Alternate Timeline

[4thDoctor]

If you could change one major historical event and create an alternate timeline that wouldn't affect ours, so that you could observe how history would have been different, what historical event would you change?

[escyos]

I would replace Ross on Friends with a potato covered monkey...let the GAMES BEGIN!

[gateraid]

If we're talking (relatively speaking) recent history, I'd like to see what would have happened if JFK was NOT assassinated. There are so many conspiracy theories around that event that I think it would be really interesting to see what would have happened had he served the remainder of his term. And without wanting to make this overly political, there were (supposedly) a number of times in the 90's that they had Osama Bin Laden lined up to be 'taken out' but none came to fruition. Pearl Harbour was also a massive game changer.

Maybe the American Civil War? The discovery of penicillin? Why stop at one

[gateraid]

I would replace Ross on Friends with a potato covered monkey...let the GAMES BEGIN!

I would get rid of Rachel first - or at least permanently mute her

[4thDoctor]

Maybe the American Civil War?

Now that would prove interesting, would the United States government have tried to expand it's territory north into Canada had the Southern States won their independence? Would Cuba have become one of the Confederate States? How would the two World Wars have been affected or would they have happened at all? Would there have been any later wars between the United States and the Confederate States? The entire history of the 20th century would have been different.

[mi_guard]

I would change something very personal. Make sure someone never mets his future (soon divorced) wife.

[Ukko]

Sink the Norman invasion fleet before it reached England.

EDIT: Stop the Christianization of Britain. Cant believe i forgot to mention that, the folks in the religious thread will be disappointed.

[jelgate]

I too am going to go personal and say stop the death of my grandfather. He died when I was very young

[4thDoctor]

You're missing the point, I'm not asking about changing your personal history, I'm asking about major historical events that would create a massive change to the world as it now is.

[mi_guard]

You're missing the point, I'm not asking about changing your personal history, I'm asking about major historical events that would create a massive change to the world as it now is.

for some people personal events are more important than major historical events

[4thDoctor]

I know but that isn't the point of the question. I said change history to create an alternate timeline to study the result of changing major historical events, not changing history for your own benefit.

In other words, my question wasn't "What would you do if you had a time machine" it was more along the lines of what would have changed about the world if so & so historical event had had a different outcome?.

[jelgate]

Very well.

What would have happened if the Cold War had led to a real war?

[Ben 'Teal'c would WIN!!' Noble]

Stopped Hitler from being born

[aretood2]

I love counterfactual history I would like to explore what would have happened had the Chinese Qing dynasty been more into scientific development and exploration as some of its predecessors and as a result and colonized California in the early 1700's.

Edit: make that the Ming Dynasty and the colonization around the 1500's, that would be more interesting.

[The Flyattractor]

I would go back and give the Native Americans Automatic weapons and heavy artillery