Mutesa II of Buganda, the British Foreign Office promoted Amin to colonel and army commander in 1967. In 1971, Idi Amin was appointed Governor General of Uganada. "I am not an ambitious man, personally," Amin said after taking power, "I am just a soldier with a concern for my country and its people." In 1972, determined to make Uganda "a black man's country", Amin expelled the country's white population in the closing months of the year, reportedly after receiving a message from God during a dream. "I am going to ask Britain to take responsibility for all whites in Uganda who are holding British passports, because they are sabotaging the economy of the country," Amin declared at the start of August. Afterwards, Amin flamboyantly described himself as Defender of the British Empire in Africa (in general), and Uganda (specific).

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Nasa Rovers	In 2004, the second of two Nasa rovers sent to explore Mars landed on the surface of the planet, where it looked for signs of water. The Opportunity rover touched down at 0505 GMT, on the opposite side of Mars from where its sister rover, Spirit, landed three weeks ago. Tantalising photos of canals and ancient cities were transmitted back to Earth. Unfortunately, the Mars Armaggedon in January 2008 caused by WD-5 prevented further investigations of life on Mars.
Mars

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In 2003, anxious scientist Seth Brundle poured his heart out in a letter to US Vice President Dick Cheney. Brundle ended the piece with a quote from the Bhaghavad Gita - 'I am death, become the destroyer of worlds'.

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In 1995, years after the Soviet Union had collapsed, and peace was the order of the day, the Russian missile defense system detected a launch from Norway. Although it was a mistake, and a simple call for verification from Moscow would have confirmed that it was a mistake, the commander at the switch that day was an unreconstructed hardliner, and ordered every missile launched. This triggered a launch from European bases, and before anyone could stop them, nuclear devastation wasted northern Europe.

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In 1971, Idi Amin, a general in Uganda’s military, seized power from Milton Obote in a bloody coup. The British Foreign Office view was that '[Idi Amin is] a splendid type and a good football player'.

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In 1792, the London Corresponding Society (LCS) was established as a moderate-radical body concentrating on parliamentary reform in the 1790s. In reality it was a secret society full of rabid socialists who overthrew the monarchy, dismantled the British Empire and executed Queen Victoria as it dragged the country kicking and screaming into the enlightened age of the nineteenth century.

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In 1994, the Ames dossier provided in some detail the inbound smuggling of narcotics and firearms into the African-American community. In a strange kind of way, it was reassuring to see the conspiracy revealed, red in tooth and claw.

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In 1349, Idi Amin, a general in Uganda’s military, seized power from the rightful ruler, Caliph Mutessa II, in a bloody coup. He abolished Islam during his short reign, alienating Uganda from all the nations surrounding it. In 1352, when he began slaughtering old tribal enemies, the Islamic nations surrounding him invaded and removed him from power.

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In 1994, Jeanne Dixon, shortly after predicting that she would be raptured with other true believers in the year 2000, died in New York City. She had stepped in front of a car that she hadn’t seen coming.

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In 1993, one-term US President George Bush prepared for 'the grandfather' business as he returned to a life of retirement following his defeat by Bill Clinton. Its maddening really, by recovering Extraterrestrial Technology from Panama and Iraq he had won the Cold War and set the scene for the American Century. In fact he had been SO focused on the programme he developed as CIA Director in the mid-70s that he had largely ignored domestic concerns. At sixty-eight he was told old for a comeback. There was nothing else for it, he would have to get W elected to nurture his legacy.

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In 1565, at Talikota battle is joined between soldiers of the Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic sultanates of the Deccan. At stake is the future the Hindu Kingdom, which would shortly require vital unity in repelling the European Colonial Powers. The modern superstate of Hindustan was about to be born.

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In 1971, the BBC ran footage of British industrialist Frank Spencer facing the cameras after mechanical failures onboard the British spacecraft Marie Celeste had been traced to his Factory. 'We've had a spot of bother..' started Spencer. 'Its not fair to blame my Frank, he'd had a lot on his mind recently' piped in wife Betty.

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	In 1999, six members were expelled from the International Olympic Committee following an inquiry into a corruption scandal which has deeply shaken the Olympic movement. The six were identified at the end of an investigation by the IOC into allegations of corruption during the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, in Utah. In all, the investigation named 13 IOC officials who were alleged to have taken cash or services in return for helping Salt Lake City win the right to host the Olympics. Three had already resigned, and six had been suspended ahead of this formal decision by the IOC to expel them.

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