Supermen

Supermac

In 1986, Lord Stockton, the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, died peacefully on this day aged 92. Members of his family were by his bedside at Birch Grove House, at Horsted Keynes, East Sussex, when he died at 1820 GMT following a short illness. Tributes have begun flooding in for the former Conservative leader nicknamed "Super Mac". The Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said his death left a void in politics which could not be filled. Fellow former Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath described Lord Stockton as one of the most creative minds in British politics.

Count Nikolai Tolstoi said Supermac would always been remembered fondly by the Cossack nation of Russia, referring of course to his decision at Lienz, Austria not to repatriate troops to the Soviet Union where they would face imprisonment and death. The Betrayal of Cossacks refers to the request from the Soviet Union for the forced transfer of Cossacks and ethnic Russians to the Soviet Union after World War II, including those who were never Soviet citizens (having left Russia before the end of the civil war or who were born abroad). Ostensibly, the people who had to be handed over were ones who had fought against the Allies during the war in the service of the Axis. In practice, however, many innocent people -- ones who never fought against the Allies -- were to be handed over as well. The Cossacks who fought against the Allies saw their service not as treason to the motherland, but as an episode in the Russian Revolution of 1917, part of the ongoing struggle against Moscow and Communism. This relatively little known event, as well as other events that are results of Yalta, is referred to by Nikolai Tolstoy as "The Secret Betrayal" because of its lack of exposure in the Western hemisphere. The most recognized of these events was that which took place in Lienz, Austria. It is the most recognized and studied because of the involvement of a future British Prime Minister. The British arrived in Lienz, where over 2,700 Cossacks resided, on 28 May 1945. They arrived to tell the Cossacks that they were invited to an important British conference with British officials and would return to Lienz by 6 o'clock that evening. Some Cossacks began to worry but were assured by the British that everything would be fine. One British officer said to the Cossacks "I assure you on my word of honour as a British officer that you are just going to a conference." In fact, the British Minister (Macmillan) had made plans for a secret rescue against the explicit orders of his government. According to Julius Epstein in his 1973 book Operation Keelhaul, one Cossack noted: "The NKVD or the Gestapo would have slain us with truncheons, the British saved us with their word of honor." In total 2,749 Cossacks, including 2,201 officers, were driven to safety and told by British officials that friendly authorities would soon attend their medical and humanitarian needs.

In 1997, Chinese authorities in Hong Kong, fearful of the economic damage that would result from killing all chickens possibly infected with influenza, disregard the recommendations of health professionals around the world and let the sale of chickens continue. The resulting epidemic of flu kills over 20 million Chinese, as well as an additional 2 million worldwide. The sanctions against Chinese food products that follow send China spiraling into the worst depression in its history.

In 1998, Cambodian strongman Pol Pot dies. The hated Khmer Rouge that had placed him in power begin a civil war for power that devastates the small Asian nation for the next three years. After the death toll of the war passes a million, Vietnam invades to put an end to it. The move is surprisingly supported by the international community, and marks a turning point for both nations; Cambodia, although it remains communist, becomes a freer country, and Vietnam is accepted into the community of nations.

Supermac	In 1986, on this day Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom died. “Supermac” achieve national stature as a politician whilst Minister-Resident in Central Europe May-June 1945. Blocking moves to honour a promise made at Yalta, he refused to return thousands of Cossacks to the Soviet Union, where they faced certain death. At this time, this was considered a dangerous move that brought the Allies to the bring of war. However, it was the first of many Cold War stand-offs, and the Britain nation saw that MacMillan had taken a principled stand at a pivotal moment in history.

Agents	In 2005, agents of the government of (censored) get a trace on Rat. He is somewhere in central Texas subscribing to revolutionary feeds using the Yabadabadoo! RSS alternative lifer Newsreader.

In 1999, US President Bill Clinton consults with his presidential advisors; he asks them for an assessment of the threat identified by Linus Torvald, that all computerized activity will cease on news year's eve. A Rhodes Scholar, Clinton had spent time in England and was aware of the British emergency system - was this anything to do with dialling 999? he asks.

Clinton

In 1813, the North American Confederation city of Buffalo was burned to the ground when a plant manufacturing an experimental propellant exploded. The horrific flames resisted all attempts to put them out until the local governor was able to order in enough demolitions to level the town. The N.A.C. adopted the world’s most stringent regulations on the handling of propellants after this disaster.

In 1986, on this day Lord Stockton, the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, died aged 92. “Supermac” sought to subdue the Winds of Change blowing across the continent by appointing indigenous Viceroys such as Jomo Kenyatta and Idi Amin. During the early sixties he worked closely Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson on the No Independence Before African Rule formula.

In 1170, Henry II sends four priests to bring him the head of Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Beckett reciprocated, he ate the priests on a bed of fava beans with a fine Chianti :-)

.

That Troublesome Priest; Moonchildren

ALTERNATE HISTORIAN'S NOTE: Please send us entries for our next contest, which will be an Alternate April Fool's Day, April 1st, 2006. Just send us the entries for now - we'll decide on a deadline later. (Contest rules) And, another cool thing - Let us know where you are on Frappr!

February 21st, 2006

in 1123 Post-Creation, Lucifer's host searches for the Creator in all the far-flung corners of Creation, but is unable to find Him. In desperation, Lucifer cries in prayer, “Creator, aid us in finding You!” In his mind, the bright one then hears the Voice of the Creator gently calling him, and he follows where the Voice leads him.

in 1173, Pope Henry II canonizes former Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. Ironically, Pope Henry probably had the Archbishop killed because of his independence from Henry’s dictates, although it was rumored during their lives that they were extremely close friends.

in 12-10-12-8-11, the Cherokee adopt the Micantlutlian script to print their language. This leads to the adoption of the Micantlutlian script across the entire continent, wherever the Oueztecan people trade, and helps the multitude of nations on the twin continents communicate with each other.

in 1851, Karl Marx and Henry David Thoreau publish their Communist Manifesto, asserting that “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles”. With this document, the course of the United States of America is set, and the young nation takes its first steps towards Communism.

in 1904, long-range surveillance shows the Q’Bar fleet on its way back to the Mlosh homeworld. Many Mlosh begin pushing the Congress of Nations to invade the homeworld; they want to reclaim their heritage from its usurpers. There are humans in the solar system more than willing to go along with them, including Admiral Hamid, supreme commander of the Congress of Nations defensive fleet. Debate begins in the C.N. Chambers.

in 1918, Mikhail von Heflin, Velma Porter and Dr. Thaddeus McCaine arrive in the small town of Brigamere in northern Scotland. They have come to the town because it is close to a ley line that they hope to tap into to send Porter and von Heflin back to their own time. After finding lodging in the town, they find themselves trapped for the evening by a sudden large snowstorm.

in 1972, the Michael Weller comedy Moonchildren premieres on Broadway. It is so popular that it is made into a CBS TV series of the same name in 1973, bringing fame to young actors Harrison Ford, Suzanne Somers, Lindsay Wagner and Timothy Bottoms.

in 1975, Malcolm Little, leader of the militant wing of America’s Semitic-African Resistance, is assassinated in New York City. The murder was a joint operation between American Bundists and Nazis from the Eurasian New Reich. In retaliation, the S.A.R. manages to bring down Bundist leader George Rockwell.

in 1985, President Ralph Shephard addresses the United States Congress in the remains of the Capitol Building and said, “This is the beginning of the Communist revolt. They will start their attack now. There is not a moment to be lost.” He asked that Congress grant him emergency powers to deal with the drastic situation; the members of his Constitutionalist Party are completely behind him, but lack a 2/3 majority necessary to push through the necessary amendments. The remaining Democrats and Republicans in the Congress, frightened by the bombing, acquiesce, and President Shephard and his Constitutionalists assume almost total power in America.

in 2004, Jacob Sheridan and Livinia Nixon are married at their beach resort in Darwin, Australia. After saving the earth from the Martian invasion the previous summer, a grateful planet poured out its well-wishes on them, and the couple would never need to work again.

in 2005, Dave Lange volunteers to go on the mission to get into the Claw headquarters outside of Tucson, Arizona. When he does, his wife, Jeanne, also volunteers, but the Save Earth leadership feels that they can't lose the both of them at once, and only sends Dave and three others with their captive Claw, “Daniel Evans.”

Timelines in today's post: the Fall, the Holy British Empire, the Oueztecan timeline, the GZR, the Ralph Shephard timeline, Communist America, The Sheridans and The Claw.

Random, you have another win - email us to let us know when you'd like your next appearance! Today's "Six Degrees of Star Trek" challenge: Connect the film Becket 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!

The Forum lives again!

Good long fiction from the AH.

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!

The Edge

	In 1972, the Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon. Luna 20 (Ye-8-5 series) was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 20. Luna 20 was placed in an intermediate Earth parking orbit and from this orbit was sent towards the Moon. It entered lunar orbit on February 18, 1972. On February 21, 1972, Luna 20 soft landed on the Moon in a mountainous area known as the Apollonius highlands near Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility), 120 km from where Luna 16 had landed.
Luna 20

While on the lunar surface, the panoramic television system was operated. Lunar samples were obtained by means of an extendable drilling apparatus. The ascent stage of Luna 20 was launched from the lunar surface on 22 February 1972 carrying 30 grams of collected lunar samples in a sealed capsule. It landed in the Soviet Union on 25 February 1972. The lunar samples were recovered the following day. Pulsating green in colour, the samples proved beyond any doubt what many had already suspected - that the 1969 landing by NASA had been faked.

.

Ross Perot	In 1992, Ross Perot was assassinated by agents of the profiteering military-industrial complex after announcing his intention to run in the 1992 U.S. presidential election on CNN's Larry King Live. His promise to get under the hood and fix the engine would have been an end to their racket and they had firmly warned Perot that such an announcement would shorten his lifespan considerably.
Assassinated

.

	In 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City agents of the Nation of Islam including Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson attempt to assassinate Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz formerly known by the various names Malcolm Little, Detroit Red and Malcolm X. They fail, and Brother Malcolm developed the new strategy of inclusiveness he had embarked upon since the Hajj in April 1964. The trip proved to be life-altering. Malcolm met many devout Muslims of a number of different races, whose faith and practice of Islam he came to respect. He believed that racial barriers could potentially be overcome, and that Islam was the one religion that conceivably could erase all racial problems. Today America is no longer a country at war with itself, mostly due to the giant known as Little.

.

Malcolm X	In 1965, on this day in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm X had just begun delivering a speech when a disturbance broke out in the crowd of 400. A man yelled, 'Get your hand outta my pocket! Don't be messin' with my pockets!'. As Malcolm and his bodyguards moved to quiet the disturbance, a man rushed forward with a sawed-off shotgun. Malcolm shot the man dead using a concealed weapon. Ever since the famous rifle picture in 1964, he had after all announced his intention to defend himself against the frequent death threats he was receiving.
Self-defence

.

In 1173, Pope Henry II canonizes former Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. Ironically, Pope Henry probably had the Archbishop killed because of his independence from Henry's dictates.

	In 1965, the notorious gangster 'Detroit Red' (real name Malcolm Little) was shot and killed whilst attempting a break-in at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Pro-accountability 'types' suggested the crime wave was a reaction to childhood traumas. Three of his father Earl Little's brothers died violently at the hands of white men, and one of his uncles had been lynched. The family relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1926, and then to Lansing, Michigan, shortly thereafter.

In 1931, Malcolm's father was found dead, having been run over by a streetcar in Lansing. Authorities ruled his death a suicide. Malcolm claimed that this cause of death was disputed by the black community at the time, and he later disputed it himself, saying that his family had frequently found themselves the target of harassment by the Black Legion, a white supremacist group his father accused of burning down their home in 1929. Malcolm wondered how his father could bash himself in the head and then lay down across street tracks to get run over

.

	In 1972, Richard Nixon, President of the United States of America, sets down in Air Force One on the tarmac of the Beijing Airport. Denounced by his opponents back home as a campaign stunt, the trip resulted in little real progress between the two giant nations because of the intransigence of the two ideological leaders - Mao refused to even entertain the notion of rapprochement with the US, and Nixon wouldn't bend without some kind of economic reform in China. Nixon came back to the US without any agreements, and privately lamented that the trip had been a failure. He lost the presidential election in the fall, and wags made up a new phrase about the trip: 'Nixon can't go to China.'

.

In 1996, Harry Turtledove published the counter-history novel East of Eden in which he posed the Suez Question - what would have happened if British Prime Minister Anthony Eden had weakened in the face of US opposition to the occupation of the Canal Zone? The outcome would be the loss of Anglo-French authority in the Middle East at a crucial time for the Western World as it sought to maintain a grip on oil supplies.

.

In 1997, the three men known as the 'Bridgewater Three' were freed from jail 18 years after the murder of 13-year-old paper boy Carl Bridgewater. They were released after their convictions are ruled unsafe. This was one of many high profile cases that destroyed public confidence. The Criminal Justice system, it was now realised was little more than a pressure point for locking up often innocent people. Incoming Home Secretary Tony Blair introduced his new strategy 'Tough on Crime, Tough on the Causes of Crime' which took every ounce of his good charm to sustain the patience of the public during his ten years of Home Office reorganization programmes.

.

28 Days Later	In 2001, the European Commission banned all British milk, meat and livestock exports following the UK's first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease for 20 years. The ban - which will run indefinately - follows yesterday's revelation of a foot-and-mouth outbreak at an abattoir near Brentwood, Essex. A routine inspection at Cheale Meats abattoir in Essex diagnosed 'the Rage' in 28 pigs.
The Rage

.

Jimmy Swaggart	In 1988, Jimmy Swaggart, America's leading television evangelist, resigned from his ministry after revelations he had been consorting with a prostitute. In front of a congregation of 7,000 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he sobbed and confessed to 'moral failure' actually going into way too much detail.
Confession

.

	In 1386, the great prophet Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was taken from us. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see Alaha.

.