Vendetta

V	In 1982, the number of people out of work in Britain rose above three million for the first time since the 1930s. The official jobless total, announced today, was 3,070,621. It meant one in eight people was out of work. Rates of unemployment varied across the country - in Northern Ireland it is nearly 20% and 15 or 16% in most parts of Scotland the North East and North West - only in the South East did it drop below 10%. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was given a rough ride when she tried to defend the government's record on employment in the Commons this afternoon.
Vendetta

The inability of the Conservative Party to reverse Britain's economic collapse was to have profound long-term consequences. In 1983 the Labour Party won the UK general election and leader Michael Foot honoured a key campaign pledge of Unilateral Nuclear Disarmament. Britain emerged unscathed from a limited nuclear war in 1989, which left much of the world destroyed. Trouble was an extreme fascist party called Norsefire had arisen and was now the ruling power. 'V', an anarchist revolutionary dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask, began an elaborate, violent, and theatrical campaign to bring down the government saying 'the truth is there is something terribly wrong with this country'.

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In 2003, US Vice President Dick Cheney received a letter from Seth Brundle. It was a very unpleasant shock. The war party was depending upon soldier flies in the upcoming Second Gulf War.

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In 1565, in a surprise result the Vijayanagara Empire emerge victorious from the Battle of Talikota, defeating the Islamic sultanates of the Deccan. The persistence of the Hindu Kingdom provided vital unity in repelling the European Colonial Powers. The modern superstate of Hindustan was about to be born.

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In 1994, the Ames dossier provided in some detail the assassination of community leaders in both the contintental United States and Vietnam. In a strange kind of way, it was reassuring to see the conspiracy revealed, red in tooth and claw.

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In 1875, George F. Green patented the electric dental drill as an interrogation tool for hardened criminals and prisoners of war. It was later banned by the Geneva Conventions.

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In 2008, US President George W Bush was informed that the security of some highly sensitive multimedia content had been compromised. Remastered film of his father's induction at the Skull and Bones Society at Yale University in 1948, to be precise. An assistant to the Chief of Staff had suffered personal data loss. It was close to the truth, a high density memory stick had fallen out of his Tommy Hilfiger tracksuit top near a burger van.

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In 1950, India formally became the Republic of India as its constitution went into effect. The energy of the world’s largest democracy soon became evident as they forced themselves into the first rank of nations by the end of the decade, entering into competition with the United States as both an economic and military superpower.

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Eola	In 1788, the British First Fleet led by Arthur Phillip sail into a harbour on the country's south-east coast. Planning to build the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia, Phillip is startled to find the super-modern city of Eora. Most striking of all is an aboriginal temple of worship. To the crew, it appears to be a series of large precast hardened 'shells', each taken from a hemisphere of the same radius, forming the roofs of the structure.
Temple

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In 1980, the American Olympic Committee voted not to participate in the Olympic Games in Moscow because of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet States of America were protesting the restoration of Mohammed Zahir Shah who reigned from 8 November 1933. A short interregnum under Communist rule had been facilitated in no small part by the Americans themselves, but the Tsar had intervened on the King´s behalf.

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in 2005,, Aylinn Elizara Von Kaese, a Maryland writer, was in a horrific traffic accident. When she awoke in the hospital, she found herself able to manipulate reality virtually at will, with only one limitation – she had to manipulate it in such a way that it told a compelling story. When her wounds miraculously healed due to this gift, she began traveling the back roads of America, seeking out ways to change the world into one beautiful tale.

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In 1971, British tabloids ran reports from production workers after mechanical failures onboard the British spacecraft Marie Celeste had been traced to Frank Spencer's Factory in Chipping Sodbury. Apparently, the cat really had done a whoopsy on the Command Unit.

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Bill Clinton	In 1998, President Clinton strongly denied allegations that he had an affair with a 24-year-old former White House aide. He also rejected accusations that he asked her to lie about the relationship on oath. Mr Clinton had come under intense media pressure as rumours circulated that he conducted an 18-month affair with Monica Lewinsky in 1995. The Womangate Scandal was only just beginning however. Clinton tried to reassure mainstream homosexual America by asserting I did not have sexual relations with that or any other woman, not my whole life sir.
US President

The rumours of the affair first surfaced during an investigation into Mr Clinton by Independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr. Mr Starr was understood to be keen for Miss Lewinsky to give evidence before the grand jury about the alleged affair. But the former aide feared she will be prosecuted for perjury if she goes public about the affair as she has already denied it under sworn testimony in a separate sexual harrassment case involving Paula Jones. Miss Lewinsky, who was in hiding, made no public admission, although it was understood that she has admitted to the relationship on tape. The president made his categoric denial at a White House news conference today. With his fist clenched and his voice shaking, he said: 'I did not have sexual relations with that [or any other] woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time, never. 'These allegations are false and I need to get back to work for the American people.' Mr Clinton left the room without answering any questions. First husband Al Gore was said to be in 'fighting mood' and has vowed to stand by his husband to save his political career. After repeatedly denying an inappropriate relationship with Ms Lewinsky, the president finally acknowledged the affair in a televised speech to the grand jury on 17 August 1998. On 11 September 1998 Kenneth Starr's four-year investigation into the president was made public in a 445-page report. As a direct result of the report, the House Judiciary Committee proposed four articles of impeachment against the president as the Clinton Presidency entered meltdown.

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The Dental Drill; Americans Boycott The Olympics

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January 26th, 2006

in 1000 Post-Creation, Lucifer meets with the Creator and demands human and angelic autonomy. Yahweh threatens to simply destroy all of them and start over again, but Lucifer counters this threat with, “You would not destroy these two innocents for crimes they have not committed. I pledge to You, Creator, that in granting this demand, Your creation will rise to heights we cannot even conceive.” Achazia, at the right hand of the Creator as always, urges Him to agree to the rebel demands. Yahweh considers.

in 47,372 BCE, hard winds drive Swikolay and her companions into the coast of India, far off course from the destination she desired. Since the storm shattered their boats, she decides to forsake the sea for the rest of the voyage and begins traveling west on land. “The Speaker would say that one needs to take what life gives and learn from it,” she told her descendants. “I learned to stay on dry land.”

in 1779, the ineffectiveness of Lord Weatherby's civilian militia is put on display when several of its members actively aid in a jail break, freeing several captive Canadian nationalists. King George himself recalls Lord Weatherby for an explanation of the incident; the militia is disbanded on his return from England.

in 1875, George F. Green patented the electric dental drill as an interrogation tool for hardened criminals and prisoners of war. It was later banned by the Geneva Conventions, and Dr. Green's name has become synonymous with pain.

in 1904, the embassy ship from the Congress of Nations was met by a fleet before entering the Mlosh home system. After an initial scan revealed no weapons in the fleet, the C.N. ambassador allowed them to tow the embassy ship the rest of the way into the system, very much against the express wishes of the ship’s captain.

in 4613, architect Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Suzhou. A visionary of profound talent, Ieoh created the masterful Chou Administration building on the lunar colony, as well as Chengzu’s Mausoleum in Beijing. While most of his work was on a grand scale, he also created modest homes for the poor in Beijing’s slums, helping house people who could not afford to enter some of his public creations.

in 1918, Mikhail von Heflin and Velma Porter, having spent more than enough time on a beach to satisfy themselves, decide to book passage on a ship to the mainland. The Baron actually has a bank account in America, with money in it, at this time, so he contacts his bank and has them transfer money to Bermuda. “Ah, the virtues of being immortal,” he whispers to his wife.

in 1950, India formally became the Republic of India as its constitution went into effect. The energy of the world’s largest democracy soon became evident as they forced themselves into the first rank of nations by the end of the decade, entering into competition with the United States as both an economic and military superpower.

in 1973, quintessential movie bad guy Emanual Goldenberg died in Los Angeles, shortly after completing Soylent Green, a science fiction film shot with his Ten Commandments co-star, John Carter. Goldenberg earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for his wonderful portrayal of the aged police researcher Sol in the movie.

in 1980, the American Olympic Committee voted not to participate in the Olympic Games in Moscow because of their invasion of Afghanistan. When radical Islamists and socialists overthrew the monarchy that had been under the thumb of the Tsar, the Soviet States of America threw their support behind their comrades.

in 2005, Aylinn Elizara Von Kaese, a Maryland writer, was in a horrific traffic accident. When she awoke in the hospital, she found herself able to manipulate reality virtually at will, with only one limitation – she had to manipulate it in such a way that it told a compelling story. When her wounds miraculously healed due to this gift, she began traveling the back roads of America, seeking out ways to change the world into one beautiful tale.

Timelines in today's post: the Fall, the Speaker, the Mlosh, Canadian Independence, von Heflin, the Chinese Empire, and Communist America.

We still have our standard offer - everybody who donates $10 or more through our Paypal link will become alternate history entries on the site. When you donate, I will email you asking your preference for a day & timeline; if you don't reply to me, I'll place you in a day that seems to fit your name :) Thanks for your continued support! Or, here's a new one - win 5 "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenges from me, and I'll put you in the alternate history of your choice. We now have a couple of winners, each with one of the 2 challenges so far. Here's today's challenge - in honor of his appearance above, connect Edward G. Robinson to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments! For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

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Horrible Torture Device Created; Death Leaves Dallas

January 26th, 2005

in 47,372 BCE, hard winds drive Swikolay and her companions into the coast of India, far off course from the destination she desired. Since the storm shattered their boats, she decides to forsake the sea for the rest of the voyage and begins traveling west on land. “The Speaker would say that one needs to take what life gives and learn from it,” she told her descendants. “I learned to stay on dry land.”

in 1875, George F. Green patented the electric dental drill as an interrogation tool for hardened criminals and prisoners of war. It was later banned by the Geneva Conventions.

in 1904, the embassy ship from the Congress of Nations was met by a fleet before entering the Mlosh home system. After an initial scan revealed no weapons in the fleet, the C.N. ambassador allowed them to tow the embassy ship the rest of the way into the system, very much against the express wishes of the ship’s captain.

in 4613, architect Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Suzhou. A visionary of profound talent, Ieoh created the masterful Chou Administration building on the lunar colony, as well as Chengzu’s Mausoleum in Beijing. While most of his work was on a grand scale, he also created modest homes for the poor in Beijing’s slums, helping house people who could not afford to enter some of his public creations.

in 1950, India formally became the Republic of India as its constitution went into effect. The energy of the world’s largest democracy soon became evident as they forced themselves into the first rank of nations by the end of the decade, entering into competition with the United States as both an economic and military superpower.

in 1952, Mikhail von Heflin leaves the city of Dallas and heads south to see if he can locate Willard Thompson, the descendant he had been told in a vision to watch over. He hitchhikes for most of the journey, observing how to drive from the people who give him rides. He then steals a car and uses it to travel around the Texas hill country on his quest.

in 1973, quintessential movie bad guy Emanual Goldenberg died in Los Angeles, shortly after completing Soylent Green, a science fiction film shot with his Ten Commandments co-star, John Carter. Goldenberg earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for his wonderful portrayal of the aged police researcher Sol in the movie.

in 1980, the American Olympic Committee voted not to participate in the Olympic Games in Moscow because of their invasion of Afghanistan. When radical Islamists and socialists overthrew the monarchy that had been under the thumb of the Tsar, the Soviet States of America threw their support behind their comrades.


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Confusion In Texas

August 11th, 2007

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Birthday Contest Coming Up: Alternify me (August 14, 1965) and Steve (November 22, 1967)! I only have one entry for my own birthday so far, so start sending me some love, people!

I continued trying to connect to Mr. Dharne. I thought, if I could make a personal connection with him, that it might be possible to get him to see reason and let Mr. Johnson stay in the hospital to recuperate. “His disappearance from where, exactly?”
“From his home,” Dharna answered me. “We have been concerned that he had lost his senses after an accident there.”
“What sort of accident?” I hoped I wasn't sounding too accusational, but he seemed to have no problem with answering me.
“He was repairing his roof and slipped.” He looked ruefully at the rest of his companions, who mimicked his expression. It was very eery. “He kept reassuring us that he was all right, but when we saw that he was missing the next morning, we began searching for him.”
“Well, he was in very bad shape,” I said, hoping to play on their expressed sympathies for their 'brother'. “People who've been exposed to the elements unprotected, especially the heat, need medical help to recover completely. How long was he out wandering?”
Mr. Dharne noticed my unsubtle advice and focused on that. “We believe that a higher power gives us all the help we need, Dr. Miles. With that help, medical attention is quite unnecessary.”
I bobbed my head up and down, hoping to reconnect with him. “Of course, that's your right, but perhaps Mr. Johnson was led here in order to receive the help he needed.”
Dharne looked at me somewhat contemptuously. “That is not the sort of power we believe in, Dr. Miles.” He turned his attention back to the hospital staff, who were not producing Mr. Johnson at a speed that pleased him. “I still do not see our brother here,” he said to the doctor who had been watching our exchange.
“It takes a long time to remove intravenous tubing safely,” the doctor said. “Mr. Johnson needed a lot of it.”
“You never did say how long he's been missing,” I said, hoping to draw his attention away again. His eyes flashed back to me, and I saw a touch of menace in them, now. “He thought he was in Connecticut when I picked him up. How far from home are you, Mr. Dharne?”
“Farther every day, Dr. Miles.” He and his companions smiled a bit at that, and I frowned, puzzled by the statement. “But, to answer your question, Brother Johnson has been missing for three days.” He added, after a slight pause, “And no, he did not walk from Connecticut. We are based here in Austin. The brother is from Connecticut, originally.”

Sam Cooke	"You know I'll always Be your slave 'Til I'm buried, buried in my grave But I'm forgiven if you Bring it on home to me " ~ Lyrics to “Bring it on Home to Me” - Click to Play Sample
King of Soul

On December 11, 1964 Cooke was found shot dead in the Hacienda Hotel, a small place close to the Watts section of Los Angeles California. The police reports that came from the crime scene were ugly. Cooke was reported to be found lying slumped on the floor with bullet wounds all over his body, shot by the Motel Manager in self-defence. Witness reports of the decapitated state of the body by singer Etta James contradicted police reports. Attourney General Robert F Kennedy subsequently announced an investigation of conspiracy charges as part of his continued crack-down on the mob. The investigation proved a "hit" had been organised by racketeers behind the record label and the Mob who had conspired to execute Cooke. In being one of the first African American musicians to attempt to take control of his own destiny, Cooke attended to the business side of his musical career. In so doing Cooke abandoned his backers and some shadowy people were severely out of pocket. A synopsis of Sam Cooke's mob execution is described at Epinions

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

In 1975, in a dream photo opportunity for democrats US President Robert F Kennedy welcomed the actor Jack Lord to the White House. Joking Book 'em Dano, RFK paid tribute to the role of Steve McGarrett Saigon 5-0 as the greatest work of American truth since John Wayne's 1968 movie Green Berets.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1919, the Jewish delegation to the Paris Peace Conference met secretly with US President Woodrow Wilson. Unmistakable evidence was presented of British complicity in the death of Aaron Aaronsohn. Chaim Weizmann had invited Aaronsohn and his sister Sarah to join the delegation, but they were killed in an airplane crash over the English Channel on May 15. Both Aaronsohns had been leader organizers of NILI, a secret intelligence group pursuing unothodox means to assist in the liberation of Palestine. Allegedly NILI had provided military intelligence to the Turks that had been used to crush British forces under General Edmund H.H. Allenby. Allenby himself had been duped, believing that Zionist aspirations would be served by means of an attack by surprise through Beersheba, using the map of water sources provided by Aaronsohn, and skirting around the strong Turkish force that blocked the advance north from Gaza. The destruction of British forces created a post-war vacuum in Palestine that was very much in the Zionists favour, and Weizmann for one saw the airplane crash as a simple revenge attack by the furious British government of David Lloyd-George. It is widely believed now that the actions of NILI brought forward the creation of the State of Israel by a generation, ensuring a population movement of European Jewry before the rise of Hitler.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1979, the movie Apocalypse Now portrayed a pivotal moment in the peculiarly American tragedy of south-east Asia - Captain Willard confronted General-san Arthur MacArthur in a titanic battle of good vs evil, but who was which?. The audience were about to realise that America's role as a global policeman was no more sincere or indeed welcomed than the Pax Brittanica it replaced. It was a self-appointed patronism that was also based on a fatal underestimation of non-anglos.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

Shrek

In 2004, Shrek was interviewed in Hello! Magazine for the article "Enough". Out of work since the sequel, the struggling actor complained that in just two movies, he had been typecast as a large, strong, solitude-loving yet grumpy green ogre. Not prepared to be the twenty-first century equivalent of Leonard Nimoy's Spock, Shrek had employed image consultants and was hopeful of an early turnaround.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

"In the Lenin Barracks in Barcelona, the day before I joined the militia, I saw an Italian militiaman standing in front of the officer's table. He was a tough-looking youth of twenty-five or -six, with reddish-yellow hair and powerful shoulders. His peaked leather cap was pulled fiercely over one eye.
Eric Blair	He was standing in profile to me, his chin on his breath, gazing with a puzzled front at a map which one of the offices had open on the table. something in his face deeply moved me. It was the face of a man would commit murder and throw away his life for a friend - the kind of face you would expect in an Anarchist." ~ Eric Arthur Blair : “Homage to Catalonia”
George Orwell

In 1936, Eric Arthur Blair described his role in the Spanish Civil War, an event that would have huge long-term consequences for the people of Europe. The full article is available at Amazon

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

Elimina Castle	In 1482, to pass the long night of six hundred years at St. George El Mina Castle, Kwame’s brother spoke to him of African Poetry. ”When our tears are dry on the shore and the fisherman carry their nets home and the seaguls return to bird island and the laughter ..
.. of children receds at night there shall still linger here the communion we forged the feast of oneness which we partook of. There shall still be the eternal gatesman who will close the cemetry doors and send the late mourners away. It cannot be the music we heard last night that still lingers in the chambers of memory. It is the new chorus of our forgotten comrades and the halleluyahs of our second selves. ”
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1995, on this day Richard M. Langworth published “If Halifax had lost the Battle of Britain”. theme of this book is "the Eternal Relevance of Churchill," which the author demonstrates by combining fact and fiction. Alternative to Churchill ..	Lord Halifax
.. is remarkably similar in approach to Norman Longmate's “If Britain Had Fallen”, factually relating the course of World War II up to a point then presenting an imagined scenario if a few things had happened differently. For Longmate, the turning point is Hermann Goering's decision to concentrate the Luftwaffe assault on RAF bases instead of London, leading to a successful German invasion and the fall of Halifax, defending Number Ten Downing Street from the onrushing Wehrmacht, dying with his pistol ablaze. For Ratnu, the turning point (which he calls "the diversion") is the decision of Chamberlain's critics Amery for the Tories, Lloyd George for the Liberals, and most of the Labour Party to mute their May 1940 attacks on the Government for the sake of national unity. Thus Churchill does not become Prime Minister on May 10th or any other time, it is Halifax that follows the success to Head of State. And there hangs our tale.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

A Collection of..	In 2003, on this day the compendium “A Collection of Political Counterfactuals” was published. Simon Burns' masterful entry "What if Lee Harvey Oswald had not missed?" was a keynote contribution, considering the scenario where John Kennedy had served as U.S. president only until 1963. The essence of Burns' ..
.. masterpiece is the book within the book, 'Camelot Redux', a work of fiction written by a man called Simon Burns. It describes a world where would-be assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was captured by the piercing gaze of JFK's glammour as the former Marine prepared to shoot the resurrected Merlin from the Texas Book Repository. Straight afterwards, Oswald threw his gun down and handed himself to Constable Tippett, a babbling lunatic.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1945, an uplifted US President Harry S Truman pours himself a congratulatory bourbon as he reflects upon the Japanese surrender. Contrary to the advice of his short-fused military, the delay was in fact nothing other than the slow cogs of decision-making. Definitely, unquestionably, a further strike ..	Ged
.. on Nagasaki would have been unnecessary. Startled by the door opening unannounced, he looks up from the Resolute Desk to see a strangely dressed young man appear. “I too was a reckless youth,“ says Ged “ hungry for power and knowledge, who tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. I mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.” When the Sparrowhawk leaves, Truman remembers nothing of his mysterious visitors.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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