| October 27 |  |
Editor says, what if the "Jamaica Bay" Hurricane catapaulted Mayor Lindsay to national prominence? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the October 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1964, on this day John V. Lindsay [1] delivered a speech on behalf of Republican candidate for president, Barry Goldwater. It was part of a pre-recorded television program, Rendezvous with Destiny and in his autobiography Lindsay recalled going to bed that night "hoping [that] I hadn't let Barry down".
Click 
to watch "Ronald Reagan A Time For Choosing".
A Time of Choosing
An article by Ed & Chris OakleyThe New York Mayor had risen to national prominence as a result of his well-regarded handling of the Jamaica Bay Hurricane Disaster. Drawing upon this experience, he delivered a stirring monologue on the irrepressible courage of the American people. Inevitably, the audience were more impressed by his leadership ability that his warm endorsement of the Candidate.
This opportunity was presented by Republican National Committee Chairman Dean Burch. The nominee Barry Goldwater was a fellow Arizonan who was less than wildly enthusiastic about the choice of a Liberal Republican, but his weak poll ratings suggested that Lindsay's popularity might give the ticket a welcome electoral boost. But it was hopeless and two weeks later, Goldwater was comprehensively beaten at the general election. And because Lindsay had not let down Goldwater that night, many Republicans took the opportunity to press him to run in '68. This speculative idea had been proposed by Time Magazine three years before, but now Lindsay began to realize that the path from Gracie Mansion To Pennsylvania Avenue really was wide open to him.
This post is an article from the Jamaica Bay thread developed by Chris Oakley.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jamaica Bay Source: Wikipedia Labels: John Lindsay, Richard Nixon, New York, Jamaica Bay, Hurricane. Editor says, in this article we revisit the idea that the Jamaica Bay disaster gave national prominense to New York Mayor John V. Lindsay, an echo of Rudy Giuliani's run for the Presidency after the September 11th attacks. [1] The speech launched Ronald Reagan's political career and came to be known as "A Time for Choosing".
~ Nice cleanup job...
~ I take it Nixon's still out in California?
~ Many people were desperate for another John Kennedy, and John Lindsay seemed to fill the bill...handsome, young, aristocratic, and even with a similar name.
~ Lindsay did seem to have a moment there, and it never was really seized. He could have beaten Nixon, and others, some seemed to think, had he marshaled all available forces then. Who knows?
Editor says, what if John Travolta had changed the direction of his career? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the September 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 2011, relaunching his movie career for the fourth time, actor John Travolta turned his back on the violent character roles that he had played for the previous seventeen years.
Change of DirectionHe played the disturbed manic super agent Charlie Wax (pictured) in his final violent movie, "From Paris With Love" filmed just days before the tragic death of his sixteen year old son.
Following a period of grieving he became refocused in the relief activities in Haiti. Using his expertise as a pilot, he flew a jetliner carrying earthquake relief supplies, doctors and ministers into Port-au-Prince. And it was during this period out of the movie business that he reflected upon his unintentional impact as an role model for gun culture. He decided that he had accidentially become a bone-headed anti-hero, like Charlie Wax. Because in a sense, the characterization was an accident caused by Quentin Taratino selecting him for the part of Vincent Vega in the 1994 movie "Pulp Fiction". He mused he might even "go grey", a reference to the post-Fonz characters played by Henry Winkler.
Rumours soon followed of a further revelation involving a possible split with the Church of Scientology.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Movies Source: Wikipedia Labels: Premature Death, John Travolta, Church of Scientology, Religion, Holywood. Editor says, in reality he promoted his new film, "From Paris With Love". The movie was filmed in late 2008, and shooting wrapped just days before Jett Travolta died on Jan. 2, 2009. Thanks to Eric Oppen for his contribution to the development of this post.
~ Another relaunch? How much fuel does the old man have left in his rocket?
~ Maybe redo _Saturday Night Fever_ as _Saturday Night Feeble?_ *grin, duck, run*
~ But there IS a new genre called "geri-action," which attracted aging stars like Helen Mirren and George Clooney. So Travolta might be lured back to action films.
~ All the movie stars, former stars, or near stars who were seventeen years of age or older in 1973 decide to get in touch with their inner hippies and start making anti-war, pro-peace, pro-love and occasionally trippy movies. Within a year younger stars decide to get in on the act, and a year later the "young guns... um... not guns" of today get into the act. You can generally tell which generation is involved, even without looking, by whether the soundtrack features the Beatlea and the Byrds, KC & the Sunshine Band and the Bee Gees, or DEADMAU5 and 1200 Micrograms.
Editor says, what if Mussolini had died in 1922? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the June 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1922, the rising political violence in post-war Italy reached a frightening new level of intensity with the shocking death of the thirty-nine year old leader of the National Fascist Party Benito Mussolini during his ill-fated March on Rome.
Earlier Death of MussoliniBorn in a run-down house in the shadow of a medieval castle, his twisted dreams of grandeur began with his christening. He was named after Benito Juarez the republican leader of a Mexican uprising against the domination of the Church and aristocacy. Despite numerous childhood expulsions and suspensions he entered the teaching profession before the outbreak of the Great War. After the peace settlement, he used his war-time experiences to set about forming a paramilitary organization the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento ("Italian Fasci of Combat").
Elected to the Chamber of Deputies on the second attempt, he took matters into his own hands by launching a naked grab for power in 1922. In a violent confrontation, his twenty-five thousand blackshirts were stopped by the authorities and anti-fascist forces, and due to his hot headedness, he lost his life in the street-fighting. And in Germany, his erstwhile protégé Adolf Hitler was shocked to the core to read that Mussolini had conducted various affairs with a Jewish author and academic by the name of Margherita Sarfatti. But the failure of the Italian fascist movement would have longer term effects upon his own project. To combat the Biennio Rosso the military would push the monarchy aside and takeover the country, an outcome paralleled in Spain. That would ensure Hitler's Germany was surrounded by like-minded authoritarian militaristic states who ironically were utterly unwilling to go to war.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Benito Mussolini, Fascists, Italy, March on Rome, Fascism. Editor says, in this article we repurpose significant amounts of content from Wikipedia and relied upon helpful suggestions from Jeff Provine who writes ~ "That would DEFINITELY change things. Apparently hitler stole a lot of Mussolini's ideas when putting together German fascism (even the word "fascism"). He also stole Chaplin's mustache, for which Chaplin never forgave him (seriously)". Our reference text is "Understanding Mussolini's Italy" (2012) by David Evans.
~ This could have changed everything....
~ The ideas were out there. Everyone did mix and match from the same collection of futurism, mass nationalism, etc. Hitler never had an original ideological idea in his life. His genius as it were was melding a set of resentments and local movements into a national party. Even then, but for the implosion of the Weimar Coalition over the economic collapse all Adolph had built was a fringe protest movement that was a money machine for himself from sales of his book.
~ But Hitler was very much inspired and influenced by Mussolini, to the point where his Nazis were originally called the German Fascisti. This appears in a wonderful new book called Hitlerland, about the Americans in Hitler's Germany.It makes us wonder where Hitler had been without Mussolini's example.
~ Yes Benny the Moose was an example. Also a source of some key early funding. However the basic fusion of National Bolshevism with a Volkish set of disgruntled veterans was quite German. Google for Streicher, the Strasser brothers etc. Hitler fused these local and regional movements into one party 1924-1928. Fest's biography of Hitler covers this well.
~ I'm not sure that Hitler and Musso even knew each other existed as far back as 1922. Another interesting possibility would be to have Benny stay out of WWII...he might be remembered as a brilliant Italian statesman if he had.
~ Ah the Italian Franco AH...
~ Citing Hitlerland again: In 1922, one of the American reporters was calling Hitler "The German Mussolini."
~ With a neutral Italy, the whole scope of Hitler's planned "Axis" would change. No need for combat in North Africa; he might've headed for Soviet oilfields instead, then Egypt/India.
~ The 2-3 divisions in the Afrika Korps would have been spare change in Russia. The number of trucks needed to supply them would not. Per one of Creveld's books Rommel needed more heavy trucks than an army group in the East 1941-42. The other big change is that Second Air Fleet is not pulled out of Belarus November 1941 to stabilize the situation in the Med. A lot of the collapse before Moscow comes from the halving of the air support.
~ And, certainly, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 would have been avoided, not to mention all the lives saved in North Africa, and in America's painful campaign in Italy.
~ If Hitler's Germany were "surrounded by like-minded authoritarian militaristic states who ironically were utterly unwilling to go to war," there's a strong possibility that World War II as we know it would never have happened at all. While Italy was somewhat the weak link in the Axis, its actual absence would have left the Fuehrer with no military parter in Central/Western Europe. Hitler's march ro conquest might have stalled after Czechoslovakia, or perhaps even after the Anschluss.
If, however, in these changed circumstances Stalin had decided to attack Poland on his own, a cynical Hitler might actually have enlisted the support of Britain and France against the Bolshevist" threat in the East. It's anyone's guess, though, whether Stalin would have dared: theSoviet Army was far weaker at that time than it would be later, and the Soviet dictator might not have wanted t take the chance.
Editor says, what if King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem had never contracted leprosy? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
This story was published in the November 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1170, on this day in the Kingdom of Jerusalem William of Tyre discovered that a young member of the royal household had contracted Hansen's Disease.
In his book Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum he recorded the gruesome discovery ~ "It so happened that once when he was playing with some other noble boys who were with him, they began pinching one another with their fingernails on the hands and arms, as playful boys will do.
Baldwin the MagnificentThe others evinced their pain with yells, but, although his playmates did not spare him, he bore the pain altogether too patiently, as if he did not feel it. When this had happened several times, it was reported to me.
At first I thought that this happened because of his endurance, not because of insensitivity. Then I called him and began to ask what was happening. At last I discovered that about half of his right hand and arm were numb, so that he did not feel pinches or even bites there. I began to have doubts, as I recalled the words of the wise man: It is certain that an insensate member is far from healthy and that he who does not feel sick is in danger".
In keeping with the times, the leper was immediately sent away into seclusion before he could infect a member of the royal house. William's vigilance would be rewarded by the healthy long life of the royal scion that he tutored, the child who would become Baldwin IV.
As a sixteen year old monarch his commanding genius was quickly established by a daring attack on Salah al-Din's power-base in Egypt. His enlistment of Byzantine Naval support also marked the beginning of an important strategic partnership that would ultimately lead to his marriage to Anna Komnene the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium.
In his early twenties, he used his integrity and mastery of diplomacy to establish a long peace with Salah al-Din. That peace was frequently fragile, and not at all helped by the bloodthirsty Templars in his court who attacked Muslim caravans with impunity. Worse, those Templars were secretly encouraged by two of his most senior lieutenants Guy of Lusignan and Raynald of Châtillon. During the year 1180, Muslims and Christians were brought to the very brink of war when those rogues were openly exposed, forcing Baldwin to have them executed. He also seized the opportunity by appointing Balien of Ibelin the commander of the army of Jerusalem.
But by now Salah al-Din had forged an overwhelming alliance which he spear headed as the Sultan of both Egypt and Syria. Critically short of manpower, and certainly unable to defeat the 200,000 troops being mustered in Damascus, Baldwin was fully aware that the catastrophic outbreak of war was unavoidable. With some Crusaders openly declaring that "God Wills it", cooler heads such as the Marshall of Jerusalem, Raymond, Count of Tiberias continued to advise that the Kingdom could not survive such a conflict.
The irony was that a hundred years after its establishment, the Kingdom was both at the height of its powers, yet endangered as never before. In short, the overconfidence and chauvinism of the Crusader Army was a key weakness, with many of his lieutenants believing that forces marching under the cross could not be beaten by "the Infidels". Ultimately, Baldwin secured the viability of the Kingdom by taking the one action that would avert war, he gave the Muslims rights to enter Jerusalem and allowed them to stay. But revisionists would later claim that Baldwin the Magnificent had become a vassal of Salah al-Din...
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Baldwin, Jerusalem, Premature Death, Kingdom of Heaven, Palestine. Editor says, in reality William of Tyre made a disturbing discovery about the prince: he and his friends were playing one day, attempting to injure each other but Baldwin felt no pain. William immediately recognized this as a sign of serious illness, but it was not conclusively identified as leprosy until a few years later; the onset of puberty accelerated his disease, in its most serious lepromatous form. This post explores an original idea posted on the Alternate History bulletin board and repurpose content from Wikipedia.
~ I liked your article. Like most crusaders, Renaud de Châtillon sure was a thug and a son of a bitch. Probably the most dangerous and unpredictable of all, and the less classy. His execution before he does too much damage is, for me, a turning point in your story. I think you would gain by elaborating on the last sentence. Does Baudoin become Saladin's vassal ? Yes, good call, I have made that change. Thanks - Ed. It seems like the only political explanation to me.
~ I like the idea of a surviving vassal state. It worked in centuries for Spain (until the Reconquista, anyhow).
~ This could readily lead, in the long term, to a general Arabization of the Crusader states.
~ The Kingdom of Jerusalem was probably doomed in the long run, but this could have extended its lifetime. And if the Christians kept Jerusalem, would Richard the Lionhearted have been so mad to go on crusade? If he'd stayed home in his kingdom and French possessions, keeping an eye on John and fathering a line of heirs, history would be unimaginably different.
~ I wonder though if access to the holy city would have been enough for the Salah al-Din. I suspect he'd rather just see the end of the Christians in his neck of the woods altogether. And as history shows the Crusader kingdom would always struggle to survive.
~ I wonder though if access to the holy city would have been enough for the Salah al-Din. I suspect he'd rather just see the end of the Christians in his neck of the woods altogether. And as history shows the Crusader kingdom would always struggle to survive.
~ Er, Eric, from what I had heard, King Richard was not about to father a line of heirs. Let us just say that his royal motto could well have been "Don't ask, don't tell." And the same could be said for many other great rulers, including William of Orange and Frederick the Great, by all reports. That is a strong argument in favor of allowing gays in the military. I mean, what if Richard, William and Frederick had been excluded for that reason.
Editor says, what if Wallis Simpson had been shot? muses Jeff Provine on the This Day in Alternate History web site. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the August 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1936, when a maid came to rouse her mistress, American socialite Wallis Warfield Simpson was discovered lying dead on her bedroom floor, having been shot twice.
Mrs. Simpson Found Dead As no one could recall hearing gunshots, the matter became an international mystery and one of the greatest unsolved crimes of the twentieth century. Papers were found in her desk that would have confirmed the process of divorce from her second husband, Ernest Aldrich Simpson. Mr. Simpson was detained for questioning, but no more than circumstantial evidence arose, and he was eventually released with no further serious suspects.A new story by Jeff Provine
The murder was a climactic end to one of the most scandalous affairs of the modern age born out of two people already famous for scandal. Wallis, a divorcee of US Naval officer Win Spencer, had numerous affairs as part of a rocky relationship due to Mr. Spencer's travel with the Navy and his alcoholism. They divorced in December of 1927, and Wallis remarried less than a year later to shipbroker Ernest Aldrich Simpson, also his second marriage. After staying with her mother until her death, Wallis moved to London, where the Simpsons lived beyond their means amid the upper crust.
At a dinner on January 10, 1931, Mrs. Simpson met the other party to the affair, Edward Windsor, Prince of Wales. They were introduced by Edward's mistress of the time, Thelma, Lady Furness. He lived as a passionate womanizer and was privately criticized for having the maturity of an adolescent by his secretary, Alan Lascelles. Edward and Wallis met often at house parties. She was even presented at court, which caused further scandal. In January of 1934, Lady Furness went on a trip to New York City, during which time Wallis and Edward's affair eclipsed all others. Servants caught them in bed together, but Edward was quick to deny this to his father, King George V.
Scandal continued to climb as Edward and Wallis were seemingly everywhere together. He gave her tremendous gifts of jewels and took her on trips through Europe as well as shorter holidays on his yacht. Government officials began to worry about Edward's overwhelming affection for the American divorcee almost to the point of enslaving himself to her. After visiting an antique store, the shopkeep noted that Wallis had Edward "completely under her thumb". Upon the death of George V in January of 1936, Edward became King of the UK and Emperor of India, yet he seemed dominated by someone outside of the bounds of government.
After months of continuing the affair with officials scrambling to keep it out of the news, Mrs. Simpson began proceedings to divorce her husband so she might marry the king. Aldrich Simpson had been working to keep his shipping firm afloat during the Great Depression and seemed nearly forgotten by his wife, who was so close to the King as not to feel the financial difficulties of their lifestyle. For these stressful reasons, when Wallis was found dead, Aldrich was the prime suspect. However, after intense questioning from many levels of police, it was believed that he was still genial with his wife, would have gone through with the divorce, and moved on with his life. Aldrich, a naturalized British citizen, left for New York and never returned. He would marry again twice.
Another suspect was the ousted Thelma, Viscountess Furness, who had divorced her husband the viscount in 1933. After being cast off by Prince Edward, she had a brief fling with Prince Aly Khan, Imam of Ismaili Shi'a Islam. She carried resentment toward Wallis, but there was no proof as to grounds for murder upon hearing that her stolen prince might be married.
Darker conspiracy theories suggest actions from MI5 or royal agents hoping to keep the crown clear from further scandal and tampering foreign hands.
The truth remains unknown, and Edward continued his reign heartbroken. He rarely appeared in public, and, when he did, he was described as in deep mourning or "sporting a faraway look in his eyes". The king let matters of politics fall mainly upon his Prime Ministers Baldwin, Chamberlain, and Churchill, assisting only when necessary. He quietly applauded Chamberlain's ambitions for "peace in our time" and determined that Britain should not worry about matters on the Continent, expanding his melancholy to his foreign policy.
When World War II broke out, Edward gave dour speeches and encouraged Churchill to "give Hitler what he wants" so that England might be "left alone". With the king's weakness felt, the morale of Britain tumbled, finally prompting a discouraged nation to sue for peace after a narrow victory in the Battle of Britain and the dark days of the Blitz. As Britain came out of the war and America saw less need to join, Hitler took up his allies to march on Moscow, battling Stalin until 1949 in a war that crippled his own rule. Britain, meanwhile, began decolonization as the empire fell to revolutions calling for independence. By the time Edward's niece Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne, only a few countries still remained in what would become the Commonwealth.
Entry posted by
Jeff Provine
© Jeff Provine, 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jeff Provine Blog Source: Jeff Provine’s Blog Labels: Wallis Simpson, Edward VIII, Ernest Aldrich Simpson, Abdication Crisis, Britain. Editor says, in reality, Mrs. Wallis Simpson went through with her divorce of Aldrich Simpson. The two remained amiable toward one another with gifts and commentary on memoirs. Edward abdicated in favor of marrying Wallis, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor settled in the Bahamas quietly as World War II engulfed the world.
~ The headline of this TL kind of threw me at first...I thought it was about OJ. :D
~ Had such a conspiracy existed Edward would have had an accident some months thereafter. He was not liked at the top.
~ From what little I know about Edward VIII, he was a bad king even in the time he had...the "boxes" were neglected. They used Wallis Simpson as a way to ease him out of a position he wasn't suited for, but even without that, they'd have probably found some way to either get him out of the way or make him have an accident.
~ I guess that Homer was never born??
Editor says, what if Alfred E Smith had won the Presidential Election in 1928? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1937, on this day President Huey Long today dedicated the Smith Dam to the nation. The dam, located 30 miles southeast from Las Vegas, will bring to fruition the controversial Colorado River Compact signed in 1922.
Opening of the Smith DamThe project, after long delays that have outlived multiple Presidents, was named after the former President, Al Smith. Originally named Boulder Dam, President Long renamed the project in honor of President Smith. He declared that future generations will recall this era as the foundation of a truly egalitarian America.
The President also praised Al Smith as a symbol of the nation?s turn around from the malice of deregulating Republican maniacs.Invoking the second inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln, and reminding the nation that its only option is change, President Long requested those on America's right to chage. He also warned, those who refuse to will perish. Meanwhile, there was a mild disruption during the event when a anti-populist tried to raise slogans. Secret Service agents quickly overpowered him and he was later tried for anti American activities.
Entry posted by
N S Rajaraman
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: The Maanga Labels: Smith Dam, Huey Long, Al Smith, America, Socialist. Editor says, starting with the single most important event that would have changed the course of 20th Century. Therefore, Alfred E Smith would have won in 1928 and continued to be the President until 1936 when Huey Long, instead of being assassinated a year earlier, would have spared Harry Truman of his misery a decade and a half later. Therefore, World War II would have been fought by Alf Landon and there would have been no Manhattan Project. Instead, a nuclear Soviet Union, long before a nuclear America, would have usurped most of the oil in the middle east. Yes, there would obviously be no Gallup poll either and we might still be reading The Literary Digest.
~ How would Smith have overcome his handicaps? At that time, the Republicans were getting the credit for bringing on the 1920s boom, and him being Catholic and from the big city were both severe problems with small-town and rural Americans.
~ Good question, especially given that in the twenties the Democrats were largely captive to the Ku Klux Klan, which in that period was almost as hostile to Catholics as to blacks. Smith's 1928 run wasa crippled by such sentuiments in our history.
~ A one-sided Cold War with the Soviet Union alone having nukes wouldn't stay "cold" very long.
~ You need the immigration restriction act not to pass. More potential Democrats arrive. You also need the Democrats not to split wet/dry and in reverse a serious Progressive 3rd party. Hypothetically Hoover as the Progressive and Mellon as a hard money Republican.
Editor says, what if the war camp had forced President Kennedy to order a pre-emptive air strike on Cuba? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the October 2010 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1962, on this day the United States launched a devastating sneak attack on the small socialist republic island of Cuba.
October CrisisHolding the private conviction that pre-emptively attacking a much smaller country without warning was not something the United States did, the Attorney General Robert Kennedy noted in his diary "Now I know what Tojo must have felt like when he was planning Pearl Harbor".
In his memoir of the crisis, he expanded on his opposition to a "reverse Pearl Harbour" by revealing the option of a naval blockade, or "quarantine". However, the President had been forced to eliminate that option due to lack of support from military and congressional leaders.
Throughout world capitals Stars and Strips Flags were burnt as opposition mounted to the American action. The unproven existence of so-called Cuban Missiles was not only hotly disputed, but also seen as a pretext for the American invasion which had been considered inevitable ever since Fidel Castro had seized power in 1959.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2006-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: This Day in Alternate History Labels: Cuban Missiles Crisis, 1962, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Kennedy. ~ And WWIII doesn't break out how?
~ If well-handled, it would be a fairly short war; there was a lot of opposition to Castro in Cuba itself. The USSR might have fumed, but they were a long way away and REALLY didn't want another war; they were still digging out from WWII.
~ The bulk of Castro's opponents had been rounded up before the bungled Bay of Pigs. Most of those not in camps had been dumped to Miami. Khrushchev had released the warheads in Cuba to the local Soviet commander so depending on the dice Miami or Tampa might still glow from orbit. Plus the obvious Soviet counter was to simply occupy West Berlin and dare us to do anything about it. We had no conventional moves available to counter this.
~ You didn't read "Second Holocaust", did you?
~ This coupled with Vietnam might've pushed the Sixties off the edge into revolution.
~ I wouldn't count on its having been a short war, per Eric Oppen. A lot of Castro's opponents had indeed been rounded up, as Scott Palter says; others, rather than being "dumped" to Miami, had fled there (many had second homes in Florida), pausing only to strip the island countyry's banking system of an estimated billion dollars which had either belonged to them or been under their management. these weren't the "boat people" of '79; more like the yacht people. And Castro had a lot of support, too, both for the social programs he instituted and as someone willing to stand up to the "Yanquis."
I suspect the Cuban War--assuming it somehow hadn't escalated into nuclear holocaust--would have been a drawn-out guerrilla affair, like Afghanistan or Iraq today: the government would have fallen quickly enough, but fighting would have gone on and on.
Editor says, What if Tolkien dies on the Somme? This story was published in the March 2009 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1916, on this day a Signals Officer, Second Lieutenant John Tolkien of the Lancashire Fusiliers died in No Man's Land at the Battle of the Somme.No Tolkien Part 1 - Death of Tolkien by Eric Oppen & Ed.
In October 1911, Tolkien began studying at Exeter College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. He initially studied Classics but changed to English Language, graduating in 1915.
Tolkien trained with the 13th (Reserve) Battalion on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, for eleven months before receiving his Commission. He was then transferred to the 11th (Service) Battalion with the British Expeditionary Force, arriving in France on 4 June 1916.
His wife Edith later wrote: ~
"Junior officers were being killed off, a dozen a minute. Parting from my husband then ... it was like a death".
By 1918 all but one of his close friends were dead. To be continued ..
Entry posted by
Eric Oppen & Ed.
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: No Tolkien Source: Wikipedia Labels: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien, World War 1, Britain. Editor says, In No Man's Land at the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, Tolkien spent the night of October 27th with the Brigade Machine Gun Officer and the Signals Officer in one of the captured German dugouts. He was invested with lice, and the resulting trench fever led to his being invalided from the British Army on 8th November.
In 1967, the New York Times reported the tragic death of Lieutenant John Sidney McCain III. While on a bombing mission over North Vietnam, he was shot down, badly injured, and captured as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese.Hard Call
"On his last combat mission in Vietnam, having survived several mishaps that could have but did not cost him his life, it appears that McCain wasn't as acutely aware of the danger to his own well-being that the mission entailed. Instead of interpreting his previous experiences as evidence that things can and often will go wrong when flying, particularly in dangerous and stressful conditions - an awareness that should have made him more heedful of the danger - he had developed a false sense of his own invulnerability.
And that characteristic of his ego, which felt no need to check, discounted the danger he personally faced. He placed too much faith on what was beyond his knowledge or control: luck. And his luck ran out yesterday.
When he heard the warning tone that an enemy SAM battery had locked onto him, he was moments away from dropping his bombs on target. Thinking he had enough time to do the job and still evade the missile he knew would probably be coming his way. He also allowed the desire to get the hell away from Hanoi, which, thanks to Soviet assistance, had become the most heavily air-defended city in history, to encourage him to strike first and evade second. He didn't want to come back for a second run. It was to be a fatal lapse in self-awareness that prevented McCain from recognizing the cockiness that had blinded him to one of the immutable principles of war and life: luck is unreliable". ~ Hard Call, Feature Article in the New York Times, October 27th 1967.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Hard call : great decisions and the extraordinary people who made them by McCain, John, 1936-
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Amazon Labels: John McCain, Hard Call, Hanoi, Air Pirate, Premature Death.| New York | In 2004, the New York Yankees baseball team clinched yet another World Series, having shut out the St. Louis Cardinals four games to none. Earlier, the Yankees had done the same to their bitter rivals the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS championship series, continuing what baseball fans had nicknamed the "Curse of the Bambino": the Boston team had not won a Series since 1918, the year before they traded then-rookie pitcher Babe Ruth to the Yankees. |
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| Yankees Logo |
Entry posted by
Eric Lipps
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Sports Source: Wikipedia Labels: Yankees, North York, America, Baseball, Sports.In 1960, on this day reconstruction work began on Yankee Stadium. | |
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| Yankee Stadium |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jamaica Bay Source: Wikipedia Labels: New York, Hurricane, America, 1948, Disaster.On this day in 1941, the third and final Japanese attempt to capture Petropavlovsk ended in defeat as the Red Army broke through the right flank of the Japanese lines. | |
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| Red Army insignia |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Barbarossa41 Source: Wikipedia Labels: World War 2, Operation Barbarossa, Fascism, Europe of the Dictators, Axis Powers.| John McCain | On this day in 2010, two Venezuelan army divisions attempted to cross the Guyanan border and were turned back by Guyanan troops. |
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| US President |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: McCain09 Source: Wikipedia Labels: John McCain, Presidency, America, White House, Arizona.On this day in 1962, US Air Force Major Rudolf Anderson was shot down while photographing staging areas for the Soviets' Florida invasion force inside Cuba. | USAF Major |
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| Rudolf Anderson |
Entry posted by
Chris Oakley
© Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Cuba62 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Cuban Missiles Crisis, Cuba, ExComm, Rudolf Anderson, Nikita Khruschev.Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Robbie Taylor, 2004-Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Protocols Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Elders of Protocols of Zion, Robbie A. Taylor, Greater Zionist Resistence, GZR, Nazi.The Big Bang was so called because the abolition of fixed commission charges precipitated a complete alteration in the structure of the market. One of the biggest alterations to the market was the change from open-outcry to electronic, screen-based trading.
Other reforms were enacted at the same time, and it was the aggregation of the measures plus the expected increase in market activity that led to the event being called the Big Bang.
In Britain, the Big Bang became one of the cornerstones of the Thatcher government's reform programme. Prior to this event, the financial institutions of the City of London were seen as elitist and operated within tight-knit old boys' networks. The Big Bang brought the free market doctrine of meritocracy to London, allowing a new class of nouveau riche to profit from the economic boom.
Flawed thinking and British muddleheadedness were not realised for four years until the economic meltdown of 1989, fundamentally because the architects of the Big Bang were optimistic young men living in boom-time. Institutions set automatic trigger points for selling shares in their IT systems, and when the market slumped the whole system collapsed in 17.2 seconds as tail-spin computer programming continued to recalculate prices downwards in real-time until they hit zero.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Crises Source: Wikipedia Labels: Big Bang, Financial Markets, Stock Market Crash, Deregulation, London Stock Exchange.Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Crises Source: Wikipedia Labels: Cuban Missiles Crisis, Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr., U-2 Spy Mission, World War 3, Cold War.October 26
Editor says, what if Otto Von Habsburg had been caught up in the Hungarian Uprising? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1956, on the eve of the Presidential election, the conjoined international crisis in Hungary and Egypt was deepened by the Soviet arrest of the maverick aristocrat Otto von Habsburg.
Conjoined Crisis Part 5
Habsburg ArrestedFormally the Archduke Otto of Austria, he was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in 1918. He remained the Crown Prince of Hungary until the deposition of the Habsburgs in Hungary in 1921. He subsequently became the pretender to the former thrones, Head of the Imperial House of Habsburg (pictured), and Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1922.
In 1949, he ennobled several people, granting them Austrian noble titles, although not recognized by the Austrian republic. As he did not possess a passport and was effectively stateless, he was given a passport of the Principality of Monaco, thanks to the intervention of Charles de Gaulle in 1946.
Since the crisis started, he had been on the border making himself available to negotiate a compromise between the Soviet Union and Hungarian Government of Imre Nagy. He then entered the country with the intention of meeting Cardinal Mindszenty, the Primate of Hungary but this move had only triggered his arrest by Soviet authorities who were keen to end Habsburg's meddling. However this only precipitated a larger crisis due to his connections with the European Community. When the Western Media misreported that he was an "honest broker" seeking to defuse the crisis through arbitration, the matter entered the US political agenda and led to an unpleasant "October Surprise" for President Eisenhower. An article from the Conjoined Crisis thread.
Entry posted by
Jackie Speel
© Jackie Speel, 2012-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Conjoined Crisis Source: Wikipedia Labels: Imre Nagy, Egypt, Suez, Hungary, Otto Von Habsburg. Editor says, in reality the two crises were not directly connected and the time sequences have been adjusted to suite the story line. By Ed and Jackie Speel
~ How'd Otto live that long, is what I'd like to know. :D
~ The Habsburgs, or Hapsburgs, were a stubborn group who did not want to relinquish any longtime holds on power, one would have to say.
~ I'm surprised he didn't "have an accident."
Editor says, what if Mitt Romney decided to really turn back the clock on women? muses Jackie Rose. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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It is 2012, and in a dramatic return to his Mormon roots, Mitt Romney has announced that he plans to take on three more wives.
The Four Mrs. Romneys"It will serve the public's needs more than my own," he explained, in a press conference that left the reporters, for once, speechless. "I will still have Ann to care for the children, since she talks so much about it. Then I can take on a second, bilingual bride, who will travel throughout the world, thus winning hearts and minds in foreign countries. The third wife will stay at home, making public appearances at state fairs and other events. And the fourth will be an activist, crusading for worthy causes, such as plural marriage and other alternative lifestyles".
Anticipating the public's objections, he quickly explained that, while the Mormon Church outlawed polygamy long ago, in order to be admitted to the union, he has a right to practice his own religious freedom.
Asked later for their reaction, the Mormon leadership replied that, to use a phrase borrowed from another minority faith, "He has gone completely meshugeh".
However, he fired back that his new arrangement will certainly help him to win even more of the women's vote..by three ballots, at least. And if he chose to wed his brides in Ohio, those three could help him to carry that hotly contested state.
Entry posted by
Jackie Rose
© Jackie Rose, 2011-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Presidency, Mr America, Election. ~ Interesting. I wonder who the three new wives would be?
~ How many who would not vote for the guy to begin with would marry him?
~ There are a few places where that might be seen as a smart diplomatic move. But, if the wives all had credit cards, not a wise financial move.
~ Wow. Another liberal pipe dream that Romney somehow self implodes, when Obama is the one who seems to finding ways to lose. This is ASB territory.
~ ASB? I am afraid i don't know what that means, Brian. But the joke is that Romney is NOT self imploding in this AH parody but rather finding yet another way to turn everything to his advantage.
~ Bang goes his membership in the main LDS church, and the Reformed LDS wouldn't want him either (they've never admitted that J Smith was a polygamist). He might be OK with the Strangites.
~ Gay Rights Activists would riot, calling "unfair"!
~ Good point, Jeff! So he might want to take on two Lesbian or bisexual ladies (since female homosexuality is definitely NOT mentioned in the Bible).
Editor says, what if the 1775 invasion of Canada had succeeded? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the September 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1774, in a public letter dated on this day the First Continental Congress formally invited French-Canadians to join in a second meeting of the Congress to be held in May 1775.
Canada falls to the Arnold-Montgomery ExpeditionThe Second Continental Congress sent a second such letter in May 1775, but there was no substantive response to either one and on June 27, 1775, Congress authorized General Philip Schuyler to investigate, and, if it seemed appropriate, begin an invasion. Benedict Arnold, passed over for its command, went to Boston and convinced General George Washington to send a supporting force to Quebec City under his command.
The subsequent Arnold-Montgomery expedition was then bolstered [1] by the enlististment of troops for two full years (instead of one) and the support of the Iroquois who mostly come in on the Continental side. In combination, they seized Montreal (capturing British General Guy Carleton), then Quebec City and soon enough the conquest of French-Canada was a fait accompli.
In the spring, the Virginia expedition occupied the British posts in the Lakes country triggering the entry of French and Spanish into the war. The campaign then headed south, with the main British expeditionary forces moving to Charleston, Savannah and Havana. But with neither side able to deliver a knock-out blow, a protracted conflict continued until well into 1783.
France had insisted upon centralization as a price for aid, and the inevitable result was that the independent new nation closely resembled a version of England only with an elective monarch. The professional head of the Contintental Army, General George Washington became President as well as Commander. And his Federal Government covered the former territories of Middle Atlantic states, the devastated Dixie states and Canada with New England allied but established as separate colonies.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Canada, America, Arnold, Montgomery, Congress. Editor says, in authoring this post we have repurpose content from Wikipedia and built upon a detailed idea proposed by Scott Palter with [1] as the PODs. The assumption is that in OTL political parties formed during the State Ratification Process and therefore these significant changes are required to prevent their development. Contributions also from Robbie Taylor and Jeff Provine.
~ Yes, an "elective" monarchy; because Caesar is reluctant to take power...
~ Unless Washington prompts a new congress to determine a new system, it could very well crash with the first change-over of power. Or any subsequent after that. Or just outright rebellion.
~ Canada was always an unfortunate accident, eh?
~ In this timeline Benedict Arnold might be remembered as a hero. He might even have become president (after Washington, of course). That way almost certainly would lie a hereditary monarchy at some point, with elections a mere formality.
~ Problems: Most Americans were viscerally anti-Catholic, and French Canadians _knew_ it. The Iroquois had always been British allies, ever since Champlain humiliated them. Neither group was too keen on the Yankees.
~ If the United States and Canada had been united, the American slaves would not have been able to flee across the Canadian border. Not good.
Editor says, what if the Soviets had vetoed the UN resolution to defend South Korea? muses Matthew Dattilo on the Today in History web site. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In early 1950, the Soviet Union refused to seat a delegate on the U.N. Security Council in protest over the fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) had a permanent seat on the council but the People's Republic of China (PRC) did not.
Soviets veto resolution to defend South KoreaThe USSR had veto power on the council, a fact that would become vitally important in June of that year when North Korea invaded South Korea. With no Soviet delegate present, UN Security Council Resolution 84 received 7 "yes" votes with three nations abstaining. This vote gave international sanction for the defense of South Korea. But what if the Soviet delegate to the council had been present and had vetoed the resolution?
Today in 1950, U.S., British, Australian, and Canadian troops landed in North Korea at several points along the shoreline of Wonsan harbor. It was the largest amphibious operation since the Normandy invasion of June, 1944. Although North Korean units in the area fully expected a seaborne invasion, the size of the force wading ashore quickly overwhelmed any effort at defense. It was clear from that morning that there would be no holding back in the defense of South Korea.
A new story by Matt DattiloAfter the Soviet veto of UN Security Council Resolutions 84 and 85 in July, it became clear that if South Korea were to be saved, it would take a coalition of nations operating outside of UN auspices. U.S. President Harry Truman, unwilling to act without Congressional approval, initially ordered only military aid sent to the beleaguered South Korean military. By the third week of July, a North Korean victory seemed certain. By the first of August, the remains of the Republic's military was being loaded aboard ships at the port of Pusan, the last city in South Korean hands. Those fortunate enough to escape the country by sea set up a government-in-exile in Taiwan.
A plan to retake the Korean peninsula was already being finalized by the time the North Korean communists declared victory on August 8th, 1950. President Truman's State Department had been quietly negotiating with a small group of like-minded nations in an attempt to form a military coalition. General Douglas MacArthur, as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in the Pacific, would be the overall commander of all land and sea forces. MacArthur wanted to make a landing at Inchon, a port on the west coast of Korea close to Seoul. It boasted some of the world's farthest ranging tides and the invasion force would have to deal with scaling up a seawall while under attack by North Korean defenders. Regardless, Mac was confident that 40,000 men could be put ashore while the tide was in.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff thought differently. Their plan was to put 100,000 men ashore at Wonsan, located on the other side of the peninsula. From there, the force would push over the mountainous interior of North towards Pyongyang, cutting off the North Korean supply routes in the process. With winter closing in rapidly, communist forces in the south would soon find themselves in a desperate situation. At least that was the hope.
Before any overt military action could be taken, President Truman needed Congressional approval. On August 15th, 1950, he addressed a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against North Korea and "any other belligerent nation who shall commit forces in their aid". Truman's advisers had informed him that he was on solid legal ground if he chose to commit forces to the defense of South Korea without a Congressional declaration, reasoning that it was enough to just inform Congress of his actions and place a time limit on the troop commitment. Truman wanted no vague legalities; he told his Chief of Staff: "No half-measures here---if we're going to war, it will be decisive". The Congressional declaration was approved the next day.
And so it began. Truman addressed the nation, hoping to gain support for another war only five years after the end of the most destructive conflict in human history. Public response was lukewarm, but supportive. In the next few weeks, Army and Marine Corps reserve units were called to active duty. National Guard troops from nearly every state in the nation were federalized. Naval units from the Atlantic Fleet were rushed to service in the Pacific. Civilian transport ships were hired out, leased, or bought outright to carry everything the invasion force would need, from toothpaste to bazooka rounds.
At 5AM local time on October 26th, 1950, the liberation of Korea began when the guns of all four Iowa-class battleships and 20 heavy cruisers opened up on targets in and around Wonsan Harbor. Carrier-based fighter-bombers, Air Force B-29s, B-50s and B-36s targeted anything of military value inland. The US Marine Corps First Division, US Army Seventh Division and four British Royal Armored Regiments spearheaded the landings and met eager but weak resistance. By the end of the day on October 27th, 108,000 troops were ashore and pushing west.
By the end of 1950, North Korean troops trapped south of the pre-war border were surrendering in brigade-sized groups. Isolated pockets of fanatics would fight on into early 1951, but the North Korean army had ceased to exist as a cohesive force. Coalition forces pushed to within 20 miles of the Yalu River, which marks the border between North Korea and China. A feared Chinese intervention on the side of the North never materialized. Years later, it would be learned that the overwhelming force presented by the Coalition forces at Wonsan and during the push across the peninsula convinced the leadership in Beijing that sending troops to fight in Korea would not change the course of events.
There was a real fear in Washington that the Soviet Union might become directly involved in the fighting. But Josef Stalin had no interest in Korea and when Coalition spokesmen publicly floated the idea of a 10-mile wide demilitarized zone between Korea and China, Moscow encouraged Beijing to accept the deal and wait for other opportunities. The re-unified nation of Korea had many hard years ahead both politically and financially. But within 25 years it would be a thriving democracy and an economic powerhouse in the Pacific Rim.
Entry posted by
Matt Dattilo
© Matt Dattilo 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Matt Dattilo Blog Source: Jeff_Provine_Blog Labels: Soviet Union, Korea, United Nations, America, Stalin. Editor says, in reality there was a landing at Wonsan Harbor on October 26th, 1950, but it was only a two division force landed in support of the larger invasion occurring at Inchon. UN forces overran almost all of North Korea within a few weeks of these landings, but hundreds of thousands of Chinese "volunteers" pushed them back south during the winter of 1950-51. The front stabilized after that, but the fighting continued until July, 1953 when a ceasefire was signed and the border between the two Koreas was fixed at the 38th parallel, where it had been set before the war. No peace treaty has ever been signed and, at least technically, the Korean War is still going on.
~ Actually, Stalin was a fanatic regarding the Korean war. He alone was responsible for the two year stalemate along the 38th parallel from 51-53. The communists eagerly signed an armistice two weeks after the dictator's death.
~ An amusing question would be what China and/or Korea would _do_ with the south bank of the Yalu? I am pretty sure that the Cultural Revolution would get a lot of people contemplating a swim....
~ A good window for America to stand up rather than limited war: Stalin old and working to bide time & rebuild, Khrushchev not yet in place. Any earlier or later, and it could've been WW3.
~ I am confused here. Has Pusan fallen already. IF so the chances of the US trying to liberate all of Korea approximate zero. Inchon was the location because Truman had NOT given permission to liberate the North [MacArthur and Rhee did that on their own] and because the NK supply line to Pusan perimeter ran through Seoul. Wosan means a drive across the spine of Korea. Good luck with that with a Western mechanized force. No roads. Also this completely misstates the problem on China. Both Chinese governments claimed to be the government of all of China and rejected a two Chinas approach.
~ Stan, Stalin only became eager after the stalemate developed; he was less than enthusiastic about the initial invasion. Scott, UN forces DID push across the spine of North Korea in November, 1950 and hooked up with forces pushing east from Inchon. There were and are roads; just not great ones. And what does Beijing's intervention have to do with the government in Taiwan? A two Chinas approach? You need to clarify that one as it is not relevant to the issue of PRC intervention.
~ Re Stan Brin: If Stalin was a "fanatic" on Korea, he was curiously timid about it: it was Chinese troops, after all, not Soviet ones, who enabled the North Koreans to put up the fight they did. The timing of the North Koreans' acceptance of an armistice more likely has to do with Eisenhower's threat, conveyed to the Chinese and to Pyongyang through diplomatic channels, to start using nuclear weapons if they did not.
Or does Stan subscribe to the view thaat Mao was Stalin's obedient puppet? If so, he's in scarce company these days, though that view was popular in the fifties when it was assumed all Communists everywhere took orders directly from Moscow.
~ I'll quote (with updated links) an old post of mine at soc.history.what-if on why I think a Soviet veto would have made very little difference:
"Pursuant to its 'Uniting for Peace' resolution of November 1950...the Assembly may also take action if the Security Council fails to act, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member, in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly can consider the matter immediately with a view to making recommendations to Members for collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and security."
http://www.un.org/en/ga/about/background.shtml
So if the USSR made action by the Security Council impossible, couldn't the
US simply have gotten the General Assembly to pass the "uniting for peace"
resolution a few months earlier than it did? (Special sessions of the
General Assembly do *not* have to be called by a unanimous Security Council.
"Article 20 The General Assembly shall meet in regular annual sessions and in
such special sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions shall be
convoked by the Secretary-General at the request of the Security Council *or
of a majority of the Members of the United Nations.* [Emphasis added]
http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter4.shtml The non-communist majority at
the UN could easily have called for a quick special session of the General
Assembly had the Security Council been paralyzed by the Soviet veto.)
Whether the "uniting for peace" resolution was wise or even legal is not the
issue here. (In supporting a shift of power from the Security Council to the
General Assembly, the US perhaps failed to adequately consider that someday
the General Assembly would contain a lot more Third World countries hostile
to US policies.) The point is, I don't see why it couldn't have been passed
earlier if necessary.
Mind you, even if the UN had not been involved and the US and a few allies
acted without its sanction, I doubt that would make any real difference.
Congress would overwhelmingly authorize the use of force--not necessarily in
a formal declaration of war. The US would provide the bulk of the force but
some allies would help, as in OTL. MacArthur's proposals would be rejected
by Truman, as in OTL.
In short, I think that those who regard Stalin's boycott as a terrible
blunder (because it led the UN to approve intervention) and those who see it
as a clever move (because UN involvement supposedly put restraints on the US)
are both wrong. It just had very little effect, one way or the other. (What
"restrained" the US was not the UN but fear of a wider war, a belief that
Erurope rather than Asia was the most important battleground of the Cold War,
etc.) It may not even have affected the issue of whether the war would have
formal UN approval.
~ Excellent points, David. I am not well-versed in Security Council or General Assembly procedure, so your comments are quite an education for me. My AH post is a bit of a fantasy piece in that is presupposes that Truman only approved the limited approach we took in Korea because the US was part of a larger UN force. For all I know, he would have pursued that course either way.
My dad is a Korean War veteran and he has always been of the opinion that thousands of lives would have been saved if the war had been an all-out effort to actually reunify Korea, which was the original intention at the end of the Second World War. Instead, the UN merely sought a return to the status quo.
~ Ike merely promised to go to Korea. He did not threaten to invade China. Stalin died, he was buried, the pact was signed, it went into effect -- all in two weeks after three years of fighting.
~ The UN provided a convenient fig-leaf, but IMNSHO Truman would have acted anyway. He wasn't a bit above doing what he thought was necessary.
Editor says, what if the independence of Kashmir had been maintained after the partition of India? muses Jeff Provine on the This Day in Alternate History web site. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the August 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1947, as Britain prepared to grant India its independence during the scaling down of an empire upon which the sun could not set, the question of the mountain kingdom of Kashmir seemed easily solved as the population was 77 percent Muslim and it stood at some of the headwaters of the Indus River; it would simply go along with the newly created Dominion of Pakistan.
Kashmir Remains Independent However, when its King Hari Singh was slow to act after the British left, Pakistan funded the Azad ("Free") Kashmir army to press the king into acceptance through guerrilla terrorism.
Kashmir had not long been its own nation. It originally stood as the Kashmir Valley, a geographic feature of the Himalayas that carved a rich valley nearly surrounded by the world's tallest mountain range. Long populated by Hindus and Buddhists, the Muslim influence came gradually and harmoniously. After centuries of increasing corruption, the reigning Hindu Lohara were overthrown in 1339 by the Muslim Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir, who began a long dynasty of Islamic rule in a period where Islam became the dominant religion. Kashmir would eventually lose its self-determination as it come under control of the Mughal Empire in the 1580s and was passed on to the Afghani Durrani and Sikh empires over the next centuries.A new story by Jeff Provine
Gulab Singh, a grandnephew and courtier of the Sikh's first Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was awarded Kashmir as a subsidiary kingdom after his excellent services in northern campaigns that helped secure the region. He went on to conquer nearby Jammu and worked with the increasing British presence in the region. In 1846, the First Anglo-Sikh War would knock down much of the Sikh's power in favor of the growing British Empire, and Gulab would prove himself an able negotiator after British victory at the Battle of Sobraon. Gulab's son and successor Ranbir sided with the British in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which prompted another award as the British officially named him ruler of the Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu. For the next century, Kashmir was a relatively quiet subordinate kingdom with its own maharajas.
After World War II and the success of India's independence movement, the partition of Pakistan and India led to humanity's largest mass migration as Muslims and Hindus tried to sort themselves out amid the new borders. When King Hari Singh did not move to join Pakistan after the British officials left their posts, the Pakistan government attempted to force the land into submission with scare tactics and raids. Hari Singh turned to Louis Mountbatten, the man who had been the last Viceroy of India and oversaw its transition as Governor-General of the Union of India; Mountbatten replied that aid could only be given if Kashmir were part of his jurisdiction in India. After great thought, Hari Singh refused to the offer and addressed his people with a speech relayed by radio of the decision to remain free and the importance of standing up to Pakistani aggression. Pakistan became embarrassed by the international outcry, and the resulting UN resolution gave foreign aid while a plebiscite was held. The votes to remain independent narrowly won out, and many commentators agreed that if Pakistan had not moved so harshly, that the people would have eagerly joined.
In 1950, across the Himalayas, China would march into Tibet nearly unopposed. Taking note from the lack of international action, Pakistan would make its own march into Kashmir. King Hari Singh simply fled, and the people were largely complacent. India led a cry for Kashmiri independence, prompting an Indian army marching into Kashmir to restore the king, which resulted in an outpouring of aid from China, who feared an Indian supremacy in the region. While China sent only a few soldiers, their influence in Kashmir increased greatly and soon funded, ironically enough, the violent separatists, many of them minority Hindu and Sikh.
The disappearance of the Mo-e-Muqaddas (the Hair of the Prophet) relic from the Hazratbal shrine on December 26, 1963, prompted swift crackdown on minorities and violations of human rights such as illegal arrest, searches, and seizure of property. Although the relic was found again only days later, the policies remained, prompting another invasion from India in 1965 in an effort to liberate the oppressed Hindus in Jammu as well as to capture high ground for tactical advantage. The war reached a standoff, and Kashmir remained bloody and tense until the USSR's occupation of Afghanistan sparked another conflict in the Third Kashmir War. Using American arms and reinforcements, Pakistan held its advantage.
Since the 1980s, Kashmir has remained one of the most notoriously troubled regions in the world. The development of nuclear weapons in both India and Pakistan has caused a sense of nervous peace, though skirmishes crop up, such as gunfire in 1999 and raiding following the 2005 earthquake.
Entry posted by
Jeff Provine
© Jeff Provine, 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jeff Provine Blog Source: Jeff Provine’s Blog Labels: Kashmir, India, Pakistan, Subcontinent, British Raj. Editor says, in reality, King Hari Singh agreed to Mountbatten?s condition that Kashmir become part of India. An Indian army fought off the Pakistani forces, and a UN resolution sponsored a ceasefire, though no plebiscite would be made. Politically contested with regions claimed by India, Pakistan, and China, Kashmir is a major stumbling block for international discussion, but free from violence for the most part.
~ Actually, this is somewhat plausible. Many people believe that Kashmir should have remained independent.
~ An independent Kashmir could also end up as a Vietnam for India and Pakistan
~ In OTL, Hari Singh's decision was one of the more disastrous ones in history.
Editor says, what if British appeasement hadn't stopped with Hitler? Sixty years later a man of honour seeks to make amends. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 2009, on this day British Prime Minister Bryan Gould issued an official apology to the Republic of Poland.
The mysterious death of General Sikorski The beginning of this controversial affair was a formal request to exhume the remains of General Wladyslaw Sikorski, the talismanic head of Poland's government in exile during the Second World War. On behalf of the people of Poland, President Lech Kaczynski sought the truth about the General's mysterious demise, telling the Tygodnik Powszechny weekly newspaper that "The tragic circumstances of the death of General Sikorski should be explained".
"The tragic circumstances of the death of General Sikorski should be explained"Because on July 4, 1943, while Sikorski was returning from an inspection of Polish forces deployed in the Middle East, he was killed, together with his daughter, his Chief of Staff, Tadeusz Klimecki, and seven others, when his plane, a Liberator II, serial AL523, crashed into the sea 16 seconds after takeoff from Gibraltar Airport at 23:07 hours. He was subsequently buried in a brick-lined grave at the Polish War Cemetery in Newark-on-Trent, England. On September 17, 1993, his remains were exhumed and transferred to the royal crypts at Wawel Castle in Krakow, Poland.
"This is the end of Poland. This is the end of Poland".Immediately after the crash, a Polish officer who had witnessed the event from the airstrip began sobbing quietly and repeating: "This is the end of Poland. This is the end of Poland". General Sikorski's death marked a turning point for Polish influence amongst the Anglo-American allies. No Pole after him would have much sway with the Allied politicians. Sikorski had been the most prestigious leader of the Polish exiles and his death was a severe setback for the Polish cause.
Conspiracy theories have surrounded the death, including a Soviet plot on Stalin's orders, and the exhumation of the statesman's remains from Wawel Cathedral, Krakow, proved this. But worse than the discovery of Russian ordinance in the cadaver, was the later revelation of British complicity - pre-alerting the Soviets to the timing departure of the Liberator II. The British Government was not only acting in combination with Stalin to crush Polish self-determination, but worse, trying to prevent Sikorski from revealing British code-breakers early discovery of the Katyn Forest Massacre of Polish Officers. In one of the most disgracefully episodes of the Second World War, the 1939 Security Guarantee from the British Government had in fact been betrayed - by the British themselves.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© "Investigation into 1943 mystery" (Sept 2008) Edition of History Today MagazineStory Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Beasts Source: Wikipedia Labels: Poland, Wladyslaw Sikorski, Lech Kaczynski, Polish, Britain. Editor says, Please note that extensive amounts of content have been repurposed from History Today Magazine and Wikipedia..
~ Sikorski had become an inconvenience. To get Hitler out of Poland meant putting Stalin in and the London Poles were standing on honor instead of facing up to real politik. Note that while the West declared war over Poland they not only did nothing to try to aid the Poles but refused to lift the blockade so the Poles could be fed [they would later lift the blockade to feed the Greeks in mid-war which shows you who the British expected to be in their sphere post-war].
~ Britain to Poland: "You screwed up---you trusted us!" Seriously, I was reading that during the Warsaw uprising, the RAF swore blind that they couldn't drop supplies---then sent fleets of bombers to Koenigsburg, which was just about as far away, with no trouble at-all.
~ Just one question....who's Bryan Gould?
~ He's the senior Labour figure we should have had for PM, after his missed out on the 1994 leadership election, he moved to Australia, another sign of his intelligence in the sense of a) leaving Britain b) going down under.
~ Thought Gould was a kiwi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Gould. No John Smith, No Blair No Brown, But what is the point here? Comunism, collapses. EU Expansion happens. Labour looking for the Polish vote?
~ Gould apologies, and the Poles vote Tory. ??? War is over. Reds are gone
Editor says, what if the end of the world was announced through Twitter? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 2009, understandeably frustrated whilst travelling on a greyhound bus in the southern United States on this day, God announced the end of the world by sounding the final trumpet call - via a global tweet. Predicably enough the picture of the Whale flips up on the 3G device, indicating that the Twitter System has overloaded. And consequently only a selection of humanity will receive good notice of the opportunity for final repentance.
"In the Belly of the Whale" by Ed., Jen Greenup and Christopher FinkleThose priests, shamans, and clergy who have found God's blog find out about the tweet through His twitter widget (on the right hand widget bar), and plead for Him to give the world a proper chance at repentance. He agrees with them that this ought be so, and waits until Twitter is back up, when he will re-post his tweet. (Meanwhile, one of said clergy e-mails Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins with links to God's blog, and they realize that they've been wrong their entire lives, start slitting their wrists, and then go ask Rick Warren how to go about joining his church).
However, Satan, wanting more time to get people who will end up in Hell on Judgement Day, conspires against the Lord's plans. In a flurry of demonic activity on a scope unfamiliar to post-biblical times, he posesses a Google committee and makes them purchase twitter for a couple of billion dollars. At the same time, he coordinates a Chinese cyber-terrorist strike against google, and the combined effort of a billion Chinese computers completely crashes Google and all of its subsidiaries, including the newly-acquired Twitter. The world is spared for a while. Hitchens takes the time to write the bestseller, "I'm sorry God, You are great, and Your blog is really funny, too", while God tries to figure out an alternate way to inform the world of the end of the world, since only a fraction of His people have access to Twitter. The latest reports from Heaven indicate that it may include the rearrangement of approximately a billion stars within the milky way, to spell out the end in no uncertain terms in 2,000 languages.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Religion Source: Wikipedia Labels: Apocalypse, Judgement Day, Judgement Call, Twitter, Final Tweat. ~ Don't use Twitter, so can't really comment on this one.
~ This is certainly... bizarre.
~ I wonder how many hits God's blog would get compared to, say, keyboard cat. Would God give thumbs up to awesome vids like Jack Leroy Tueller - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQzRxGuBn0k ? I think so.
| US President | On this day in 1936, Francis Urqhuart met his future wife Elizabeth at a West Point Halloween ball. |
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| Francis Urquhart |
Variant entry posted by
Chris Oakley
original content has been repurposed to celebrate the author's genius © Chris Oakley,2008-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: The Francis Urquhart Story Source: Wikipedia Labels: Francis Urquhart, US President, America, Ian Richardson, Politics.In 1954, a second U.S. attempt at launching the world's first artificial satellite fails, this one thirty-five seconds after liftoff; the rocket falls into the Atlantic Ocean. In a telephone conference with the President, project scientist Wernher von Braun pleads for one more chance. Eisenhower agrees, but warns that if there is a third public failure, he may be unable to justify continuing the effort. | Werner |
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| Von Braun |
Entry posted by
Eric Lipps
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Werner Von Braun, NASA, Space Race, America, Cold War.Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Personalities Source: MSN Boards Labels: Tony Blair, Memoirs, Random House, Member of Parliament, Britain.Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Crises Source: Wikipedia Labels: President Harry Truman, Ku Klux Klan, White Supremacy, President, Vice President.Harvard University professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., one of the anthology's general editors, has denied that the controversies surrounding Haley's works are the reason for this delayed inclusion. Nonetheless, Dr. Gates has acknowledged the doubts surrounding Haley's claims about Roots, saying, 'Most of us now feel it's probable that Alex actually found the village whence his ancestor Unika Ubani sprang. Contrary to previous statements, it is clear that Roots is a work of strict historical scholarship rather than the imagination. We are indebted to Al Roker who independently verified Haley's account that has lifted the cloud of doubt which has hung over this great work for thirty years'.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Roots Source: Wikipedia Labels: Roots, The African, Harold Courlander, Alex Haley, African Holocaust.Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
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Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Dagger stab legend, Stab in the back, Third OHL, Second Reich, World War 1.October 25
Editor says, what if King Michael of Romania had refused to abdicate under Soviet pressure? muses Jeff Provine on the This Day in Alternate History web site. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the October 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1921, on this day Michael King of the Romanians was born in Sinaia, a mountain resort in Prahova County.
Birth of Michael, King of the RomaniansHis reign began on 20 July 1927 but was threatened with forced abdication at the closing days of World War II which saw the Russian occupation of Eastern Europe.
Michael returned to Romania and immediately felt the pressures of Soviet take-over. But, he was the same Michael that, at a mere 26 years old, had rallied with the pro-Allied leaders of Romania and overthrown the Nazi camp's stranglehold. The coup had invited in the Soviets, and now it was time for Michael to rebel again. He found his capitalist supporters, locked down the palace, and, on December 30, sent out by radio and telegram an appeal to the United Nations and individual governments of the United States, Britain, France, and others for support against what he called an invasion from the roots.
The diplomatic gamble would pay off as Stalinists overreacted. Prime Minister Groza had threatened to murder 1,000 students who had been arrested for speaking out against the Soviet Union. The massacre began and rallied the Romanian people against Soviet supporters. Declaring a state of unrest, the Prime Minister called for Soviet military aid, and an invasion began that sparked action from Western nations in early 1948. Dwight Eisenhower, again Supreme Commander in Europe, led his generals in the heaviest fighting in eastern Germany, then joining up with the Polish Resistance and sparking revolutions in the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Romania itself would be filled with guerrilla warfare against a vastly superior force until Allied tanks led the liberation of Bucharest in 1949. Michael, who had been spirited out of the country just after the Soviet invasion, returned from his government-in-exile in London shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, Italy invaded the Julian March in 1948, which was ceded by Yugoslavia, and Tito sued for a separate peace. Mao Zedong in China was defeated by Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Army, who made certain that Communism was stamped out in the East. Socialist upstarts in India had been put down by Britain's agreement of independence, though French Indochina would see much bloodshed before native Vietnamese were given self-rule.
The Allies pressed into Russia through liberating Ukraine. From experience, they knew Stalin would never give up, despite the use of atomic weapons on his bases. The Cold War portion continued as the stalemated Allies waited until Stalin was finally assassinated and Moscow fell into civil war. Russia was Balkanized, and the exhausted Allies fell into retirement, letting loose their colonies over the '50s and '60s and settling into a new era of capitalistic rule under the American superpower.
Entry posted by
Jeff Provine
© Jeff Provine, 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jeff Provine Blog Source: Jeff Provine’s Blog Labels: World War 3, Romania, King Michael, Abdication Crisis, Soviet. Editor says, in reality Michael of Romania abdicated under Soviet pressure (what he referred to as "blackmail") in a radio address while troops surrounded his palace. He and his family went into exile, eventually settling in asylum in Franco?s Spain, while Romania would be under Soviet rule until it would finally see its violent revolution in 1989.
Editor says, what if Admiral Byrd's final mission really had a military objective? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
The fighting in Europe is finished, but the war is far from over because the Fuhrer has fled to Antartica. Cornered like a rat in his frozen Bechtesgarten, the Allies need to destroy his secret base before he can fight back with his secret Nazi technology..
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In 1888, on this day the commander of the final engagement of World War 2, Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. was born in Winchester, Virginia.
Birth of Rear Admiral Richard E. ByrdHe was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration being a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights, in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. His expeditions [1] had been the first to reach the North Pole and the South Pole by air.
In 1946 he was selected by US Navy Secretary James Forrestal as the operational command for Task Force 68. His mission was to end the Second World War by destroying the Secret Nazi Base in New Swabia, Antarctica. [2]
At the climax of the Battle of Antarctica he secretly met with the Fuhrer. No details of that meeting have ever emerged, apart from a fragment from Byrd's Missing Diary ~ "There comes a time when the rationality of men must fade into insignificance and one must accept the inevitability of the Truth! I am not at liberty to disclose the following documentation at this writing .. perhaps it shall never see the light of public scrutiny, but I must do my duty and record here for all to read one day. In a world of greed and exploitation of certain of mankind can no longer suppress that which is truth". This article is taken from the NaziUFO thread.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: NaziUFO Source: Wikipedia Labels: High Jump, Admiral Byrd, Adolf Hitler, Antartica, World War 2. Editor says, in authoring this post, we have re-purposed content from Wikipedia. [1] An unproved claim from Byrd himself [2] Only for this timeline.
Editor says, what if the Germans had survived the Second Battle of Dorylaeum? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1147, on this day German crusaders under Conrad III managed to fight off Mesud I's army of Seljuk Turks at the Second Battle of Dorylaeum.
Crusader Victory at the Second Battle of DorylaeumRunning short of provisions, the Germans had been forced to stop there and his army of twenty thousand men were attacked by forces loyal to the Sultanate of Rum.
The narrow-fought victory enabled the Second Crusade to continue after linking up with a force led by Louis VII of France (the armies of the two kings had marched separately across Europe, and planned to converge after crossing Byzantine territory into Anatolia).
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Battle of Dorylaeum, Mesud I, Conrad III, German, Crusader. Editor says, in reality Seljuk Turks completely annihilate German crusaders under Conrad III at the Battle of Dorylaeum. Please note that we have re-purposed significant amounts of content from Wikipedia.
Editor says, what if American Graffiti had ruined Harrison Ford's chances of working with George Lucas again on Star Wars? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1975, on this day Michael Douglas quit The Streets of San Francisco to play the supporting role of Corellian smuggler, Han Solo in George Lucas new movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
Michael Douglas plays Han Solo By Ed & Scott PalterDuring the audition, Lucas had been assisted by Harrison Ford, an actor that he had previously worked with on American Graffiti. For context, Ford read lines and also explained the concepts and history behind the scenes that they were reading. This orientation began with the eye-brow raising introductory statement "Starring in a science fiction film doesn't mean you have to act science fiction".
When Douglas had left, Ford sensed that Lucas - who had considered a host of actors ranging from Sylvester Stallone (pictured) through to Burt Reynolds - had finally found his man. And perhaps there was just a hint of jealously when he half-jokingly said "George, you can type this sh*t, but you sure as hell can't say it". Lucas only chuckled and replied that Stallone could neither type, say or act it [1].
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Hollywood Source: Wikipedia Labels: Star Wars, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, George Lucas. Editor says, Lucas initially rejected the idea of using Harrison Ford, as he had previously worked with him on American Graffiti, and instead asked Ford to assist in the auditions by reading lines with the other actors and explaining the concepts and history behind the scenes that they were reading. Lucas was eventually won over by Ford's portrayal and cast him instead of Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte,[6] Sylvester Stallone,[7] Christopher Walken, Billy Dee Williams (who would play Lando Calrissian in the sequels), and Perry King, who wound up playing Solo in the radio plays. [1]The other statements were spoken but he never actually said this.
~ Ford has been very active in environmental and liberal causes, so perhaps his stardom has effected the political scene.
~ Many actors were considered.remember Lucas is the genius behind "Howard the duck.".
~ Pity if we'd missed Harrison Ford's later work. And would Douglas have had the cojones to shoot first?
~ Ford might still have gone on to play Indiana Jones.
~ Stallone in Star Wars? Sorry, can't see it happening.
~ But, then could Tom Cruise, or some other unknown at the time emerged to play the roles Douglas might have missed, like in Romancing The Stone, as this role could led him down a heavier leading pathway?
~ I see Tom Cruise being more of a Luke Skywalker type.
~ I'm with Jackie on this one. Tom Cruise would have been fifteen years old, so it might have just worked for him to play Luke Skywalker. I just can't see a fifteen year old Tom Cruise as Han Solo.
~ Maybe at the end of Empire Strikes Back, they'd just leave Han frozen/dead.
Editor says, what if Ted Kennedy had lived? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the September 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1994, on this day the first televised debate of the US Senate election in Massachusetts was held at Faneuil Hall in Boston.
UpstagedFive term Senator Ted Kennedy faced the biggest challenge of his long political career. In a dirty race which contrasted both ends of the political spectrum, his millionaire tycoon opponent, a venture capitalist called Mitt Romney fully exploited the issue of high unemployment. Most witheringly, he even suggested that Kennedy's high profile on the Hill had done absolutely nothing for the local economy apart from raise taxes and create pork. Romney claimed that ten thousand jobs were created because of his work at Bain, but private detectives hired by Kennedy found a factory bought by Bain Capital that had suffered a 350-worker strike after Bain had cut worker pay and benefits.
Although polls showed a close run race, Romney crashed to defeat 41-58 percent on election day. However he took some pride in forcing Kennedy to raise a mortage on his house in order to obtain the campaign fees necessary for victory.
Eighteen years later unemployment stood at an incredible ten percent, and this time Romney (who had been more or less campaigning since the nineties) was running against Barack Obama for the Presidency. But the decision to call upon Kennedy to introduce Obama, and create an association with the victory in Massachusetts, would backfire. Because former President Bill Clinton had hoped to give the introductory speech, and given Kennedy's failed run in 1980, felt that he could have created a more resonant association from the success of his own two term of office. Of course there had been some rivalry between Clinton and Obama, with the former appearing at times to be running a shadow Presidency through his private office.
Still the social liberal he was in 1994, Romney had been forced to quit the GOP to run as the Reform Party candidate for President in a three party system.
Entry posted by Alternate Historian Robbie Taylor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Mlosh Source: Robbie Taylors Blog Labels: Mlosh, 1720, Robbie A. Taylor, Warp, Alien. Editor says, in reality Kennedy died of brain cancer on Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at his home in Hyannis Port. Thanks to Scott Palter for his contribution to the ending of this blog article.
~ As I recall, in "our" 1994 Massachusetts Senate race, Romney took an even worse beating. As for having Teddy instead of Bill Clinton introduce Obama at the Democratic convention, it's a nice idea, but I don't see where it would have made much of a difference.
~ With Romney shunted off to the Reformists, what lunatic is heading the GOP ticket?
~ As long as Ted lived that Senate seat was his. I don't know how he got on with the Clintons. And, as I've mentioned elsewhere, he'd always have "Chappaquiddick" tailing him around, even if he could always get elected in Chelm...I mean Massachussetts.
~ Romney leaves the GOP? As a registered Republican, that would make my day. Could he possibly take John McCain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, Rudi Guiliani and anyone with the last name of Bush with him? :-D
~ Like Eric O, I thought that Chappaquiddick would keep him from having a high profile in anyplace but Massachusetts. It dashed his hopes of becoming president...and probably would have stopped him from nominating Obama on nationwide TV.
~ In the immortal words of Arte Johnson, "Verrrrrrrrry interesting...."
~ People would definitely be up for a potent Reform Party these days. With an influx of Romney power, it might be a bigger deal.
~ Romney would have to be an idiot to run on a third-party ticket, given the way the requirement for an electoral-college majority all but mandates a two-party system.
Then again . . . !
Editor says, what if Henry V had lost the Battle of Agincourt? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1415, on St Crispin's Day the numerically superior forces of King Charles VI of France crushed the army of King Henry V of England at the decisive Battle of Agincourt which ended the dynastic struggle between the Royal Houses of Valois and Plantagenet.
Battle of AgincourtThe victorious army was inspired by the talismanic personal command of the French King who had long suffered from severe, repeating illnesses and moderate mental incapacitation. His crucial leadershp of Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party added a cutting edge to the Battle which saw Henry V and two brothers, Bedford and Gloucester all perish (surprisingly, the English King was on foot in the thick of the battle and killed by one of the Burgundian knights who had sworn to kill him).
The Lancastrian dynasty was finished, but the consequences of victory would profoundly affect France too. Soon after Agincourt, the fragile truce between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions broke down. The brunt of the battle had fallen upon the Armagnacs and in their weakened state, the Burgundians seized the opportunity to re-establish their own Kingdom.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Generals Source: Wikipedia Labels: Battle of Agincourt, Saint Crispin's Day, Henry V, Charles I, Platagenet. Editor says, in this article we repurpose content from both Live Journal and also Wikipedia which reports that ~ He [Henry V] was on foot in the thick of the battle and one of the 18 Burgundian knights who'd sworn to kill him actually managed to sever one of the fleur-de-lys rubies from his crown.
~ As long as he still makes his 'band of brothers' speech, all is well. Wait...that was Shakespeare. Never mind. I'm woefully ignorant of the possibilities here, but how much of France did England control at this time?
~ End the dynasty maybe. End the war? Not hardly. That took the war of the Roses and Louis XI unifying France. However absent BOTH it just goes on every generation or so.
~ Without Henry V, or an heir of his body, the Yorkist line succeeds to the throne without the Wars of the Roses...and poor Shakespeare has to look elsewhere for his inspirations for his plays. I wonder what he could have done with King Alfred?
~ Possibly a weaker england, after a crushing defeat like that - meaning a stronger, independent Scotland, not nearly as much emigration to the American colonies and the colonists aren't primarily people whose ancestors got their butts kicked by the English crown and have a family heritage of wanting vengeance,, Interesting question keying on how good the leadership of the Burgundians is, with a weaker england, France and Spain can use more of their force to subdue enemies- of course they'd probably spend most of that added force pounding on each other.....
~ With England off licking it's wounds, France could well shatter outright....
~ In the English chaos, might've given Owain Glyndŵr a shot at coming out of hiding and liberating Wales again.
Editor says, what if Gerald Ford had been assassinated in 1975? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
In our time line, Connally announced in January 1979 that he would seek the Republican nomination for President in 1980. He was considered a great orator and strong leader and was featured on the cover of Time with the heading "Hot on the Trail". His wheeler-dealer image remained a liability. Connally raised more money than any other candidate, but he was never able to overtake the popular conservative front runner Ronald Reagan of California.
This story was published in the November 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1979, on this day the former Governor of Texas, Secretary of both the Navy and Treasury John Bowden Connally, Jr. declared his candidacy for President of the United States fast becoming the GOP's front-running "Beat Carter" nominee.
Hot on the TrailA former Democrat who crossed the aisle in 1972, Connally's shot at the White House had been fired by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Because four year before, she had assassinated US President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California. Ironically, Connally had gained national prominence because he was a passenger in the car in which President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
In the 1976 race, the "Georgia Giant" Jimmy Carter had narrowly defeated the former Governor of California Ronald Reagan, a candidate who had decided too late to run in 1968. Unwilling to run for a third time in 1980, the field was left open to Connally with the expectation that he could garner votes from both parties.
Two further events would ultimately steer Connally into the White House. The death of an alternative Republican Candidate, former President Nelson Rockefeller, and the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: John Connally, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, 1980, Presidency. Editor says, in this post we explore an article on Democratic Underground and repurposed from the Wikipedia.
~ I don't know much about him, but I think that the penumbra from the Kennedy assassination might help him...for a while.
~ If Gerald Ford were killed that should read Former President Nelson Rockefeller, not VP. Fixed - thanks. Ed
~ One further change: brecause under the Twelfth Amendment the President and Vice-President must be from different states, George H. W. Bush wouldn't have been Connally's VP and might never have been president at all--which in turn would have reduced his son's chances.
~ To say the least.
~ Nixon out, Ford killed, Rockefeller dies... If clear leadership doesn't appear, America might be the one losing out on the Cold War.
Editor says, what if Geoffrey Chaucer was more politically active? muses Jeff Provine on the This Day in Alternate History web site. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the August 2011 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1400, on this day Geoffrey Chaucer was freed from prison and composes "Croun Retorned" ("Crown Returned").
Chaucer Freed from Prison and Composes "Croun Retorned" ("Crown Returned") Middle English writer Geoffrey Chaucer is known as the first to show the potential for literature in his native tongue, but he was also very active in his political life.
Born in a family of comfortable wealth with land in Ipswich and dozens of shops in London, Chaucer gained his first foothold into politics as page to Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster. For the rest of his professional life, he would work as a diplomat, civil servant, and member of influential courts.A new story by Jeff Provine
After being captured and ransomed as a young man during the Caroline War, he traveled extensively, especially in Italy, where he would be introduced to poetry in the Italian vernacular. While English poetry was predominately in French and Latin at the time, Chaucer brought back the idea of a poetry of the people. He created works such as "The Book of the Duchess" and most famously his Canterbury Tales (completed in 1408 with its 116 stories). Edward III granted Chaucer "a gallon of wine daily for the rest of his life" on St. George's Day, 1374, believed to be royal endorsement of his artistic advancements.
While writing, Chaucer continued his political career. His children by his wife Phillipa Roet, lady-in-waiting to the queen, did well in society, such as his son Thomas serving as chief butler to kings throughout Europe and Speaker of the House of Commons and daughter Alice marrying the Duke of Suffolk. Chaucer himself climbed upward through the hierarchy of public service, gaining positions as envoy, Comptroller for Customs in London, and clerk of king's works. Toward the end of Chaucer's career, childless Richard II once again came to troubles maintaining his hold on the throne. While campaigning in Ireland, Richard was overthrown by Henry of Bolingbroke, who easily marched his army through England in 1399 while Richard's knights were away. Richard eventually surrendered at Flint Castle to be spared his life for imprisonment in the Tower of London.
Amid the turmoil, Chaucer lost his pay. With creditors in constant pursuit, Chaucer was eager to get renewed grants from the new king, Henry IV, who was distantly his step-nephew by his wife's sister's third marriage. Chaucer wrote his poem "The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse" in hopes of making his plight known in a clever manner. In its final stanza, he set about a challenge to Henry in what notes suggest was more daring from the original draft.
"Are ye our newe Brutes Albyoun
Who stand fore from line and battle
Our verray king? This song to yow I sende,
Be ye that mowen alle oure harmes amende
Have minde upon my questiun".
Henry responded to the poem with a heavy hand, firing Chaucer from his positions and having him arrested on grounds of debt-evasion. While he contained the potential political stink, the action was enough to convince the young Edward of Norwich to permit his fellow earls Salisbury, Huntingdon, and Kent to go forth with their Epiphany Rising and capture Henry at a tournament in Windsor. In the chaos, Henry's supporters deserted the man who proved not to be heir to Brutus. Richard II was returned to the throne while Henry was executed and his son Henry relegated to positions in Cornwall and Ireland. Upon his return to command, Richard praised Chaucer for questioning the usurper and paid the poet's debts as well as promising a handsome pension, provided he continued to write for the good of England, first producing a long poem praising Richard.
Until his death in 1411, Chaucer produced numerous works highly regarded in English literature. Richard worked to hold onto his throne, struggling against an increasingly independent Northumberland and the Liberation in Wales circa 1415. He finally managed somewhat stable peace with France, despite encouragement from Henry and others that victory could be pressed through Calais.
Richard was succeeded by the next in line for the throne in 1424 by Edmund Mortimer, who became Edmund III and led the merging of the Lancaster and Plantagenet houses through his grandmothers. England continued on a path of stability over the rest of the Middle Ages, producing great works of art and literature but proving politically unambitious.
Entry posted by
Jeff Provine
© Jeff Provine, 2010-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Jeff Provine Blog Source: Jeff Provine’s Blog Labels: Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, Chaucer, Henry IV, Edmund III. Editor says, in reality, Chaucer wrote flatteringly to Henry IV,
"O conquerour of Brutes Albyoun
Which that by line and free eleccioun
Been verray king, this song to yow I sende,
And ye that mowen alle oure harmes amende
Have minde upon my supplicacioun".
Henry promised to return grants to Chaucer, though records are unclear whether they were actually paid. Chaucer is believed to have died October 25, 1400, though even this date was written on a tomb erected a century after his death. Some historians, such as Python Terry Jones, speculate that his sudden death and lack of will or surviving papers could have been a political murder to clear the remains of Richard II's influence. Whatever the truth, Chaucer was buried in Westminster Abbey, and ever since English writers have sought to be buried with him in what has become Poet's Corner.
~ This would have been very different, in a lot of ways. By now things would be unrecognizable. However, Richard II was inept enough to lose his throne again.
Editor says, what if Bob Marley was a novelist? And white people could get past the image and Caribbean accent and truly understand what he was trying to say? What breakthroughs might he have achieved had he lived? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1974, the publication on this day of the novel "Natty Dread" marked the emergence of a new and powerful father of the Beat Generation, the celebrated Anglo-Jamaican author Nesta Robert ("Bob") Marley.
Marley's genius was to imbue the "Spontaneous Prose" of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" with the raw vibrance of the Jamaican patois language, necessary to fully articulate a nostalgic remembrance of growing up in the ghetto in Kingston and the happiness brought by the company of friends.
Watch No Woman, No Cry
A Shining Torch of Hope is passedThis breaktaking novel credits "Vincent Ford" (nicknamed "Tartar"), a close friend of the author's who ran a soup kitchen on the streets of Trenchtown; the royalty checks received by Ford ensured the survival and continual running of his soup kitchen. And this social activism highlighted something new for this literary genre, the replacement of hopelessness with Marley's spiritually charged political and social statement to "Lively Up Yourself". Because Marley claimed he would have starved to death on several occasions as a child if not for the aid of Tartar.
"Georgie would make the fire lights, as it was logwood burnin' through the nights. Then we would cook cornmeal porridge, of which I'll share with you"During the late twentieth century, Marley would become a key driving force in the African diaspora, seeking to usher in a golden age of peace, righteousness, and prosperity. As a member of a Commonwealth mediation effort, the Eminent Persons Group, Marley visited Nelson Mandela three times in Pollsmoor prison outside Cape Town in 1986.
"My feet is my only carriage, so I've got to push on through".On the final prison visit, Marley discovered that Mandela was dying from tuberculosis caused by the damp prison cells of Robben Island. Mandela ordered Marley to play a leading role in the transition to a new Rainbow nation in South Africa, a task he was uniquely well qualified for by being of dual heritage.
Because Marley had explained to Mandela that "I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white".
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Today in Alternate History, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Heroes Source: Wikipedia Labels: Bob Marley, Reggae, Rastafarian, Jamaica, Britain. Editor says, please note that extensive amounts of content have been repurposed from the source article. The album Natty Dread was published on this day 25th October 1974 and the second track is No Woman, No Cry (actually, No Woman, Dont Cry).
~ This might have had an interesting effect on the Beat generation. I know very little of Bob Marley, though, so I can't comment very intelligently.
Comment from Mia Amani on Facebook: Interesting. You have to remember that Marley is considered the first third world superstar and I don't think the literacy rates in Jamaica as well as most of the third world were too high in the 60s and 70s. Then there is the issue of English and Jamaican Patois to further complicate matters.
He might have made it big in the West and among the elite in Africa but he may not have reached the millions that are his real and most potent fan base.
Music has that ability to transcend a lot of barriers and it also has a much wider, simpler and base appeal. Given how deep his lyrics tend to be, I don't see how those that are inclined towards books aren't prompted to read into some of his topics like Buffalo Soldier.
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