December 2, 1942, 3:20PM CST. Chicago Pile-1, the first human-created nuclear reactor goes critical as planned, then has a high-energy supercriticality excursion resulting in the destruction of the reactor, a good portion of the University Of Chicago, the immediate deaths of all persons present, plus hundreds and possibly thousands of collateral deaths from radioactive contamination. Nuclear research is set back by nearly a decade. Germany is defeated. Europe is divided between the US and Soviets. After a long campaign of firebombings during which most of their population is killed and a massive US-led invasion that totalled 100,000 American and 500,000 combined Japanese military and civilian deaths, Japan capitulates on August 12th, 1947. Sensing US weakness after the protracted Japanese campaign, the USSR begins advancing across western Europe. Full-scale conventional war breaks out between NATO and the USSR. A weakened NATO fights a rear guard action while retreating across western Europe. On July 28th, 1953 the world's first nuclear weapon is detonated in the New Mexico desert. Three weeks later, NATO begins unrestricted counterforce and countervalue nuclear bombing against Soviet Russia. Kiev, Leningrad and Moscow cease to be habitats for human life along with Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Helsinki and other European cities. Soviet industry is annihilated. After the outbreak of NATO/Soviet hostilities, all possible intelligence leaks within the US nuclear program were disposed of. The USSR has no nuclear weapons program of its own. In a panic move, the USSR launches the largest human wave assault in Earth's history in order to eliminate the NATO presence in western Europe and the British Isles. 75% of Soviet troops are killed by tactical nuclear strikes. In the aftermath of irretrievable losses of troops and the destruction of nearly all industry and urban centres, the USSR fragments internally along party lines. While NATO fights a bitter war of attrition against Party Loyalist holdouts in western Europe, the USSR ceases to be a coherent nation. All surviving political factions in Russia capitulate to NATO. The date is October 4th, 1957.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Any alternative histories you'd like to share?

Hm, are we supposed to post an entire sequence of events, or merely an alternate outcome and have others speculate on its effects?

 

 

 

Well, I'll say this anyway: What if the Hindenburg hadn't crashed?

 

 

 

Kudos to anyone who gets the reference.

Cool thread. Here are a few I wonder about...

 

 

 

What would have happen if...

 

 

 

... George Bush lost the election?

 

 

 

... early studies on marijuana, psilocybin and LSD were actually factual and not just propaganda? I suspect most psychedelics would be legal today, if not freely advertised.

 

 

 

... Jesus was never born? Would something or someone take his place?

 

 

 

... schools focused more on artistics and right-brained aspects rather than purely left-brained acedemic?

 

 

 

... the Beatles never existed?

 

 

 

Kudos to anyone who gets the reference.

 

:P

Hehe, and I just happened to be playing Chrono Cross. :

 

Jesus was never born? Would something or someone take his place?

We'd most probably be (or have) Jewish upbringing. Many religious wars between Islam and Judaism might have occurred in the last 2000 years, there would have been no Nazi Genocide as we know it. Jews wouldn't have been secluded to commercial jobs in Europe, and thus mercantilism, capitalism and Marxism probably wouldn't have existed, so we'd probably have a completely different world economical system.

 

Schools focused more on artistics and right-brained aspects rather than purely left-brained acedemic?

 

I'd be screwed up in school. -.-

 

George Bush lost the election?

 

We'd be hating Al Gore for conducting a so called "war on terrorism" in Afghanistan, after some suicide bombings in 2001.

Cool thread. Here are a few I wonder about...

 

 

 

What would have happen if...

 

 

 

1... George Bush lost the election?

 

 

 

2... early studies on marijuana, psilocybin and LSD were actually factual and not just propaganda? I suspect most psychedelics would be legal today, if not freely advertised.

 

 

 

3... Jesus was never born? Would something or someone take his place?

 

 

 

4... schools focused more on artistics and right-brained aspects rather than purely left-brained acedemic?

 

 

 

5... the Beatles never existed?

 

 

 

Kudos to anyone who gets the reference.

 

:P

 

 

 

1 This means Al Gore would've won, serious investigation into global warming would've

 

taken place probably before 2002, government funded scientists would've been put to work on

 

a solution by 2003 , said solution would've been implemented by 2006 (assuming re-election),

 

horrifying failure in nuclear reactor powering solution occurs by mid 2007, polar ice caps are

 

95% melted by 2008, by 2010 human population of the world is reduced to less than 100million,

 

by 2090 the radioactive fallout from the reactor failure mutates entire remaining human population

 

into mermaids, wherein everyone is sucked into space through the CO-2BE, a massive plastic tube

 

which was, of course, originally designed to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere by the kiliton and

 

launch it directly into the sun.

 

 

 

By 2500 AD, the constant stream of CO2 being launched into space brings the nuclear reaction

 

powering the sun grinding to a halt, 8 minutes later earth is a ball of ice.

 

 

 

Makes G.W. look pretty good huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 There would be alot more hippies. Alot.

 

 

 

3 I thought this was alternate history here, not actual history. (I'm going to Hell for that one I can already tell.)

 

 

 

4 All those hippies created from the LSD would be pretty happy I guess.

 

 

 

5 Although they'd have nothing to listen to.

1 This means Al Gore would've won, serious investigation into global warming would've

 

taken place probably before 2002, government funded scientists would've been put to work on

 

a solution by 2003 , said solution would've been implemented by 2006 (assuming re-election),

 

horrifying failure in nuclear reactor powering solution occurs by mid 2007, polar ice caps are

 

95% melted by 2008, by 2010 human population of the world is reduced to less than 100million,

 

by 2090 the radioactive fallout from the reactor failure mutates entire remaining human population

 

into mermaids, wherein everyone is sucked into space through the CO-2BE, a massive plastic tube

 

which was, of course, originally designed to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere by the kiliton and

 

launch it directly into the sun.

 

 

 

By 2500 AD, the constant stream of CO2 being launched into space brings the nuclear reaction

 

powering the sun grinding to a halt, 8 minutes later earth is a ball of ice.

 

 

 

Makes G.W. look pretty good huh?

 

 

 

I love the bit where you ignored science.

 

 

 

 

 

2 There would be alot more hippies. Alot.

 

 

 

Too many variables to come to that conclusion. For all you know it could end up as nothing more than the current situation with tobacco and alcohol as to marketing and social acceptance and whatnot.

 

 

 

3 I thought this was alternate history here, not actual history. (I'm going to Hell for that one I can already tell.)

 

 

 

There are sources which point to the existence of Jesus. Whether or not he performed miracles is the point of contention.

 

 

 

4... schools focused more on artistics and right-brained aspects rather than purely left-brained acedemic?

 

 

 

Are we going to fill our offices with artists and tragic poets rather than qualified professionals, then?

Too lazy to write one of my own at the moment so:

 

 

 

What if Socrates had not existed to create the Socratic method as well as influence the fathers of Western Philosophy?

 

 

 

What would have happened if Napoleon Bonaparte had taken Russia over and not been banished?

 

 

 

What would have happened if the Axis powers had won WWII?

 

What would have happened if the Axis powers had won WWII?

 

 

 

I'd be speaking Japanese, for one.

What would have happened if the Axis powers had won WWII?

Fatherland, by Robert Harris, is a good read about the state of Europe (at least) if Hitler had not been defeated.

 

 

 

 

 

My main interest is if Russia had won the space race and landed people on the moon before the USA - would the US Government withdrawn support for the space project or would they have gone a bit crazy and headed towards the oribital weapons program :ohnoes:

 

 

 

... Jesus was never born? Would something or someone take his place?

 

There were plenty of Jesus type stories even before Jesus was born i.e. a son of God born from a virgin.

 

What would have happened if the Axis powers had won WWII?

 

 

 

I'd be speaking Japanese, for one.

 

 

 

Same here Philippines would've been Japantown...

 

 

 

What if the calculator wasn't invented, ever!?

What if the calculator wasn't invented, ever!?

 

We wouldn't be talking on this forum. :wink:

What would the world be like if the Americans/Colonists lost the Revolutionary War?

 

(American revolution, that is...)

 

 

 

And apparently, there are many ways the Americans could've lost the war. But somehow, probably just because of luck, they didn't.

 

For instance, George Washington was nearly shot quite a few times. Once, there was a "sniper" trying to shoot him. His gun malfunctioned the first time he tried to shoot it. Before he got another chance, he was caught. If George Washington was killed then, then the Continental Army would've sucked a lot more, and possibly wouldn't have won.

 

Or the Crossing. (Of the Delaware) The Americans, helped by lucky weather (Fog...) managed to catch the Hessians by surprise. Without the fog, the Hessians might have been ready, and destroyed them, ending the Revolution.

 

 

 

It's quite interesting that one of the most powerful countries wouldn't exist if someone was just a little less lucky.

My main interest is if Russia had won the space race and landed people on the moon before the USA - would the US Government withdrawn support for the space project or would they have gone a bit crazy and headed towards the oribital weapons program :ohnoes:

 

If you count launching satellites and man-made objects, Russia did win the Space Race. Sputnik ftw.

 

 

 

What if the Enlightnment never happened?

What if the Union lost the American Civil War?

I love these.

 

Also, is the hindeburg reference from that series of books, the book the never war or something?

Hm, are we supposed to post an entire sequence of events, or merely an alternate outcome and have others speculate on its effects?

 

 

 

Well, I'll say this anyway: What if the Hindenburg hadn't crashed?

 

 

 

Kudos to anyone who gets the reference.

 

the blimp?

What would happen if Laura Secord never made it to inform the Canadian soldiers about the American plan?

Also, is the hindeburg reference from that series of books, the book the never war or something?

 

 

 

the blimp?

 

 

 

Yes. :P

What would have happened if Louis Riel had never been executed? Look here on Wikipedia(I know, I know) for more info if you have no idea who this is.

What would happen if Laura Secord never made it to inform the Canadian soldiers about the American plan?

 

 

 

We might not have burnt down the White House, meaning it would never have been painted white, and a valuable expression in the American lexicon would have vanished, while eroding the American soul(they would have been deprived of a central rallying point) possibly causing the collapse of the nation.[/over-exaggerating value of one small event]

What would have happened if the Islamic Golden Age never stopped? I think it may have meant the Islamic world would be as 'advanced' as the western world (without western influences pooring into the place, if you get what I mean). With the contributions to the arts, sciences, philosophy, etc, from the Islamic world to the present day, we'd possibly be more advanced and peacefully co-existent as a whole. Oh and sept. 11 wouldn't have happened as there would be no Islamic Extremists. They'd all be far to 'enlightened'. :P

[hide]

1 This means Al Gore would've won, serious investigation into global warming would've

 

taken place probably before 2002, government funded scientists would've been put to work on

 

a solution by 2003 , said solution would've been implemented by 2006 (assuming re-election),

 

horrifying failure in nuclear reactor powering solution occurs by mid 2007, polar ice caps are

 

95% melted by 2008, by 2010 human population of the world is reduced to less than 100million,

 

by 2090 the radioactive fallout from the reactor failure mutates entire remaining human population

 

into mermaids, wherein everyone is sucked into space through the CO-2BE, a massive plastic tube

 

which was, of course, originally designed to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere by the kiliton and

 

launch it directly into the sun.

 

 

 

By 2500 AD, the constant stream of CO2 being launched into space brings the nuclear reaction

 

powering the sun grinding to a halt, 8 minutes later earth is a ball of ice.

 

 

 

Makes G.W. look pretty good huh?

 

 

 

I love the bit where you ignored science.

 

 

 

 

 

2 There would be alot more hippies. Alot.

 

 

 

Too many variables to come to that conclusion. For all you know it could end up as nothing more than the current situation with tobacco and alcohol as to marketing and social acceptance and whatnot.

 

 

 

3 I thought this was alternate history here, not actual history. (I'm going to Hell for that one I can already tell.)

 

 

 

There are sources which point to the existence of Jesus. Whether or not he performed miracles is the point of contention.

 

 

 

4... schools focused more on artistics and right-brained aspects rather than purely left-brained acedemic?

 

 

 

Are we going to fill our offices with artists and tragic poets rather than qualified professionals, then?

[/hide]

 

 

 

I believe the idea was to create our own alternate histories not to pick apart everyone else's, asshat. :(

Hmm... Interesting topic. I think about this kind of thing when I can't sleep sometimes :)

 

 

 

...What if Hitler was never born?

 

...What if nobody ever invented the internet? o_O

 

...What if sports such as baseball, football, hockey, ect. didn't exist?

 

...What if America never expanded West?

 

...What if Russia never sold Alaska to America?

Jesus was never born? Would something or someone take his place?

We'd most probably be (or have) Jewish upbringing. Many religious wars between Islam and Judaism might have occurred in the last 2000 years, there would have been no Nazi Genocide as we know it. Jews wouldn't have been secluded to commercial jobs in Europe, and thus mercantilism, capitalism and Marxism probably wouldn't have existed, so we'd probably have a completely different world economical system.

 

 

 

Wrong, Christianity spread, not Judaism. There are far too few Jews to compete with the spread of Islam.

 

 

 

 

 

What would have happened if the Islamic Golden Age never stopped? I think it may have meant the Islamic world would be as 'advanced' as the western world (without western influences pooring into the place, if you get what I mean). With the contributions to the arts, sciences, philosophy, etc, from the Islamic world to the present day, we'd possibly be more advanced and peacefully co-existent as a whole. Oh and sept. 11 wouldn't have happened as there would be no Islamic Extremists. They'd all be far to 'enlightened'. :P

 

 

 

That'd be awesome. Except for the jizya. That'd kind of suck.

 

 

 

 

 

You know, the situation you proposed probably would have happened if it weren't for Charles "The Hammer" Martel. If he had not stopped the Muslim forces at the Battle of Tours, the Muslim armies would have taken out the weak and decentralized European kingdoms. Also, they would have encircled Byzantium and taken over all of Europe, west Asia, and Africa. However, the vikings may have proven to be trouble, but I doubt it.

 

 

 

 

 

The importance of weather:

 

1. What if the Carthaginian had won the Punic Wars...you know Rome only won because of the weather.

 

 

 

2. What if the Mongols and Kublai Kahn's fleet would have been successful and taken over Japan?

 

 

 

3. What if the Spanish Armada wasn't stopped by the Protestant wind?

 

 

 

4. What if the Viking expeditions to the Americas would have been more successful? The climate kind of ruined it for them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other:

 

1. What if Ghengis Kahn had never chased his enemies westward and discovered he controlled the silk roads. He actually didn't mean to conquer this great amount of land. He was paranoid with catching rival chiefs. The Muslim empires wouldn't have fallen (he killed 500,000 Baghdadians!), the New World wouldn't have been discovered when it was, and Europe wouldn't have made it to the top.

 

 

 

2. What if Europeans weren't such douches?

 

 

 

3. What if the Ottomans had chosen Allies instead of Axis? There would be a united Arab state and peace throughout the Middle East. They would undoubtedly be powerful because I would assume they would have taken over the oil industry.

 

 

 

...cant think of any other interesting ones.