Day Of Infamy

The state of TIAH

January 17th, 2007

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Alternate Historian's Note: We have a side-project that was announced over the weekend – a collection of several timelines with more-or-less complete stories inside them – The Fall, the Tolman timeline, the Mormon War and more – that will be up for sale on Lulu, as soon as we have it edited together. If you would be interested in this, or would like to suggest something for inclusion in the collection, please email me and let me know. Meanwhile, enjoy Guest Historian Stephen Payne's entry for today, followed by the continuation of our NaNoWriMo novel. Speaking of which, Guest Historian Steve Payne would like to thank both Eccles and Cheryl for pointing out that the extinction of penguins in the Northern Hemisphere in 2093 reported on January 15 is impossible given the simple fact that they live in the Southern Hemisphere. This entry has been amended and sent to the editor of Today in Alternate Geography :-) A full investigation has been launched inside the Academy and questions have been asked of Mr Payne's geography teacher!

Friedrich Paulus	In 1944 a turning point in the Great Patriotic War is reached when troops of the British Oblast accept the surrender of General Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus as the siege of Londongrad is finally raised. Within two years Tsar Alexei Nikolaevich and his British Cousins will accept the surrender ..
.. of Nazi Germany at Luneberg Heath, establishing Romanov hegemony across the continent of Europe.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1942 the 'day of infamy' pre-emptive strikes by the Axis Forces on Mers-el-Kébir and Martinique known as 'deux six un un' (2611) are avenged as the La Grande Armée Afrique shatter the British Eighth Army at Tobruk. 'The Full Monty' enters the English Language as a synonym for catastrophic ..	Charles de Gaul..
.. defeat. The gentleman in question flees westward in a staff vehicle with deputy Claude Auchinlech. Entering a sandstorm, their gyrocompasses spin out of control and they realise they are completely lost until the storm clears and they arrive in..
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

George Washington..	In 1776 the defeated General George Washington is astonished by the generous ..
.. final settlement terms being offered from King George V at Buckingham Palace. Prepared for the humiliation of crushing terms for the vanquished republicans in the Colonies, rather King George V proposes a genuine partnership for Anglo-America based on local representation and self-governing taxation. 'No victors, no vanquished' chips in his shadowy adviser Ernest Shackleton by way of explanation.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1819 Simón Bolívar proclaims the Republic of Baja California, the predecessor nation to a twenty-first century mega state on the west coast. Today Spanish speaking citizens enjoy the world's highest per capita income and literacy rates.	Simón Bolívar
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

After(cont.)
Mike pulled into the parking lot of the motel and killed the engine on the SUV. “OK, let's see if we can find a way into New Mexico,” he said, tumbling out and heading to the back to get their things. Steph walked into the lobby and tried to look like a lottery winner.
“Hi,” the old woman at the counter said. “Y'all just barely made it before curfew.” She took a look at the white man outside at the SUV and the black woman in her lobby, and said suspiciously, “You gonna need two rooms?”
“Three,” Steph said, as bubbly as she could. “One for me, one for my kids, and one for my driver.”
“Your driver?” The woman looked a little relieved, as well as curious.
“I won the lottery,” Steph said, smiling and laughing, just like she'd practiced in the car. “What timing, huh?”
“Oh, my goodness,” the woman said, pleasantly flustered. “Well, congratulations.”
“Thank you.” They stared at each other for a second before Steph prompted, “My rooms?”
“Oh, yes, yes, mercy me.” The old woman took out a registry and looked for an empty. “You want 'em all together?”
“If you've got them.”
“We do. Soon's people could leave yesterday, they skedaddled out of here like the devil was chasin' 'em. Y'all are the first people to show up since then.” She looked outside. “Not that many people wanna be this close to the border with New Mexico.” She said the state's name with obvious contempt. “Figures that all them immigrants would try to take it back, you know?”
“Mm-hmm,” Steph said, non-committally. “My rooms?”
“Yes, ma'am.” The woman made a note and said, “That'll be $142.50, please.”
Steph peeled a few notes off her roll, impressing the woman, and handed them to her. “Keep the change.”
“Yes, ma'am.” The old woman surrendered the room keys and said, “They're on the other side of the building here, by the pool.”
“Thank you.”
“You're very welcome.”
Steph walked back outside and handed a key to Mike and one to Joan. “We're three together by the pool,” she told them. “Let's get into the rooms, set our things down, and then we'll get together in Mike's room to look at the map.” She looked at Mike. “Sounds like a plan?”
“You're the boss,” Mike said, smiling.

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Rebel General Washington Born; Constitutionalists Begin Assuming Power

February 22nd, 2005

in 1732, rebel general George Washington was born in the Virginia colony. Despite serving with honor in His Majesty’s war against the French and Indians, Washington turned traitor to the Crown when the American colonies rebelled in 1774. Washington was captured in Yorktown when Lord Cornwallis defeated the rebels after the French failed to reinforce them.

in 1799, the Spanish province of Florida throws in its lot with the Mlosh, Iroquois, French and English possessions in North America merging to form the North American Confederation. With Florida joining them, the N.A.C. stretches across the entire eastern coast of the continent.

in 12-11-11-13-12, the Battle of Cochilo, north of the Imperial River, began between forces of the Oueztecan Empire and small bands of Cato and Apache warriors. The tribal people of the plains, long tolerated by the empire, had decided to claim full independence, and this battle was their first strike.

in 1946, Comrade Ambassador George Kennan sends his famous “Long Telegram” back to the Soviet States of America. In it, he details that the European monarchies cannot foresee “permanent peaceful coexistence” with the communist Americans. He said that the monarchies would “do all that they could to weaken the power and influence of the Western Powers on colonial, backward and dependent peoples.” This telegram provoked the S.S.A. into a long-running Cold War with the European powers.

in 1345, Sukarno, Caliph of the Sumatrans, is overthrown by his highest general, Suharto. For two years, Caliph Sukarno had been dependent on Suharto’s military prowess to defend himself from rebels within his nation, and had become too weak to resist Suharto when the general decided to seize power.

in 1980, the People’s Republic of Afghanistan declares martial law. Muslim jihadists supported by the United States and several Arab nations had been conducting a guerilla war against the Soviet-sponsored government for the last year, and Premier Kamal intended to wipe them out. Although the war sapped a huge portion of the Soviet Union’s military power, they were eventually victorious against the Afghan mujahadeen thanks, in large part, to their winning the battle of the people’s hearts and minds; the more western approach of the Soviets was preferred by more of the populace than the harsh Islamic rule promised by the mujahadeen.

in 1985, the Constitutionalist Party, under the leadership of President Ralph Shephard, begins placing its own people into state governorships and state legislatures across America. While many Democrats and Republicans resist, the national leadership of the two main opposition parties stands squarely behind President Shephard, saying, “We are one people, with one voice and one leader.”

in 4683, Tze-Chung Chen of Taipei won the Imperial Cup Championship in swordsmanship. The contest in Beijing pitted the empire’s finest swordsmen in a contest to first blood; Tze-Chung was the only contestant to emerge from 16 rounds of combat unscratched.


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Discovered

William Robinson, Jr.	In 1940, on this day William Robinson, Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan. When still a child he was nicknamed 'Smokey Joe' by an uncle because of his love of cowboy movies. In his teens, this was shortened to 'Smokey'. Smokey led a successful career as a song-writer from the mid sixties until entering the church after a religious calling in 1986. Fellow songwriter Bob Dylan named Robinson as one of his favorite 'poets' (usually mis-quoting Dylan as having named Robinson 'America's greatest living poet'), and his hit ballads also earned him the title 'America's poet laureate of love'.
Songwriter

Mary Wells had a big hit with the Robinson-penned 'My Guy' (1964), and Robinson served as The Temptations' primary songwriter and producer from 1963 to 1966, penning hits such as 'The Way You Do the Things You Do', 'My Girl', 'Since I Lost My Baby', and 'Get Ready'. Among Robinson's numerous other Motown compositions are 'Still Water (Love)' by The Four Tops, 'Don't Mess With Bill' and 'My Baby Must Be a Magician' by The Marvelettes, 'When I'm Gone' by Brenda Holloway, 'Ain't That Peculiar' and 'I'll Be Doggone' by Marvin Gaye, and 'First I Look at the Purse' by The Contours.

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In 1915, the Battle of Gallipoli began when a strong Anglo-French task force including the British battleship Queen Elizabeth released huge quantities of mustard gas from the Sea of Marmara. Turkish troops along the coast of the Bosphurus l were decimated by this dastardly and cynical attack. Promising to avenge Troy, Mustafa Kemal escaped the gas just in the nick of time. General Sir Ian Hamilton and his Mediterranean Expeditionary Force marched into the capital and from the Hagia Sophia proclaimed the liberation of the City of Constantinople.

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Martin Luther	In 1546, following the funeral of Martin Luther in Eisleben, Holy Roman Empire, Johannes Bugenhagen took care of his widow and children. The leader of the Reformation, Luther did not trust the Vatican to execute the mission, but he did trust this, his right hand man the good Doktor Pomeranus. Together they introduced the Reformation in Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th century. Anyone who could read the 1484 Papal Witch-bull could figure out why; it would be local German Catholic priests that would rid Europe of the Unholy One and his progeny. It was a startling discovery for New Advent web master Kevin Knight, who as a 26-year-old publish the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia on the Internet. The 1922 supplement to the Encyclopedia is also in the public domain, but as of 2007 has not been placed on-line. Bugenhan and Luther would have not been surprised in the least.
Reformist

Bugenhagen was a name linked with Satan almost since the beginning of time. It was a Bugenhagen who, in the year 1092, found the first progeny of Satan and devised the means of putting to death. It was again a Bugenhagen in 1710 who found the second issue and damaged it to the point where it could summon no earthly power. They were religious zealots, the watch-dogs of Christ; their mission, to keep the Unholy One from walking the face of the earth. Second Supplement to the Catholic Encyclopedia published in 1922.

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In 1109 AUC, Emperor Constantius II shuts down the temples belonging to the cult of Christos, a messianic figure from the province of Judea. The cult's members had been attempting to destroy other religions within the empire, and Constantius felt that they would become a danger if allowed to grow unchecked.

In 1777, the Continental Congress, the organization of rebel leaders for the American revolution, promotes several rebel officers to the rank of Major General. New York's General Benedict Arnold is not among those elevated, and is quite bitter about that. He is close to resignation from the rebel cause when the Commander-in-Chief of the revolutionary forces, George Washington, intervenes personally and convinces the Congress to promote him. Arnold, grateful to Washington for this personal favor, does not let his commander down. He leads rebel forces in victory after victory, and is the battlefield commander when the British finally surrender at Yorktown; he accepted Lord Cornwallis' sword himself, a souvenir he kept above his mantel the rest of his life. When the young republic called on General Washington to lead it as its first president, Washington called on the man who had been his right arm to stand by his side. Washington and Arnold, as President and Vice-President, set the definitive example of the American executive. Although many New Yorkers would have liked to see him elevated again, Vice-President Arnold felt that his health was too poor to continue serving his country. He retired to his home state and died shortly after leaving office, in 1799.

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In 1847, the Donner and Reed families, settlers from Illinois heading west to California, take up their journey again after wintering at the Sierra Nevadas. They had reached the mountains in October, but decided against trying to cross them because of the possibility of being trapped there over winter. Although it was an unpopular decision, the settler's leader, George Donner, had felt intimidated by the mountains and was not ready to challenge them until spring was at least close at hand.

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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

'Hellfire' retored Covenant. 'You've got it backward.' He threw his words like stones at a fals image of himself. 'They coerced me into coming. It wasn't my idea. I haven't had a choice since this thing started.'With his fingers he touched his chest to remind himself of the one choice he did have. 'Unwilling,' Mhoram replied gently, 'So there is good reason for calling you 'the Unbeliever'. Well, let it pass. We will hear your tale at Council tomorrow.' ~ Vespers

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In 1981, although he had come into office expecting to reinstate the backing of the United States government for several anti-communist regimes that the Carter administration had dropped support for, President Ronald Reagan changes his mind after viewing the reports of the violence of the military government in El Salvador. 'We can't put the prestige of America behind that,' he says of the Salvadoran military. Without US aid, El Salvador's revolutionaries win the struggle 4 years later, and President Reagan extends the hand of the United States in friendship. It is gratefully accepted, and this action is often credited as keeping El Salvador out of the communist bloc.

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	In 1997, BBC News reported - 'China's reformist Deng Xiaoping dies: China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping has died at the age of 92 after suffering from failing health for several years.' Doctors believed that over-excitement about visiting the newly reacquired Hong Kong was the tipping point. Deng Xiaoping had spent lavish amounts of money on clothes and travel arrangements and was extremely excited about the defeat of the British Empire.
Deng Xiaoping

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28 Days Later	In 2001, BBC News reported : Foot-and-mouth scare at UK abbatoir - A five-mile exclusion zone is placed around an abbatoir in Essex after a suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease is detected. It was too little, too late - the Rage was now entering the blood stream of the population as the country descended into madness.
The Rage

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In 1961, BBC News report: 1961: Lumumba rally clashes with UK police - Police battle with supporters of the murdered Congolese premier outside the Belgian embassy in London. Agitators were in the pocket of the Belgian government in an attempt to make the situation in the Congo look less contrived when in fact events had been carefully staged managed. Extreme measures had been taken to murder Patrice Lumumba and bring Mobuto to power. His kleptocracy was a great cover for the continued supply of uranium to Western Europe.

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In 2002, NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe began to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system. David Bowie was right, there really were Spiders on Mars.

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In 1939, Norwegian fascist politician Vidkun Quisling became the first local, non-German force to attempt conquest from within. The coup d'etat failed, but that was only the beginning of the troubles for the Axis powers. The Allies start taking up strong military positions early in southern Norway, and northern Norway too. Norway takes out huge loans from the US for an emergency buildup. Norway begins its buildup around October 1st, 1939 and France takes up positions around October 7th, 1939.