Apollo-Soyuz

The state of TIAH

July 17th, 2006

in 1947, Dr. Powell is paid a visit by the dark-suited men who had assisted Major Marcel in intimidating the Brazels. “We understand that you've been asking around about the weather balloon,” they tell him, and he says, “Yes, it's something I've been quite curious about. I've been wondering why a weather balloon would be vital to national security.” The shorter of the two men said to the doctor, “You know, in these days, Dr. Powell, with America's enemies all around, and Communists infiltrating our very nation, curiosity is a luxury we cannot afford. In order to fend off these savage dictators and defend our way of life, we all have to fall in line and do what's necessary.” Dr. Powell smirks, “So, in order to defeat these dictatorships, we need to shut up and do what we're told?” Both men nod. “I think you boys needed to pay a little more attention in civics.” Exasperated, the taller man said, “Look, doctor, if we hear anything more about you making visits to the morgue, or trouble for our story about the weather balloon, we're going to be looking into the possibility of revoking your license. Do you understand?” Dr. Powell understood very well, and said so. The men left his office, and Powell gathered up all his notes and locked them into a fire-proof safe in his office.

in 1955, Walt Disney opens his amusement park Disneyland, which turns into one massive boondoggle for him. He had thought that having actors in costumes resembling such beloved characters as Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck would be a whimsical delight for small children, but children visiting the park were completely creeped out by huge talking mice, dogs, ducks and whatnot. The rides were marginally more successful, although many park-goers questioned the fun of whirling around in giant teacups and things of that sort. All in all, the park lost Disney most of the $17 million he sunk into it, and nearly took his studio down with it.

in 1975, America's Apollo 22 docks with Russia's Soyuz 19 in an effort to promote cooperation between the 2 nation's space programs and begin a space rescue program that NASA had been pushing for ever since the near-disaster of Apollo 13. This 2-day mission was the last for the Apollo program, which had successfully landed ten ships on the moon and stretched America's reach to the stars. The next generation of American spacecraft, the Athenas, were launched in 1976, with Commander Jim Lovell piloting Athena 1 to the moon for his third trip to earth's satellite. This time, though, the storied pilot was able to land, saying, “Third time's the charm,” as he set foot on the dusty soil of what would become Washington Base, new home of the Athena project.

in 2017, Najib Kasem recovers almost fully from the stroke that hit him just two days before. The Eagle's doctor considers this just one notch below a miracle, and begins inputting as much information about Quarai medicine as he can into the ship's computer. “I'm hoping that you can get us home,” he tells Kasem. “Then, these techniques will make me a millionaire.” Kasem promises the doctor that he will do his best. Although Commander Patterson is wary about returning Kasem to work so quickly after the stroke, all the doctors say it would be good for him, and everyone working on the golden “jump” device would like his insight. “I'm fine, Commander, really,” Kasem tells her, although Patterson sees something in his eyes that disturbs her. “All right, you're back on the job.” He smiles and tells her, “I've thought of something while I was out. We should fly the device off world again for another experiment.” She agrees and says, “I'll clear it with the Quarai.”

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Romanov Re-education

The state of TIAH

July 16th, 2006

in 1918, Bolshevik revolutionaries holding the Tsar's family at Yekaterinburg are told to begin the Romanov's re-education. The once-royal family is informed that they will now be peasant farmers, working the land like any other family. Tsar Nicholas refused, at first, and was beaten with horse-whips in front of the rest of the family until he acquiesced. Some of the older members of the family also needed physical encouragement to begin realizing their new lot in life, but they bore the stripes as if they were badges of honor. Nicholas was loathe to see his family toil as peasants, and convinced a guard to look the other way one day while some of his children made a break for it. Of the three that ran, only Anastasia was never recaptured. As the Tsar and his family became mere farmers and their royal past faded into history, Anastasia popped up in Paris, France, in 1931, seeking to raise funds to help free her parents and siblings from Russia and spirit them into the west. Many Russian emigres, forced out by the Communists, gave generously to this cause, and by 1932, the surviving Romanovs – Tsar Nicholas had been whipped to death by Bolsheviks in 1929 after refusing to shovel manure – were received at the home of the French President and given full diplomatic honors.

in 1947, Dr. Powell, who treated young Bessie Brazel for radiation sickness and has been talking to an old contact of his at the Roswell Air Force base, manages to convince his friend to let him into the morgue to see the two bodies that were recovered from the Brazel ranch. Although mangled and burned quite a bit, Dr. Powell is able to recognize the two bodies as human; he can even still read a partial tattoo on one of the men's arms that reads Flying High. He begins speculating to himself that this was all for a mission concerning space – but to space rather than from it. He pressures his friend at the morgue to tell him who the men are, but the mortician will not bend - “The Air Force told me to keep their names secret, and I'm gonna do that.” Dr. Powell begins making careful notes of everything that he has seen recently, and hides them at his office in case something should happen to him.

in 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr accepts an offer from a flight instructor to help navigate himself, his wife and sister-in-law from New Jersey to Martha's Vineyard. This turned out to be a wise choice, because the night's conditions overwhelmed Kennedy, and he lost sight of where he was. The more experienced instructor took control of the plane and guided them safely in to the vacation site, where they dropped off Lauren Bessette, Carolyn Kennedy's sister. The Kennedys and the instructor then proceeded on to Hyannis Port, where the Kennedys were holding a wedding for the son of John's uncle Robert. This simple weekend trip had a profound effect on Kennedy; the instructor told him that at the point where he had lost sight of the horizon, it would have been very easy for him to have crashed the plane. Looking around at the wedding and seeing the absence of the groom's father, as well as his own, Kennedy resolved to make a change in the world. He became a candidate for Senator from New York, which motivated First Lady Hillary Clinton, who had been considering a run for the Senate from that state, as well, to instead move to her home town of Chicago and successfully run for the Senate in 2004. John proved to be a leader in the Senate, a reliable liberal voice who spoke out for the victims of September 11th when he opposed shifting the focus of the war on terror from finding Osama bin Laden to attacking Iraq – his moral presence is credited with the failure of the President's bid to get an authorization of force passed to allow him to attack Iraq. Although some on the right saw this as a political gamble, when American troops captured bin Laden in 2004, Kennedy was hailed alongside Bush as being right to keep America's focus where it needed to be.

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Rembrandt Born

The state of TIAH

July 15th, 2006

in 1606, the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden, Holland. Although he painted some of the most exquisite portraits of the 17th century, only one exists of the master, himself, because of the actions of a jealous young student. Paco Rinaldi, a Spanish artist who never made much of himself, began to hate his master so much that he decided to kill him; he attacked Rembrandt with a knife and slashed the Dutch painter's face so horribly that van Rijn never went out in public again without his face covered. Rinaldi was hung for the unprovoked attacked, but his revenge was complete – Rembrandt never painted another portrait after this attack, and turned his attention to dark religious matters, painting his beautiful yet horrible Revelation series illustrating the Book of Revelation from the Bible.

in 1947, the Air Force reverses its statement on the “flying saucer” that it recovered at Mac Brazel's ranch outside Roswell, New Mexico. Now, they announce that it was simply a weather balloon, and Major Marcel poses with what looks like a sheet of tin foil to demonstrate the material that had “fooled” them. The Brazel family do not recognize the tin foil as something that they picked up off of their ranch, and Mac Brazel calls up the base to question this Major Marcel. He is told that Major Marcel will, instead, be paying a visit to him. That evening, the Air Force officer and two men in dark suits sit with the Brazel family and tell them that in the name of national security, they need to keep everything that they know about the wreckage and the two bodies on their ranch a secret. Mac is outraged, and says, “You're telling one lie after another about this, and I'm supposed to trust you now, just cause you say it's national security? That stuff almost killed my daughter!” One of the men in dark suits leans over and whispers in Major Marcel's ear for a moment, then turns to the rancher and says, “You don't want anything else to happen to your daughter, do you, Mr and Mrs Brazel?” The implied threat of the simple statement chills the Brazel family, and they soon agree not to speak of what they really found on their ranch.

in 2017, Najib Kasem of the human ship Eagle finds a new setting on the golden device that brought them to the Amandara system. But, as he turns to tell one of the Quarai working on the device with him, he feels the left side of his body go numb. A stabbing pain shoots through his head and he collapses. The Quarai immediately offer assistance, taking him to the human doctor, Dmitri. With some help from Quarai medicine, Dr. Dmitri is able to bring Kasem out of the stroke he just suffered. “You had a stroke,” the doctor tells Kasem. “I want you to rest for a couple of days. The Quarai and I devised a way to heal the damage in your brain, but it needs time to work.” Kasem, although hearing all this in a fog, manages to nod his head in agreement, which Dmitri and the Quarai doctors take as a very good sign. Commander Patterson wonders if working on the device may have had anything to do with Kasem's condition, but all of the scientists who have been studying the device say nothing about it could have triggered Kasem's stroke.

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Bastille Day

The state of TIAH

July 14th, 2006

Alternate Historian's Note: Our thanks to everybody who gave due to our recent plea – the Academy's connection to the Internet is secure. We appreciate it sincerely, and will be emailing you personal replies shortly. Now, on to our alternate Bastille Day!

in 1789, Louis Capet, a peasant who claimed to be of royal lineage, led a mob of enraged Parisians to the Bastille, a fortress in Paris, in order to gain ammunition to strike against the government of Premiere Citoyen Jacques Necker, who had been duly elected by the National Assembly that year. PC Necker had been attempting to deal with the food shortages the incompetent government of his predecessor had caused when the Royalistes under Capet began their revolution. Capet incited crowd after crowd with speeches declaring that a monarchy would be able to feed them; with a king in command, the bureaucracy would flow smoothly. Capet, of course, wanted to be that king. Necker and other members of the National Assembly attempted to quell the royalist ravings of these lunatics – the French had been a free people since the death of Charlemagne, ruled by an assembly of nobles and commoners for almost a thousand years. They had fended off English, German, Spanish and Italian kings all that time, and Necker vowed, “We will never bow to a king, not even one from France itself.” Unfortunately for the PC, sentiment in the countryside was against him, and some of the nobles from the National Assembly were swayed to Louis Capet's side, especially after Capet's peasants captured the Paris Arsenal with the weapons they secured from the Bastille. French generals, promised nobility and wealth by Capet, turned on the National Assembly and joined forces with the Royalistes, sealing the fate of French freedom. In 1792, to seal his successful rebellion, Louis Capet abolished the National Assembly and crowned himself Louis Premier, King Louis the first.

in 1789, King Louis XVI of France is assassinated when he tries to appeal to the mob storming the Bastille fortress personally. Although his presence stuns the crowd long enough for him to start an impassioned plea for their loyalty, those unimpressed by the royal personage start a cry for his head before he can finish his speech, and his personal guard are overwhelmed by hundreds of revolutionaries. King Louis was crushed under the feet of the mob, cruelly beaten to death. His broken body was carried by the peasants all the way to Versailles, where they cast it in front of the gates. Queen Marie Antoinette fled to her native Austria immediately, seeking shelter in the court of her brother, Emperor Joseph II. Joseph called up the Austrian army and ordered a march on Paris to restore Marie to her throne and seize the “dastardly miscreants who have committed regicide,” but the Austrians faced a French army that was unwilling to see a restoration of the monarchy, and were pushed back across the borders. Marie Antoinette was forced to watch as her kingdom became a revolutionary democracy, ruled by the people rather than by nobles; as time went on, and she settled back into Austrian court life, she maintained that she preferred life as a noblewoman in Austria to ruling France, and indeed, most who knew her seemed to think it was true. France, for its part, little missed her. When her son, Louis Charles, tried to return to France to build popular support for his restoration to the throne in 1821, he was murdered by a mob just as his father had been, and since then, no one from that branch of the Bourbon monarchs has set foot in France.

in 1789, at the urging of his most trusted ministers, King Louis XVI of France forces the nobles of the country to share their vast stores of food with the peasantry and commoners in order to stave off the hunger that is sweeping the land. Louis' ministers had sensed an almost revolutionary fever catching fire in the land, and knew that if the King didn't act, there might be dire consequences. The Queen herself, Marie Antoinette, long known for her charity work, handed out food from the royal kitchens at the ancient fortress known as the Bastille, winning over many hearts that had been hardened to the French nobility. The day became an annual affair in French society, and on Bastille Day, all French nobles hold an open court to share their blessings with the common folk. This sort of generosity is credited with keeping the monarchy and aristocracy of France beloved by the nation into the present day.

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Johnson Nominated For Presidency

The state of TIAH

July 13th, 2006

in 1793, French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat fends off a young woman's attempt to assassinate him in his Paris home. Charlotte Corday had sought an audience with Marat in order to kill him; she was the daughter of a nobleman whom the revolution had destroyed, and she saw Marat as the embodiment of the revolution. She wormed her way into Marat's home by promising a betrayal of Marat's enemies, and then pulled a knife on him while he soaked in a bath. During the struggle, Mademoiselle Corday slipped on some water splashed out of the tub, fell, and was knocked out when her head smashed into the floor. Monsieur Marat called for the police immediately, and had her imprisoned. Over the next few months, he used the example of Mme. Corday as proof of how far his enemies would go to see him ousted from control of France. With the aid of this bit of fortuitous propaganda, Marat gained complete control of the French government, and almost became a monarch himself as he instituted radical changes in French society through force. He was assassinated by fellow revolutionary Robespierre in 1797 during a coup attempt.

in 1960, Senator Lyndon Johnson of Texas is nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention. Johnson and his fellow senator, John Kennedy of Massachusetts, had fought through a long series of primaries for the top spot, and Johnson's folksy charm finally won him through on the convention floor. As a gesture of reconciliation, he offered the vice-president spot to Kennedy, but the young senator refused, and Johnson chose Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey, whom he was much more comfortable with, anyway. Johnson defeated Republican Vice-President Nixon in the general election easily; his vast experience in public life coupled with his winning, down-home speeches contrasted sharply with Nixon's stilted style and relative inexperience in politics. As president, Johnson began a program he called the Great Society as a sort of codicil to the New Deal of President Franklin Roosevelt, cutting poverty nearly in half in America during his presidency, as well as opening up education to millions of Americans who had never had a chance at it before. Johnson was reelected in a landslide in 1964, but his attempt to prolong his legacy by having Vice-President Humphrey follow him in the office failed when Senator Kennedy won the Democratic top spot from Humphrey in the Chicago convention in '68. With 8 more years in Congress to recommend him, Senator Kennedy proved popular on the campaign trail, and narrowly defeated Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew to claim the White House.

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A Woman In The Vice-Presidency

The state of TIAH

July 12th, 2006

in 1947, reporters from around the country arrive in Roswell, New Mexico, and begin trampling around the Brazel ranch, spooking the cattle. Mac and his sons corral most of them and act as tour guides, just to keep them from disturbing their herd any more. The Brazels show off the spot where they found the debris and bodies, and hole where they buried all of the wreckage at first. The boys off-handedly mention that the stuff didn't look like a flying saucer to them, which piques the interest of a reporter from Dallas. This man, John Wilhite, leaves the ranch and drives into town to speak with Dr. Powell about little Bessie Brazel's condition. After a long talk with the good doctor, Wilhite then approaches the Air Force base and requests a meeting with Major Marcel.

in 1984, Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice-President Walter Mondale makes history by naming a woman – and a black woman, at that - as his own vice-presidential running mate. Barbara Jordan, one of the most eloquent members of Congress during the Watergate hearings, although bound to a wheelchair by her multiple sclerosis, gave a fiery speech on justice and core Democratic values that ignited the Mondale campaign and launched them into the White House, where she served with honor and distinction as one of the finest vice-presidents in the nation's history. Although party activists begged her to run in the top spot herself in 1992, her failing health made her decline the offer, and she retired from politics to teach, briefly, at the University of Texas in Austin, until her death in 1996.

in 1990, Comrade Governor Winston Payne of the Idaho Soviet announces that he is resigning from the Communist Party, and joining the fledgling People's Party of the Northwest. Both the national Communist and Socialist parties denounce his move, with Comrade President Ann Richards saying, “If this so-called 'People's Party' actually represented the people, they would be able to elect officials, not steal them from the national parties that actually do represent the will of the people.” Comrade Richards' hostile attitude towards the People's Party is sometimes listed as one of the root causes that led to their uprising at the end of the century and the formation of the People's Republic of the Northwest, a dark chapter in the history of the Soviet States of America.

in 2017, the Quarai, human and Pr't'(whistle)ian passengers of the Pokor find themselves back in the Amandara system, causing the Quarai to burst into celebration. The humans are also quite happy, until the Pr't'(whistle)ian scientists tell them the bad news - “Unfortunately, we are only able to recover the last origination point in the machine's memory. We have not been able to decipher how it works beyond that.” Captain Mawrao of the Pokor tells Commander Patterson, “Hey, no worries. We got you back home – we figure out the rest, later.” Mawrao invites the Pr't'(whistle)ian scientists to Amandara 14 for what promises to be a very large party. Since the machine has to recharge a few days before it can be activated again, the scientists agree, and the Pokor heads back home, transmitting a joyous message ahead that they have the alien device partially figured out. The humans withdraw back to the Eagle to warm up and discuss their own feelings. Commander Patterson tells her crew, “This at least gives us hope that the machine keeps some memory of where it's been. I think we're a step closer to home.” Most of the crew is similarly hopeful, except for their computer specialist, Najib Kasem. “A lot of different activities can purge memory,” he says. “Who knows if the Starwalkers even cared about anything more than the last place they'd been? Maybe they never thought you'd make more than one jump before going home.” Kasem's pessimism doesn't spread to the rest of the crew, though, and most of them filter out to celebrate in the homecoming party that the Pokor's crew is having. Kasem goes down to the cargo bay to work on the device some more.

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Money Problems At The Academy

Guys, we will probably be delayed or dark over the next week because of money problems. If you enjoy the site and can do it now, please donate to us through our Paypal link here or at the site - we need to raise about $200 right now or we're not going to be able to keep the internet on at the Academy. Thanks for any help you can give!

Quaker Arrival; Roswell Announcement

The state of TIAH

July 11th, 2006

in 1656, Ann Austin and Mary Fisher, the first 2 members of the violent Quaker sect to arrive in America, go on a violent killing spree before being captured by colonial authorities. Their method was to convert someone to their religion, absolving them of their sins, then kill them while they were still “blameless”, so that they would go straight to Heaven. Fisher, at her trial, stated, “I will take the sin on me, for I have seen a hundred men to Heaven.” It is unknown if this was true or a boast, but the pair were executed for at least 10 murders.

in 1754, famed scatologist Thomas Bowdler was born. A medical doctor by profession, his avocation was making bawdy versions of classical works, especially Shakespeare. His “Fable of the cad, Romeo, and his strumpet, Juliet”, is generally considered the most filthy work to come out of the 18th century. The disreputable actors who gave life to his obscenities were often arrested for prostitution and other morals charges, although the good doctor was only arrested once. He was let go after a mere admonition, which struck the prudish society around him as a travesty. Poet Algernon Swinburne said of Bowdler, “More nauseous and foolish cant was never chattered.”

in 1947, as the announcement of a flying saucer being found on his property hits the newsstands of Roswell, rancher Mac Brazel and his family receive the good news that daughter Bessie is doing well and seems to be making a full recovery. The Brazels are somewhat confused by the story released by the Air Force, but have decided that they are not going to rock the boat; Brazel is just happy that his daughter is doing well and that he and the rest of his family haven't fallen ill, as well. The Air Force sends a few more men to look around his property, and he just warns them not to spook the cattle.

in 2017, the tour of the Pr't'(whistle) Dyson sphere by the crew of the Pokor and Eagle is cut short as the scientists working on the golden alien device contact them to let them know that they are ready for an experiment. The humans and Quarai rush back to the docking area at the outside of the sphere where the device has been kept. With a couple of Pr't'(whistle)ian scientists on board, the Pokor takes off from the sphere and travels a safe distance away. Commander Patterson tells the natives of the sphere, “I hope you said goodbye to your families this morning.” The golden device is activated, and a great glow envelopes the Pokor. “Here we go again,” Patterson mutters. There is a moment of disorientation, and then the glow fades.

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Scopes' Brief First Trial

The state of TIAH

July 10th, 2006

in 1925, Tennessee's law that forbids the teaching of any science that contradicts the Biblical origin story of mankind is put to the test when young science teacher John Scopes of Dayton is put on trial for teaching evolutionary theory at his high school. The ACLU, which had persuaded Scopes to be their test case for this law, lets the trial proceed almost without resistance in order to appeal the case up to the federal courts. The teacher is convicted of violating the law that day, and is fined $250. The Civil Liberties lawyers then bring in the appeal to the federal court, where Scopes is represented by the legendary Clarence Darrow, and Dayton is represented by a country attorney. When Tennessee's law is rather predictably struck down, Tennessee then receives a rather unusual request – former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan wants to argue their case before the Supreme Court. They gladly accept him as their champion, but send along Tennessee's attorney general, as well. Darrow and Bryan's famous confrontation at the Supreme Court has since been made into books, plays and movies, but the most lasting result was that Darrow triumphed, and science classes, in the court's written judgement, “were to be used for the purposes of disseminating science; churches are to be used for the purpose of spreading the word of God.” With this extra brick in the wall between church and state, fundamentalists have concentrated their efforts away from schools and more towards societal aims, such as ending the practice of charging interest, since usury is listed as a great sin in the Bible.

in 1947, Bessie Brazel's condition continues to improve, and Dr. Powell tells her father Mac Brazel that it looks like she's going to make a complete recovery. The rancher is still somewhat upset about the whole situation, and since Dr. Powell is the only one he can talk to about it, says, “What was all that stuff, doctor?” Dr. Powell shrugs off Brazel's question, telling him that it's not safe to ask such things when national security is at stake, but is very curious himself, and pursues a contact he knows at the Roswell Air Force base, a Major Jesse Marcel. Marcel tells Dr. Powell that something very important crashed on Brazel's ranch, and an announcement will be made to the papers soon. Sure enough, the next day's Roswell Daily Record has a press release from the Air Force, saying that a “flying saucer” was recovered from Brazel's ranch, much to the astonishment of the Brazel family and Dr. Powell. The Brazel boys who picked up the wreckage didn't see how it could all add up to a flying saucer, and Mac Brazel didn't think the bodies he had buried had looked like men from Mars. The rancher's wife, happy that their daughter is recovering, tells him to just let it lie; “No need in stirring up the hornet's nest. If the Air Force wants to say it's little green men, let 'em.”

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Taylor Foils Assassination Attempt

The state of TIAH

July 9th, 2006

in 1850, US President Zachary Taylor smells something funny in his dinner, and decides to throw it away rather than eat it. He complains to the White House kitchen, and the chef, upset that his cooking might be unacceptable, is somewhat surprised to find the dish he prepared still sitting on a counter. The staff immediately search the mansion and find Cletus Earl Hargrove, a Kentuckian like the president, who had slipped poison into the president's food in retaliation against Taylor's anti-slavery stance. Hargrove, terrified at being caught, names four co-conspirators, one of whom is a southern senator. The resulting trial on assassination charges rocks the nation, and makes Taylor a revered figure even in the south. Abolitionists use the trial to advance their agenda, and President Taylor introduces his Slow Freedom Initiative at the beginning of his second term in 1853. Under the terms of the initiative, all those born to slaves after the passage of the act would be free Americans; their parents would be freed once the free children reached the age of 18 years. Although many Freedmen and abolitionists thought this was far too long a process, the south grudgingly accepted it as a way to hold onto a dying institution for a few more years. The last living American slave, Nathan Thomason of Cold Pork, Alabama, was given his freedom by presidential decree in 1937 at the age of 85 – he had been born the year before the SFI, and had never had children. He died shortly afterwards, but one of his cousins said, “At least he didn't have to die bound to that dastardly Thomason blackguard.” The passing of this dark chapter in American history, the country moved forward fairly united. Although racism against African-Americans was still quite strong in some pockets of the country, the long process of the SFI had made most Americans take a hard look at themselves and question why they had ever thought that one race of people should hold another captive. African-American Congressman Malcolm Little of Michigan proposed a national holiday to honor President Taylor in 1961, and the motion passed almost unanimously.

in 1947, Bessie Brazel responds well to the blood transfusion, becoming stronger as her infected blood is replaced with healthy blood. Her father Mac sees four trucks from the Roswell Air Force base roll across his property and dig up all of the wreckage he buried, along with the bodies, and shove them into containers that look extremely heavy. The airmen performing this job are wearing suits that cover up their whole bodies, and breathing through what looks like some kind of a gas mask. Brazel is horrified to think what he and his family handled so casually. Once they're done with their cleanup, the airmen spray the suits they're in with something, then strip them off and put them in one of the heavy containers. They then pay Mr. Brazel a visit and remind him that this matter is not to be discussed, for reasons of national security. The young Brazel boys watch wide-eyed as all of this goes on, and hope that neither of them gets sick like their little sister Bessie.

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Sundae, Sundae

The state of TIAH

July 8th, 2006

in 1881, druggist Edward Berner of Two Rivers, Wisconsin felt that he needed a gimmick to set his drugstore apart from others. Being something of a historian, he knew of an old 18th century dessert called ice cream, that had failed to catch on in the U.S. He tried to revive it by pouring chocolate syrup over it. As delicious as the syrup was, it couldn’t revive the full dish – people ate the syrup and left the ice cream. Berner even added bananas, cherries, sweet whipped cream and nuts to the mix, but was always left with the melted soup of the ice cream at the end of the dessert. As hard as he tried to make a go of it, Americans just didn't like ice cream.

in 1918, Red Cross ambulance driver Ernest Hemingway, barely 19 years old, is shot nearly to death as he attempts to carry a soldier from the field of battle on the Italian front. Hemingway manages to struggle himself and his charge into the ambulance and drive almost 12 miles to the field hospital before collapsing. Doctors struggle to save the valiant young driver, but his immense loss of blood during the long drive proves too great, and he dies on the operating table. The family of the soldier he saved petitions for Hemingway to receive the Medal of Honor, which he is awarded posthumously in 1921.

in 1947, Bessie Brazel keeps a precarious hold on her life as Dr. Powell prepares to use a blood transfusion to cure what he believes is radiation poisoning. He has examined the glowing stick she kept beside her bed for several days, and it is indeed very radioactive. Bessie's father, rancher Mac Brazel, explains about the strange wreckage to Sheriff George Wilcox, but neglects mentioning the bodies that he also found and buried. Wilcox insists on going to the site where Brazel and his sons buried everything, and while there, finds one of the bodies. When he confronts Brazel about it, the rancher breaks down and tells him everything, pointing out the other bodies as well. Sheriff Wilcox takes some of the wreckage to the Roswell Air Force base to ask them if it is anything they have recently lost. To his great surprise, they begin interrogating him about where he found this wreckage, and if he found anything else with it. The sheriff tells them where the rest of the wreckage, and the bodies, are buried, and they tell him that this matter is classified, and he is to tell no one else about it. Air Force security pay a visit to the Brazel ranch and the hospital to tell Brazel and Dr. Powell the need for secrecy in this matter.

in 1954, Comrade President Jacobo Arbenz Guzman of The People's Republic of Guatemala orders the execution of failed coup leader Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas. Reactionary European monarchies had backed the colonel's attempt to take over his country and turn it into a capitalist bastion in the backyard of the Soviet States of America. Ever-vigilant Soviet spies in the People's Republic alerted Comrade Arbenz to the danger represented by Colonel Castillo Armas, and the SSA provided him with troops and arms to fight off the colonel's treacherous attack. The American Secretary of State proudly announced that “the people of Guatemala have been saved from European imperialism. The foiling of this dastardly plot has added a new and glorious chapter to the comrades of the American hemisphere.”

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The Aztec Armada

The state of TIAH

July 7th, 2006

in 1571, an Aztec fleet of nearly a hundred ships sets sail from the Aztec Gulf and heads towards Europe. The Spanish are busy building their own armada in the hope that they will be reinforced by the mighty American empire. English spies among the Spanish take careful note of this ship building activity and send word back to Queen Elizabeth. No word has reached the crown of the Aztec fleet on its way to her coast, so she tells her spies to lay in wait until the threat from the Iberian Peninsula becomes more clear. Some of her court counsel sabotage as a prudent course of action, but she resists this until messengers reach the court telling of an unstoppable fleet of ships sailing across the Atlantic to do battle with her navy. This is when the call goes out for a general draft and Great Britain prepares for a war that looks lost almost from the outset.

in 1947, Mac Brazel's daughter Bessie falls ill. Concerned that it has something to do with the small glowing stick that his sons gave her, he takes it out of his house and buries it with the bodies he had found. He takes his daughter into Roswell to see the doctor, who asks if Bessie has been playing near the Air Force base at all. Brazel tells him she hasn't and Dr. Powell wonders aloud how the young girl could have been exposed to enough radiation to fall as sick as she is. Brazel, terrified that he has doomed his child, tells Dr. Powell about the wreckage, the bodies, and the glowing stick that was on Bessie's nightstand for several days. Dr. Powell asks Brazel to fetch the stick so that he can see what it's made of, which Brazel does immediately. Meanwhile, Powell does his best to ease Bessie's misery, and arranges for a blood transfusion to see if that will cure her. When Brazel returns with the glowing stick, Dr. Powell, who does work on the military base, sticks it into a lead box to keep anyone else from getting sick. “I'll have someone examine this right away, Mac,” he tells Brazel. “I'm afraid we're going to need to put Bessie in the hospital.” The rancher tearfully agrees, and prays that his daughter will recover.

in 2017, not even the engineering skill of three species can break the mystery of the golden device that has brought the Quarai vessel Pokor and the human spaceship Eagle to the Dyson sphere known as Pr't'(whistle). The Pr't'(whistle)ian scientists are positive it is the same device used by the advanced race they call Starwalkers. The scant records of the Starwalkers only say that they were capable of almost magical feats, and that they only stayed on Pr't'(whistle) a few months before using the device to move to another star system. The insect-like Pr't'(whistle)ians almost feel insulted that the device's power is so difficult to tap, and Commander Patterson tells the liaison, “Believe me, I know how you feel. I feel like a monkey who's been handed a spaceship and told to plot my way to a nice star.” The Pr't'(whistle)ians invite the entire crew of the Pokor and Eagle to come inside the sphere and see the vast expanse of their artificial world. “Only a tiny percent can be seen in a lifetime,” the Pr't'(whistle)ian liaison told them, “but we have wonders that will make you long for immortality.” The Quarai, of course, leap at the chance to interact with more Pr't'(whistle)ians, and most of the humans are eager to follow. Commander Patterson makes one request before they leave, though; “I need you to make sure that you guys don't turn that thing on unless we're all here.” The Pr't'(whistle)ian scientists agree.

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Thomas More Recants

The state of TIAH

July 6th, 2006

in 1535, Sir Thomas More, faced with beheading for his defiance of King Henry VIII's new church, recants his position and swears his loyalty to the Church of England, with King Henry as its head. Although More was a loyal Catholic who inwardly felt that the Pope was God's only true representative on earth, he felt a greater degree of loyalty to his neck. In secret, though, he began writing seditious documents under the pen name Moritius Loyola. His greatest work as Loyola was a recantation of the history of King Richard III he had written, telling the truth of King Henry VII's treachery and the virtue of the last Plantagenet king. This history, The Truth of Good King Richard and the Base Lies of Henry Tudor, was spread throughout Europe, and used by Catholics to attack the legitimacy of Henry VIII's claim on the English throne – if his father was a usurper, then he was not the true king of England. A number of English nobles, still loyal to the Catholic Church, rose up in rebellion against King Henry, who lacked any popular support to suppress them. He was deposed in 1541, and replaced with his cousin, Edward, Earl of Warwick, who had been named the royal heir by Richard III and who had escaped death by pledging his allegiance to the Tudors. Old Edward, as he was known, ruled for only two years before his death, and was succeeded by his grandson, who reigned as King Edward VII for almost 40 years, ushering in an era of enlightenment as England took its place among the great colonial powers of the world.

in 1571, Emperor Mectezuma of the Aztec Empire entertains a Spanish ambassador who has come to ask for the mighty American nation's assistance in war with England. Although the Aztec had no love for the Spanish, the Iberians had been respectful, where the English had harassed Aztec possessions and ships with pirates for decades. Mectezuma promised the Spanish ambassador, “We shall lay the British crown low for their crimes against us.” Queen Elizabeth of England called for a draft of soldier and sailors as soon as word of Mectezuma's alliance with Spain reached her country, and prepared for war against what she correctly perceived as her nation's greatest threat.

in 1982, although supportive of the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, the United States declines to offer troops, hampering the UN's effectiveness in the chaotic country. Without enough troops to maintain buffers between the competing militias in the civil war, the peacekeepers became targets themselves, and in one horrific incident, suffered massive casualties when their headquarters were blown up in October of '83. The failed mission pulled out of the country just days after, leaving the Lebanese militias and their parent organizations in Syria and Israel to fight to the bitter end. The war finally ended in 1995 when Syria and Israel partitioned the country and moved their own troops in to quell the violence.

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