What if history scenarios

CD Xbow

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What if dinosaurs never went extinct?

Would humans have evolved?

Would we have wiped out species like we have or would we be the extinct?

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No place for us or other big mammals while the dinos were around. That comet did us a big favour, we'd still be little lemur like things, skulking in trees and eating insects.
Ok so humans wouldnt have evolved.

Would dinosaurs have evolved into English speaking beasts?

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Impossible to say never, but unlikely. The huge expansion of the our cerebral cortex is what enables us to be human, to speak and have 'culture'. Dinosaurs, birds and reptiles have very different cortical structures. Not that they can't be pretty intelligent, tool using crows are a good example of what a dino brain could probably do.
 
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Bump.
What if Australia did not join WW1? Potentially the country grows differently but are we protected for rd2?
Could've been a world leader if a generation wasn't lost.

What if the VFL did go broke in the 80s? Does a new national comp emerge from the ashes or a Super league revolution?

What if Trump wins in 2020? More of the same I suspect.

What if Steve Jobs dies earlier and smartphone aren't invented? I'd say the internet but with computers that was kind of inevitable? Less social media for one.

Obscure one. What if the Titanic stats afloat? White Star Line amassed even more power. Shipping is exclusively travel de jou does this delay commercial air travel?
 
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Bump.
What if Australia did not join WW1? Potentially the country grows differently but are we protected for rd2?
Could've been a world leader if a generation wasn't lost.

What if the VFL did go broke in the 80s? Does a new national comp emerge from the ashes or a Super league revolution?

What if Trump wins in 2020? More of the same I suspect.

What if Steve Jobs dies earlier and smartphone aren't invented? I'd say the internet but with computers that was kind of inevitable? Less social media for one.

Obscure one. What if the Titanic stats afloat? White Star Line amassed even more power. Shipping is exclusively travel de jou does this delay commercial air travel?
Good questions , but they didn't haoppen so no answer
 
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the complete theoretical territory of Idi Amin-ruled Uganda is teleported from 6AM Kampala time, the day before the start of Operation Entebbe in 1976 to 6 AM Kampala time, the day before the start of the Siege of Tobruk in 1941.

Any ideas as to effects, butterflies?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_in_the_Sea_of_Time

ugandamap.gif
 
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What if Charles died in the skiing accident and William was next in line, and still taking the counsel of Diana, who wasn’t killed?

Hard to work out, but for one thing I reckon the two brothers would be closer
 
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The what if's of the world are many and what if the bullet or bullets missed Kennedy from all directions?
The geopolitical complexion of the entire world can change radically due to one leader's decision to have the top down on the car he was being driven around in, or was it just pure dumb luck that the assassins knew Kennedy loved convertibles?

What if Japan ended up like Korea after WW2? Split in half ! It almost happened. As the war drew to a close, the next conflict was already emerging, with the Soviets and the rest of the Allies each trying to gain control over the defeated Axis countries. That is, of course, why some wound up getting divided, like North and South Korea and East and West Germany. In August of 1945, the final days of the war the soviets rolled a fearsome ground army into Japanese-controlled Manchuria, to push the outlying forces back. Russia was still smarting after the 1904/05 war with Japan which ended in a Japanese victory, they had no intention of stopping at Manchuria. It was supposed to be the pre-game show of a full-scale invasion of Japan itself, which would've seen the Red Army squat-kick the island nation into submission. This all occurred as the USA dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many Historians believe that Japan surrendered not because they were afraid of more atomic bombs from the U.S, but because they were afraid of the Soviets!

The attack on Pearl Harbor, admittedly one of the worst days in American and world history, does not even come close to the Michael Bay movie that was an even bigger disaster. It almost did though. Several of the Japanese commanders in charge of the attack wanted to keep the assault going for another wave that would have pretty much destroyed the island, crippled the Pacific Fleet, and extended the war into the 1950s. The initial surprise attack on Pearl Harbor went so well for the Japanese that virtually all of their carrier commanders wanted to stay in Hawaii for the next few days knowing the US carriers were absent from the first attack, utterly devastating the American oil reserves, ammunition stores, dry docks, and repair facilities. The Carriers would've returned to nothing?

At the start of World War II, the Soviet Union signed a neutrality pact with the Nazis, and then both carved up Poland. Then in June of 1941, the Germans went back on their word, because Hitler was definitely one german sausage short of a barbecue at the Berghof. The two superpowers hated each other, so it was always going to end badly at some point.

Lincoln was almost bumped off before he took office! Had it been successful (as it very nearly was), Abraham Lincoln would have been murdered before he'd ever served a single day as President, and Bill and Ted would've definitely failed their history project. By some estimates, he received more than 10,000 death threats during his first term alone (keep in mind that this was the 1860s, before death threats became the norm on the Internet) Abe wasn't as popular as we've all been led to believe. Before he started the job there was a little thing called the Baltimore plot, this plot called for Lincoln to be assassinated while passing through Baltimore by train en route to his inauguration in February of 1861. Baltimore was a hotbed of confederate leaning Abe haters, so the conspirators simply hired a bunch of them to stage a riot as the President-elect's train passed through, thus creating enough chaotic distraction to allow an assassin to appear out of the crowd and blast Lincoln. There was no secret service back then and James West and Artemus Gordon had never been heard of. So the deed wouldn't have been too hard to accomplish. The plot was discovered and confirmed by several independent investigators, Lincoln's itinerary was changed at the last minute which then involed multiple train changes, carriage rides, and telegraph offices to keep his location secret. He arrived back in Washington in complete anonymity.
 
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Happy Mastenator

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the complete theoretical territory of Idi Amin-ruled Uganda is teleported from 6AM Kampala time, the day before the start of Operation Entebbe in 1976 to 6 AM Kampala time, the day before the start of the Siege of Tobruk in 1941.

Any ideas as to effects, butterflies?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_in_the_Sea_of_Time

View attachment 1391718
If they act rationally, they should be able to carve out an empire in Africa that has captures most of the African continents mineral/oil wealth, well that which had been identified prior to 1976. Wouldn't necessarily have the weapons/military to project into Europe to alter to outcome there given the distance, and the fact that I don't think they were a manufacturing power, assuming they most like were getting their good stuff from Russia.

Having said that it is Idi Amin so who the * knows.
 
Oct 9, 2021
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If they act rationally, they should be able to carve out an empire in Africa that has captures most of the African continents mineral/oil wealth, well that which had been identified prior to 1976. Wouldn't necessarily have the weapons/military to project into Europe to alter to outcome there given the distance, and the fact that I don't think they were a manufacturing power, assuming they most like were getting their good stuff from Russia.

Having said that it is Idi Amin so who the * knows.
I was talking about one of these: alternate_history:isot [alternatehistory.com wiki]
 

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What if Steve Jobs dies earlier and smartphone aren't invented? I'd say the internet but with computers that was kind of inevitable? Less social media for one.

Steve Jobs did not invent the smart phone, it was a fully developed product on the market well before the iPhone. Jobs really invented nothing, it was a marketing genius not a technical one. He was good at creating premium brands. Packaging product. He made them desirable. Windows/Mouse interfaces existed, Smart Phones existed, MP3 players existed. Jobs created high desirable brands that people were willing to pay a premium for. The Internet pere-dated the founding of Apple computer.
 

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The attack on Pearl Harbor, admittedly one of the worst days in American and world history, does not even come close to the Michael Bay movie that was an even bigger disaster. It almost did though. Several of the Japanese commanders in charge of the attack wanted to keep the assault going for another wave that would have pretty much destroyed the island, crippled the Pacific Fleet, and extended the war into the 1950s. The initial surprise attack on Pearl Harbor went so well for the Japanese that virtually all of their carrier commanders wanted to stay in Hawaii for the next few days knowing the US carriers were absent from the first attack, utterly devastating the American oil reserves, ammunition stores, dry docks, and repair facilities. The Carriers would've returned to nothing?

Several Japanese commanders made much of this AFTER the war, claiming much with hindsight. Officers writing their memoirs often have their own axes tio grind. The claims of officers clamouring for a 3rd wave have been seriously challenged,. The all too often game of blame the dead guy so often gets played out.

The Japanese carrier group was short of fuel staying in the area around Hawaii for days was not an option.

A 3rd wave would have required much preparation. Meaning is likely the aircraft could be landing at night, something quite risky.

The whereabouts of the US carriers were unknown , and the Japanese carriers were in range of US land bases. Launching a 3rd wave would have made the Japanese carrier force quite vulnerable. Only one US carrier was close enough to matter and US ground bases not really operational but the Japanese did not know this.

Japanese losses were increasing with each wave of attacks. of 400 odd aircraft,. 29 lost and 74 damaged in the first two waves, thrid waves losses were likely to equal to both the first wave and second wave losses combined (lost 9 in the first 20 in the second) before possibel losses due to a night landing. After a thrid wave the Japases Carrier force would be substainiall weakened if it was to face the US carrier force.
 

Happy Mastenator

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Steve Jobs did not invent the smart phone, it was a fully developed product on the market well before the iPhone. Jobs really invented nothing, it was a marketing genius not a technical one. He was good at creating premium brands. Packaging product. He made them desirable. Windows/Mouse interfaces existed, Smart Phones existed, MP3 players existed. Jobs created high desirable brands that people were willing to pay a premium for. The Internet pere-dated the founding of Apple computer.
The idea that any one person invents someting as complex as a smartphone (Jobs), and electric car (Musk) is just people projecting their desire for a messiah. It takes massive teams to create.
 

pugsville

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The idea that any one person invents someting as complex as a smartphone (Jobs), and electric car (Musk) is just people projecting their desire for a messiah. It takes massive teams to create.
Yes and No. Sometime things are created by one person though there are often people working on simialr things and parallel evolution of technology common. Some things are invented several times. Also advances rely on the vast body of work that has gone before. Some one doing the last yerd of a marathin sort of thing gets all the credit. And often the guy the gets the credit is the often who successfully commercializes already existing work. Many innovators are poor businessmen.
 
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"the internet existed before the web" is typical pedantry and geek speak. To the general public and the "average voter", the internet was out of reach before the web. The "average person", not a geek, being able to have something is what should be the marker in progress.
 
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Slightly different take but I thought this was an interesting non-geopolitical question. If you were sent back in time to 1800, how much modern scientific/technical knowledge could you share to advance society?

Because as much as I understand in practice how TVs/telephones work, I wouldn't have a hope in hell of building one from absolute scratch (let alone computers)

I think I could at least advance:
  • Germ theory, importance of handwashing and alcohol disinfectants
  • Atomic theory
  • A basic lightbulb
  • Concrete, reinforcement and pre-stressing
 
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Transporting something small-scale like 2022 Vatican City or the 2022 Tibetan Government-in-Exile enclave with the Dalai Lama back to the same area in 1934-35 would be interesting.
 
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Slightly different take but I thought this was an interesting non-geopolitical question. If you were sent back in time to 1800, how much modern scientific/technical knowledge could you share to advance society?

Because as much as I understand in practice how TVs/telephones work, I wouldn't have a hope in hell of building one from absolute scratch (let alone computers)

I think I could at least advance:
  • Germ theory, importance of handwashing and alcohol disinfectants
  • Atomic theory
  • A basic lightbulb
  • Concrete, reinforcement and pre-stressing

I've been thinking about this idea in terms of a potential TV series. There would be different times you might go back to. And the person's skills.

If you go back to the 16th century Europe you might want to keep schtum to avoid being accused of witchcraft. If you go back to 1800, your problem might be to establish some credibility with the best thinkers of the day before you might put them on the right track.
 
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Back to 1800 and if you have gained enough influence, you might be able to get a better settlement for the people of Europe at the alternate Congress of Vienna after Napoleon's defeat.
 
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What if, after Queen Victoria died, they abolished agnatic primogeniture?

The succession to the British throne would have been

Victoria I (r. 1837-1901)
Victoria II (r. 1901)
William V (r. 1901-1941)
William VI (r. 1941-1951)
Louis I (r. 1951-1994)
Frederick I (r. 1994-2015)
Philip I (r. 2015 to the present)
 
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The succession to the British throne would have been

Victoria I (r. 1837-1901)
Victoria II (r. 1901)
William V (r. 1901-1941)
William VI (r. 1941-1951)
Louis I (r. 1951-1994)
Frederick I (r. 1994-2015)
Philip I (r. 2015 to the present)
I did not know this - so went looking

Thoughts?

The Daily Mail's second hypothetical involving Queen Victoria's daughter suggests an even bigger leap.9 Had absolute primogeniture been the rule in effect in 1901 (or earlier, so that the pressure to provide male heirs was not so great), and assuming that the first Victoria were ever born, the younger Victoria would have thought seriously before selecting _ a husband like the nephew of the King of Prussia, a young man who was likely to inherit a throne. 10 The marriage of two sovereigns, an alliance that would bring together two nations, and with it the possibility that one of them might become subservient to the other, was one that was unpalatable to most subjects living in monarchies of the period. Indeed, it was one of the reasons that female sovereigns had so much difficulty finding suitable consorts, and a reason that many subjects and many political philosophers resisted the idea of female rule. 11 Thus, few countries that accepted the idea of monarchy also accepted the idea of absolute primogeniture. Thus, had Victoria been her mother's heir, she almost certainly would not have married the heir to another throne, and her own heir would almost certainly not have been Kaiser Wilhelm.12

 
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