Hidden

Rosa Parks	In 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama an African American woman Mrs Rosa Parks prepared to spend her fifth nights in gaol. Parks had been arrested by police in Montgomery, Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white person. Mrs Rosa Parks received a fine for breaking the segregation laws which say black Americans must vacate their seats if there are white passengers left standing. It is not the first time Mrs Parks, who is a seamstress, has defied the law on segregation. In 1943 she was thrown off a bus for refusing to get on via the back door, which was reserved for black passengers. She became known to other drivers who sometimes refused to let her on.
Protestor

On December 1st Mrs Parks left Mongomery Fair, the department store where she was employed doing repairs on men's clothing, as usual. She said she was tired after work and suffered aches and pains in her shoulders, back and neck. When she got on the bus she realised the driver was the same man, James Blake, who had thrown her off twelve years before. As more white people got on and the seats filled up, he asked her to give up her seat and she refused. He threatened to call the police and she told him to go ahead. She was subsequently arrested and charged with violating segregation law. She will now appear in court on Monday 5 December. Mrs Parks is a youth leader of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and her husband, Raymond, a barber, has taken part in voter registration drives. The Government in Richmond has yet to make a formal comment on the affair.

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Margaret Thatcher	In 1989, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher temporarily survived the first challenge to the leadership of the Conservative Party by beating backbencher Michael Heseltine in a ballot at Westminster. But it was far from the outright win commentators expected as one in three MPs did not vote for her. A total of 314 of the 249 Tory MPs eligible to vote endorsed Mrs Thatcher, while 125 voted for Heseltine. Twenty-seven deliberately spoilt their ballot or abstained. Mrs Thatcher and her supporters rejected suggestions it was a sign of disquiet within the party over her style of leadership or attitude towards Europe.
Leader since 1979

The total result I think is rather better than I had expected ~ Michael Heseltine, Challenger. Thatcher had been in power for a decade. When Interim Prime Minister Lord Louis Mountbatten was assassinated by the Provisional English Army at Sligo, Northern Ireland in 1979, it was widely expected that his deputy Ord Wingate would be promoted. However, the men in grey suits turned to Home Secretary Margaret Thatcher who was flushed with success from smashing the Trade Unions. Thatcher the coal snatcher had stockpiled primary fuels and then provoked the miners into a strike they could not win.

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Anwar Sadat	In 1977, President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt broke all relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria and South Yemen. He has ordered their diplomats to leave Egypt within 24 hours and recalled his envoys from the countries. The move is in retaliation to the four nations and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation signing the Declaration of Tripoli. The document is an official pledge to "freeze" relations with the Egyptian Government. Hostilities have been growing between Egypt and her former allies in the region after Mr Sadat visited Israel last month and became the first Arab leader to recognise the state. Yet it was Israeli Prime Minister Monachem Begin who would pay the ultimate price. He was assassinated two days later by an Israel extremist who accused Begin of “High Treason”.
Isolated

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In 1995, the twelve year civil war in Sri Lanka ended in defeat and ruin for Tamil Tigers when Government Troops drove the guerrillas out of their heartland capital of Jaffna after a forty-nine day operation. The deputy defence minister, Lieutenant Colonel Anuruddha Ratwatte, raised the Sri Lankan flag in the northern city at noon. Senior officers at the ceremony emphasised it was a victory over the rebel guerrillas and not the Tamil community. The government is urging the 400,000 Tamil civilians displaced by the recent fighting to return to their homes. The government's war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka has cost nearly 40,000 lives since the conflict began in July 1983.

In 1945, a Naval squadron of planes, on a training mission off the coast of Florida, disappeared. Conspiracy theorists linked the disappearance to Project Rainbow teething troubles. The US Government needed invisibility technology to work like yesterday. Plans for the invasion of Japan had already been seriously delayed. Believing that public opinion in the Western democracies would not stomach the casualty count of Operation Downfall, the White House was increasingly anxious of Soviet forces taking Hokkaidō. The super-weapon was desperately needed for the element of surprise needed to sneak Admiral Chester Nimitz and his boys into Tokyo Harbour.

The Breaker

In 1905, the heroes reception for Commander Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant with brother officers Lieutenants Handcock, Witton at the Hotel Australia was over. Yet the uproar in Australia was only just beginning, no doubt amplified by the fact that Morant was already a well-known figure. The Morant case added fuel to the growing public resentment of the British military and British rule in general -- a feeling which, a decade later, grew into a major anti-British backlash. Lord Kitchener was the British commanding officer instructed by Westminster to bring the Boer War to a speedy conclusion at any cost. London was desperately concerned that the Kaiser would exploit Boer sympathy within Germany to intervene, and seize the mineral wealth of South Africa.

Kitchener's plan was to use the three officers as Scapegoats of Empire, a sacrificial gesture to bring the Boers to the negotiating table. Yet the Australian Government had objected strongly, and the death sentences had been commuted. Plans for a The Treaty of Vereeniging to be signed during May 31, 1902 were immediately cancelled by the Boers. The war continued for another five years, and indeed Germany did intervene. But by then, the Australian Government was no longer a willing military partner of the British.

Kennedy

In 2003, on this day the compendium “A Collection of Political Counterfactuals” was published. Simon Burns' masterful sequel "What if Richard Paul Pavlick had missed?" was a keynote contribution, considering the scenario of December 11, 1960: While vacationing in Palm Beach, Florida, President-elect John F. Kennedy's life was threatened by Richard Paul Pavlick, a 73-year-old former postal worker. Pavlick's plan was to serve as a suicide bomber by crashing his dynamite-laden 1950 Buick into Kennedy's vehicle, but the plan was disrupted when Pavlick saw Kennedy's wife and daughter bidding him goodbye.

That attack of conscience foiled the opportunity, with Pavlick's arrest by the Secret Service coming three days later after he was stopped for a driving violation, with the dynamite still in his car. Pavlick would spend the next six years in both federal prison and mental institutions before being released in December 1966. The result is shocking. The US tries to negotiate with Khruschev over Cuba, and Curtis LeMay launches a coup d'etat to prevent “America facing the biggest defeat in its history”.

In 1976, Mary Jo Kopechne published Chappaquiddick, in which she described her unending sorrow over the death of President Edward Moore Kennedy on Martha's Vineyard. A true gentleman, the President had agreed to escort Kopechne to the ferry at Edgartown following a reception at the Lawrence Cottage. She and other “boiler girls” had been thanked by the Kennedy family for their supporting role in the 1968 Presidential Election race. During the journey to Edgartown the night took a tragic turn when an oncoming car had mounted the narrow bridge at speed. Both cards had collided and Kennedy's 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 had flipped upside down into Poucha Pond. The exact details of the event are shrouded in mystery.

Ted Kennedy

Kopechne refused to comment on the mysterious Badgeman. Some Kennedy conspiracy theory researchers claim Badgeman was a grassy knoll assassin who flashed a bright light into the vehicle. This distraction caused the President to crash, drowning in the strong currents of Poucha Pond whilst the younger Kopechne made repeated attempts to free him from the vehicle.

Eden

In 1967, the fifth installation of A Rage in Eden was serialised in the Times. Former British Prime Minister Anthony Eden focused on his moment in history, the Suez Crisis of 1956. Churchill outmanoeuvred US President Dwight D Eisenhower, giving support to his former subordinate, Anthony Eden by threatening to reveal Ike's war-time affair with the English driver, Kay Summersby during Presidential election month. Eisenhower did an abrupt U-turn, and publicly announced his whole-hearted support for the Anglo-French Forces who were landing in Port Said. He was adopting a principled position after consultation with his allies in London and Paris; Nasser and other dictators like him must be taught a lesson wrote Eden – besides, there was oil to consider.

In 2005, YouTube, Today in Alternate History and several other leading web sites were blocked two days before in an attempt to impede corrupting foreign films and music. Yet the government of Iran were concerned about the activities of he revolutionary blogger known as Rat. Little was known of the man. Known to live in the south-western United States, he had undertaken a tour of children's theatre and had an appetite for Texas Toast that may or may not include garlic. Connections to sing/songwriter Richard S. “Kinky” Friedman had been unconfirmed. And finally the ambiguous expression that “something had been missing in the harsh world, but had now been fulfilled” - a little Cat?	Rat

Aethelred The Very Unready; American Withdrawal From Guatemala

April 14th, 2006

in 979, King Aethelred the Unready proved just how unready he was when he fell to Danish intrigue, placing the English under the crown of Denmark. The Danish Empire conquered the rest of the British Isles over the next century, and threatened to conquer the whole of the continent in the 1200’s.

in 1799, Italian Emperor Buonaparte declares that he will reestablish the kingdom of Israel, and conquers Jerusalem to make his point. The Jews of Europe begin flocking to their ancestral home at the Emperor’s request.

in 1865, Giles Nelson, an officer in the Army taking leave from the Civil War in Washington, D.C., foils an assassination attempt on President Lincoln at the Ford Theatre. Nelson had noticed a suspicious character trying to sneak into the president’s box and stopped him. After a brief struggle, he subdued the assassin, southern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln, decorating him later, called him “my personal saviour”.

in 1902, French scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolate the miracle element of Curium. Its many properties include a healing ability that cures the couple of the cancer that has been killing them since they began their work in radioactive elements.

in 1912, lookouts manage to warn the RMS Titanic of an iceberg in time to avoid a fatal collision. The iceberg crushes part of the hull, but the ship is able to limp its way to the Canadian coast. The White Star line faced large doses of negative publicity afterwards, but at least they were able to keep up their reputation of being unsinkable.

in 1952, under the starlight of a Kenyan jungle, the Baron of Death finds an old temple that had been built to his recently-freed ancestor. Inside, he finds a faded parchment that details how she was trapped the first time; von Heflin and his lover Velma Porter spring into action to recreate the conditions that trapped her before.

in 1986, in retaliation for supposed Libyan sponsorship of terrorism, American planes bombed several targets in the African nation. Unfortunately, several of the planes were shot down, and the captured Air Force and Navy pilots were paraded through the streets of Tripoli. President Reagan called this “an unbelievable act of barbarity,” and asked Congress for a declaration of war against Libya.

in 1988, America bows to international pressure and withdraws from Guatemala after a decade-long effort to keep the socialist government in power there. Archbishop Oscar Romero moved in and established himself as the new power in the country, turning the small nation into a Catholic theocracy. The Soviet States of America, stinging from its worst military defeat since Chile, denounced Romero and started an embargo against the new Guatemalan regime.

in 1997, the Egyptian 5th Regiment joined the British Royal Marines in their push through Florida. American anti-Constitutionalists, liberated by the Allies, joined in the fighting and moved many Americans to turn against President Shephard’s forces, further weakening the Constitutionalist side.

in 2005, Dave and Jeanne Lange settle down in Washington, D.C. The newly-appointed aids to Representative Carl Worthington, who will soon be President Worthington, find that, in spite of the hectic pace of post-Claw Washington, they are more relaxed than at any time in the last few months. “I don't even have to watch the TV for signals, anymore,” Dave tells Jeanne.

Timelines in today's post: Italian Napoleon, von Heflin, Communist America, the Ralph Shephard timeline and The Claw.

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Titanic 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 Fountain Of Youth; Ekaterinburg

April 2nd, 2006

in 1495 AUC, Karlus Magnus, a Germanic leader in the Roman Republic, was born in Germania. He rose to prominence as a powerful native voice in the Senate, representing his people, and was even rumored to be a candidate for Proconsul, but Roman prejudices kept him from higher office.

in 1513, Ponce de Leon, conquistador of Spain, found the fabled Fountain of Youth in an area he called Florida in North America. Unfortunately, he was killed when he fell from a cliff trying to escape natives driving him from the site. His body, when it was found, looked like he was 20 years old.

in 1805, industrialist Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odensk, Denmark. He worked his way up from the bottom after starting work in a factory after his father died. As a hobby, he liked to entertain local children with fairy tales, which made him a beloved businessman in his country.

in 1941, the German Underground secured control of most of northern Africa with the capture of Libya. Out of the nations north of the Sahara, only Egypt remained outside their control, and it was poised to fall, as well. Seeing the G.U. so close to their borders united all of the Arab world and Islam against them.

in 1952, a tribe of Berbers takes in Velma Porter and Mikhail von Heflin as they wander across northern Africa. The pair find the simple life of the nomads enchanting, at least for the evening, and bed down with them to enjoy their first restful sleep in days.

in 1979, Ekaterinburg, Russia becomes the epicenter of a horrific bio-engineered plague as a mutated anthrax bacteria was released from the city's bio-weapons plant after an accident. Hundreds of thousands across Russia and northern Europe died before the Soviet Union was finally convinced to release a cure.

in 1982, Imperialist British troops landed on the Falkland Islands, starting a war with the People’s Republic of Argentina, which had reclaimed the islands from the British in the 50’s. It was thought that there was oil in the Falklands, but none was ever found after repeated drilling at the end of the war.

in 1992, Stormin’ Norman, General Norman Schwarzkopf, recaptures Venezuela after allied forces had pushed U.S. troops out of the country. President Ralph Shephard advanced the general to 4 stars for his victory, one of the biggest the Constitutionalists had won in South America.

in 2004, Jacob Sheridan surveys meteor damage to the exterior super-cooled chamber holding the Projection Virii and methane crabs they have retrieved from Saturn’s moon, Titan. Several methane crabs are crawling across the outer surface of the chamber, apparently oblivious to the fact that they are in space. Sheridan immediately retreats to the ship and goes through decontamination to get rid of any possible P.V. that might be making him see methane crabs.

in 2005, famous Polish actor Karol Wojtyla dies in his native city of Wadowice. Although he had traveled across the world in his career, and had even been banned from Poland for a brief period in the 80's for statements he had made against its communist regime, the Poles had never stopped loving him, and turned out in huge numbers to pay their respects to this beloved man.

Timelines in today's post: the Roman timeline, the GZR, von Heflin, The Sheridans, Communist America and the Ralph Shephard timeline

Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect Hans Christian Andersen, (the film, not the man), to Star Trek. Place your answers in the comments and see the Forum for previous results. For more on 6 degrees games, click here.

Get yourself into TIAH!

And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

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Help the Alternate Historian get a better day job!
My email address for contacting me with your good news, or for more direct goodness, go to the web site and leave a comment, buy a book, or leave a Paypal donation! Remember, it's only 6 degrees of separation between you and anyone else - and thanks again!

You can also visit the Co-Historian's store -

Era Of Ill Will

November 7th, 2005

in 1820, in the most highly-contested presidential election in U.S. history, President James Monroe emerged as the victor from a field of 9 candidates. He had captured almost a third of the electoral college votes, and when the choice was thrown into the House of Representatives, they felt comfortable enough with him to allow him to continue in office. Monroe’s second term became known as The Era of Ill Will because of the feeling of illegitimacy in his reelection.

in 1872, the Mary Celeste, a cargo airboat with 10 crewmen, set sail from New York City to Genoa, Italy. It was carrying several tons of alcoholic beverages for Italian importers, and the crew reported no difficulties during launch and the first few hours of travel. Ten days later, the ship was found floating under auto-pilot off the coast of the Azores; the crew had disappeared, and all the cargo was intact. Investigators of the incident receive a tip from a physicist at New York University that the earth was entering an interdimensional rift; he believed the rift was caused by Mlosh technology, but this part of the investigation was covered up. The mystery has never been officially solved.

in 1876, Democrat Samuel Tilden wins the popular vote in the presidential election, but the electoral college vote is less certain. Republican Rutherford B.Hayes attempts to use his influence to have Congress declare him the winner, but several more moderate Republicans balk at this blatant attempt to subvert the will of the people. Tilden gains the electoral college victory, and the White House with it.

in 1890, the farms of three Mormon collaborators are burned to the ground and the families are killed by rebel Mormon Charles Brigman and his followers. Brigman leaves a message at one of the farms indicating that he will kill three more the next day, and the day after, and keep killing until Utah Territory is cleared of federal troops. Desperate Mormon elders come to Colonel Beauregard T. Jackson and beg him to leave Utah. Jackson sends word to Washington, asking for advice.

in 1916, Socialist incumbent President Woodrow Wilson wins reelection, in spite of a tough primary challenge from A. L. Benson. The Communist candidate, Charles Hughes, also puts up a tough fight, but loses by 3 percentage points in the vote. Wilson attempts to create a League of Nations in his second term, but war-ravaged Europe is unwilling to go along with any plans put forth by a power that remained neutral during their war.

in 1944, Republican incumbent Wendell Wilkie wins reelection with only token opposition from the American Bund, and the endorsement of the remnants of the old Democratic Party. After this election, the Bund begins fielding stronger candidates at the national level, and the Democratics cease doing so. For the next 20 years, the Republicans maintain an uneasy balance between mainstream values and the racist right in America.

in 1983, the Plymouth Brethren, a murderous cult descended from the Quakers of early American colonial times, made a sacrifice of the Hendricks family of Bloomington, Illinois. Over the next week, cult leader David Hendricks, who was suspected in the murder of his family, led police on a chase across the Midwest, killing almost a dozen people with his small group of cultists. Hendricks and his followers committed suicide when police surrounded them at a motel in Wisconsin in December of 1983.

in 1408, Tunisian Caliph Habib Bourguiba, who had led the country since gaining its independence from Libya in 1377, was overthrown by local chieftains. Although many of them were infidels who had never given up the pagan faith of their fathers, the one who rose to succeed him as Caliph was Muslim chieftain Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia was wracked by civil war for several years after this, until Zine could enforce order on the country.

in 2000, because of confusion and outright fraud in the counting of ballots in Florida, neither Vice-President Al Gore nor Governor George Bush of Texas are declared the winner of the presidential election. This draws thousands of angry partisans to the Sunshine State, who clash repeatedly over the next few days until the violence escalates into mass bloodshed. President Clinton orders the National Guard into the state to restore order, but this only increases the tension, and soon the state is in an outright civil war. This was the beginning of the Red-Blue War in America which continues to this day.

in 2002, the robot ship carrying Professor Thomas and Air Force pilot Trent Laughlin is not headed back to the Pleiades, much to their surprise, but is headed towards the center of the galaxy at incredible speed. Dr. Courtney and his ships are barely able to keep up, and he is visibly concerned about the direction they are headed in.

Christmas Day Contest! Following up on our Halloween contest, you can enter our next contest, which will be alternate histories for Christmas Day, December 25th, 2005. The same rules will apply, the top ten entries will be posted on that day, and by entering, you grant TIAH the right to electronically print your writing on October 31st, 2005, maintain your writing in our archives, and reprint your entry should we decide to reuse it in the future. TIAH only maintains full copyright over material it has originated that has been used by contestants in writing their own entries. Enter early and often - entries must be received by December 20th, 2005! Email us up to 3 entries of your best alternate Christmas Days!

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!

Forum Link not working for now - Forum has been hacked! We're working on getting it back, and will let you know once it's back up.
Fresh New Poll - Shall we use future dates in our entries?

Warp and Protocols still available; also, see the script I submitted for Bravo's Situation: Comedy. Speaking of which, the winning writers have been announced; not the ones I voted for, but you can see the one I did at http://www.marktreitel.com

Still wishing...

As your humble alternate historian enters the downhill slope of the 40's, he still has his birthday wish - a contract with a publishing company like Workman Publishing to produce a page-a-day calendar of TIAH. If you are an editor for such a company, or can place us in touch with one, please fulfill this belated birthday wish!

Chaos In The Wake Of The Elders

September 1st, 2005

in 822 AUC, the rebellious residents of the Judean province were put down, but Vespasian chose mercy over retribution, and allowed the Hebrews full citizenship in the Empire after a 5 year period of suppression.

in 1807, former U.S. Vice-President Aaron Burr flees into the independent republic he has created out of parts of Louisiana and Mexico in order to escape charges of treason. As High Minister of Louisia, Burr was a thorn in the side of both the United States and Mexico for a couple of decades to come.

in 4619, an earthquake struck the Japanese province of the Empire, in Kanto. The death toll was in the thousands, and Emperor Chengzu’s treasury was emptied of billions of yuan in repairing the damage. Chengzu ordered his Ministry of Science to begin work on predicting earthquakes, a task they began with enthusiasm; many in the ministry were themselves Japanese.

in 1928, Robert Pirsig was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The first Westerner to achieve Nirvana, Pirsig’s accomplishment was noted in the Zen journal Snowflake, but western doctors merely thought that Pirsig was mad, and killed his body with electro-shock treatments. His spirit, already gone, remained at peace.

in 1933, Ann Richards was born in Lakeview, Texas. After her governership of the Soviet of Texas, Comrade Richards became the first woman elected to the Vice-Presidency alongside Comrade President John Anderson of the Socialist Party in 1972.

in 1939, Physical Review, a scientific publication, prints a paper on a phenomenon they call “black holes”, a possible source of en[REST OF ENTRY DELETED]

in 1941, people of Semitic ancestry in German Underground controlled areas of Europe were forced into labor camps, even if they had not been members of the Greater Zionist Resistance. This policy is continued as the Underground gains territory, making allies of everyone who is not quite Aryan in appearance.

in 1959, Li Huang-Sen spends a restless day aboard the ship carrying himself and his lover, Huan Yue to Canada. He spots something in the water several times, but is unable to determine what it is. He throws open his mind and tells it to let him be; he is then mentally attacked and falls into a coma.

in 1347, chieftain Moammar Qaddafi rose to the Caliphate of Libya by defeating Caliph Ibn Rashid in battle. Qaddafi set the tone for his rule by beheading all survivors of Rashid’s government.

in 1996, Dr. Melvin Courtney and Professor Malcolm Thomas celebrate the anniversary of their Chimanimani expedition at Edwards Air Force base in California. Neither of them is very happy about the work they are doing on the object at Edwards, and they are searching for ways to make it more mobile.

in 2004, world-wide riots break out as news of the possible Elder presence in China spreads around the globe. Many governments are simply overwhelmed by the unrest; Thailand, The Philippines, much of northern Africa, large sections of the American west and most of Central Europe fall victim to the chaos.


TIAH HALLOWEEN CONTEST

In order to provide for the upkeep of our new historian, Today In Alternate History is sponsoring its first contest - make a donation at our Paypal link, then email us up to 3 alternate history entries for October 31st, 2005. The best 10 entries will make up the entire content of the post on October 31st, Halloween day. Boring contest information is available on our Forum link below. Enter early and often!

Also, 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!

Forum Link - Boring legal info on the TIAH Halloween Contest!
Fresh New Poll - Shall we use future dates in our entries?

Warp and Protocols still available; also, see the script I submitted for Bravo's Situation: Comedy. Speaking of which, you can vote for the winner until Sept. 2 at http://aol.com/situationcomedy

Still wishing...

As your humble alternate historian enters the downhill slope of the 40's, he still has his birthday wish - a contract with a publishing company like Workman Publishing to produce a page-a-day calendar of TIAH. If you are an editor for such a company, or can place us in touch with one, please fulfill this belated birthday wish!

Birth Of Karlus Magnus

April 2nd, 2005

in 1495 AUC, Karlus Magnus, a Germanic leader in the Roman Republic, was born in Germania. He rose to prominence as a powerful native voice in the Senate, representing his people, and was even rumored to be a candidate for Proconsul, but Roman prejudices kept him from higher office.

in 1513, Ponce de Leon, conquistador of Spain, found the fabled Fountain of Youth in an area he called Florida in North America. Unfortunately, he was killed when he fell from a cliff trying to escape natives driving him from the site. His body, when it was found, looked like he was 20 years old.

in 1805, industrialist Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odensk, Denmark. He worked his way up from the bottom after starting work in a factory after his father died. As a hobby, he liked to entertain local children with fairy tales, which made him a beloved businessman in his country.

in 1941, the German Underground secured control of most of northern Africa with the capture of Libya. Out of the nations north of the Sahara, only Egypt remained outside their control, and it was poised to fall, as well. Seeing the G.U. so close to their borders united all of the Arab world and Islam against them.

in 1952, a tribe of Berbers takes in Velma Porter and Mikhail von Heflin as they wander across northern Africa. The pair find the simple life of the nomads enchanting, at least for the evening, and bed down with them to enjoy their first restful sleep in days.

in 1982, Imperialist British troops landed on the Falkland Islands, starting a war with the People’s Republic of Argentina, which had reclaimed the islands from the British in the 50’s. It was thought that there was oil in the Falklands, but none was ever found after repeated drilling at the end of the war.

in 1992, Stormin’ Norman, General Norman Schwartzkopf, recaptures Venezuela after allied forces had pushed U.S. troops out of the country. President Ralph Shephard advanced the general to 4 stars for his victory, one of the biggest the Constitutionalists had won in South America.

in 2004, Jacob Sheridan surveys the damage to the exterior super-cooled chamber holding the Projection Virii and methane crabs they have retrieved from Saturn’s moon, Titan. Several methane crabs are crawling across the outer surface of the chamber, apparently oblivious to the fact that they are in space. Sheridan immediately retreats to the ship and goes through decontamination to get rid of any possible P.V. that might be making him see methane crabs.


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!

Po-tat-o, Po-tah-to

December 3rd, 2004

in 1469, Piero de Medici, vampire lord of Florence, was staked by Venetian vampire hunters Luciano Roma and Giuseppe Scamardo. His long, undead reign of the city was ended, and the still-living citizens of Florence joined the vampire hunting pair in eradicating Medici’s spawn. It was a bright new day in Italy.

in 1586, Sir Thomas Herriot introduces the South American root called potato to the English countryside. The bland, crunchy root is universally despised by the British, and fails to take root, so to speak, outside South America.

in 1767, the first cloned human heart is surgically inserted into its recipient in Cairo, Egypt. Amal Yassim had studied medicine at the Mlosh colony ship in Libya, and brought the techniques back to Cairo with him. One of his wealthy patients had a bad heart, and Yassim grew him a new one. Soon, wealthy Muslims were coming to Cairo in droves to have Dr. Yassim practice his art on them.

in 1829, George McClellan, Union general and United States President, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a general, McClellan opposed using overwhelming force against the rebellious Confederacy, and as President, he brought them to the peace table to negotiate the division of the country. His containment of the south in their original 11 states let the United States expand to the west; and now, while the Confederacy is barely even a third world nation, the U.S. has the respect of the world.

in 1962, a confidential report from the Pentagon informs Comrade President Hall of the unexpected strength of the Guerrillo reactionaries in South Chile. If Soviet American forces are pulled out of North Chile, the Pentagon warned, it would fall to the capitalists within a year. Comrade Hall, in spite of his desire to reduce American troop commitments outside of the country, reluctantly agrees to increase support to the weak North Chilean Communists.

in 1973, the Pioneer 10 probe transmitted a series of images from its flyby of Jupiter. Of special interest to NASA was the strange movement Pioneer detected by the great Red Spot; this was quickly overshadowed by the images that showed something flying out of the Red Spot and smashing into Pioneer.

in 1984, a huge disaster was narrowly averted in Bhopal, India, when Union Carbide personnel noticed a leak developing in their plant and quickly rushed to plug it. An investigation by Indian officials determined that all of Bhopal, a city of 1 million people, would have been at risk if the leak had continued. New safety regulations were forced on all chemical plants in the country after this near-disaster.

in 1999, comedic great Madeline Wolfson died in New York City of ovarian cancer, which she had been battling for some months. The hilarious actress was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress twice in one year, for her roles in Paper Moon and in Blazing Saddles. She is missed by all who loved classy, beautiful, funny women.

Contested Elections; Civil War

November 7th, 2004

in 1820, in the most highly-contested presidential election in U.S. history, President James Monroe emerged as the victor from a field of 9 candidates. He had captured almost a third of the electoral college votes, and when the choice was thrown into the house of Representatives, they felt comfortable enough with him to allow him to continue in office. Monroe’s second term became known as The Era of Ill Will because of the feeling of illegitimacy in his reelection.

in 1872, the Mary Celeste, a cargo airboat with 10 crewmen, set sail from New York City to Genoa, Italy. It was carrying several tons of alcoholic beverages for Italian importers, and the crew reported no difficulties during launch and the first few hours of travel. Ten days later, the ship was found floating under auto-pilot off the coast of the Azores; the crew had disappeared, and all the cargo was intact. Investigators of the incident receive a tip from a physicist at New York University that the earth was entering an interdimensional rift; he believed the rift was caused by Mlosh technology, but this part of the investigation was covered up. The mystery has never been officially solved.

in 1876, Democrat Samuel Tilden wins the popular vote in the presidential election, but the electoral college vote is less certain. Republican Rutherford B.Hayes attempts to use his influence to have Congress declare him the winner, but several more moderate Republicans balk at this blatant attempt to subvert the will of the people. Tilden gains the electoral college victory, and the White House with it.

in 1916, Socialist incumbent President Woodrow Wilson wins reelection, in spite of a tough primary challenge from A. L. Benson. The Communist candidate, Charles Hughes, also puts up a tough fight, but loses by 3 percentage points in the vote. Wilson attempts to create a League of Nations in his second term, but war-ravaged Europe is unwilling to go along with any plans put forth by a power that remained neutral during their war.

in 1944, Republican incumbent Wendell Wilkie wins reelection with only token opposition from the American Bund, and the endorsement of the remnants of the old Democratic Party. After this election, the Bund begins fielding stronger candidates at the national level, and the Democratics cease doing so. For the next 20 years, the Republicans maintain an uneasy balance between mainstream values and the racist right in America.

in 1983, the Plymouth Brethren, a murderous cult descended from the Quakers of early American colonial times, made a sacrifice of the Hendricks family of Bloomington, Illinois. Over the next week, cult leader David Hendricks, who was suspected in the murder of his family, led police on a chase across the Midwest, killing almost a dozen people with his small group of cultists. Hendricks and his followers committed suicide when police surrounded them at a motel in Wisconsin in December of 1983.

in 1408, Tunisian Caliph Habib Bourguiba, who had led the country since gaining its independence from Libya in 1377, was overthrown by local chieftains. Although many of them were infidels who had never given up the pagan faith of their fathers, the one who rose to succeed him as Caliph was muslim chieftain Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia was wracked by civil war for several years after this, until Zine could enforce order on the country.

in 2000, because of confusion and outright fraud in the counting of ballots in Florida, neither Vice-President Al Gore nor Governor George Bush of Texas are declared the winner of the presidential election. This draws thousands of angry partisans to the Sunshine State, who clash repeatedly over the next few days until the violence escalates into mass bloodshed. President Clinton orders the National Guard into the state to restore order, but this only increases the tension, and soon the state is in an outright civil war. This was the beginning of the Red-Blue War in America which continues to this day.

Judean Rebellion Suppressed

September 1st, 2004

in 822 AUC, the rebellious residents of the Judean province were put down, but Vespasian chose mercy over retribution, and allowed the Hebrews full citizenship in the Empire after a 5 year period of suppression.

in 4619, an earthquake struck the Japanese province of the Empire, in Kanto. The death toll was in the thousands, and Emperor Chengzu’s treasury was emptied of billions of yuan in repairing the damage. Chengzu ordered his Ministry of Science to begin work on predicting earthquakes, a task they began with enthusiasm; many in the ministry were themselves Japanese.

in 1933, Ann Richards was born in Lakeview, Texas. After her governership of the Soviet of Texas, Comrade Richards became the first woman elected to the Vice-Presidency alongside Comrade President John Anderson of the Socialist Party in 1972.

in 1939, Physical Review, a scientific publication, prints a paper on a phenomenon they call “black holes”, a possible source of en[REST OF ENTRY DELETED]

in 1941, people of Semitic ancestry in German Underground controlled areas of Europe were forced into labor camps, even if they had not been members of the Greater Zionist Resistance. This policy is continued as the Underground gains territory, making allies of everyone who is not quite Aryan in appearance.

in 1347, chieftain Moammar Qaddafi rose to the Caliphate of Libya by defeating Caliph Ibn Rashid in battle. Qaddafi set the tone for his rule by beheading all survivors of Rashid’s government.

in 1995, Dr. Melvin Courtney’s expedition enters the Chimanimani National Park in Zimbabwe. The expedition is looking for evidence of ancient human settlements in the area. In the middle of the day, a rare earthquake shakes the area and uproots several ancient trees.

in 2003, Jacob Sheridan and his team meet with Prime Minister Howard for 4 hours, after which Howard meets for the rest of the day with the U.N. Sheridan goes into his government labs and begins work on a new project.