Lutheran Empire; Travolta Defects To Britain

August 23rd, 2005

in 1861, Allen Pinkerton, having discovered that Washington socialite Rose Greenhow was a Confederate spy, suggests using her to feed false information to Johnny Reb rather than arrest her outright. With her unwitting assistance, the Union is able to cripple Confederate spy operations and trick the southern rebels in such important battles as Bull Run.

in 1866, in the middle of the Austro-Prussian war, Johannes Bittlemeyer, a young Lutheran minister, began encouraging soldiers on both sides to lay down their arms in the name of God. The widespread success of the peace movement threatened to topple the Austrian and Prussian governments, and they sent assassins to kill Bittlemeyer; unfortunately for them, the assassins joined the other side. The theocracy that became known as the Lutheran Empire took complete control of the central European nations in 1871 and was overthrown at the end of the Great War in 1947 when a long-suppressed democratic movement gained power.

in 1892, in a world-wide address, (and across hyperspace to the ships fleeing earth’s recent seismic troubles), the Executive Council of the Congress of Nations announces that henceforth, Mlosh weather-control technology will only be used in extreme circumstances. “This should save us a repeat of these circumstances,” First Chancellor Rabah told the world. In the aftermath of the disturbances, terrorist activity against the Mlosh picks up again.

in 4610, the Japanese province began its secession struggle against the Chinese Empire. Emperor Chengzu, grandson of Min-Yuan, was reluctant to war against his own subjects, and employed a different strategy, instead. The Eastern Fleet formed a blockade around the island, and the Empire used economic sanctions against the rebellious Japanese. While slower than conventional war, the strategy was effective – the Japanese begged for return to the Empire by 4618.

in 1934, actress Barbara Jean Moorhead was born in Tucson, Arizona. After several years of bit parts, she became a star when she landed the role of Samantha on the TV series Bewitched, due in part to having a similar name to the actress who played Samantha’s mother, Oscar-nominee Agnes Moorehead.

in 1959, Li Huang-Sen and Huan Yue find themselves on the coast after evading a group of soldiers. Huan Yue was suddenly seized with the desire to leave China, and she asked Li if he could get them away. Although he wanted to fulfill her wish, he felt that he shouldn’t spirit her out of the country without at least informing her father, and he tells her that they must go back to Po’s farm before departing the country.

in 1968, drummer Ringo Starr left the band the Silver Beatles, which had only been trading on their history as Pete Best’s band for the last 6 years. His solo career was somewhat better, and he was able to make a few movie appearances over the years. He even played for Pete Best, himself, on Best’s Reconciliation tour in ‘77.

in 1979, American actor John Travolta defected to Great Britain during a publicity tour for his latest film, Grease, a hard-hitting musical about the harsh life of auto-mechanics in capitalist countries. Travolta denounced life in the Soviet States of America as controlled by the two political parties, with little freedom left for the artistically or politically inclined. Travolta was declared a traitor by Comrade President John Anderson of the Socialist Party.

in 1363, Said Aouita of the Caliphate of Morocco won the Trials of Sport in Al-Meshuk. Aouita defeated infidels of the freed European nations, proving the glory of Allah over their blasphemous ways.

in 1989, after assurances that the United States would not interfere in an “Arab-Arab conflict”, Iraq took control of the tiny but oil-rich nation of Kuwait. When the stock markets posted a hefty gain, based mostly on oil stocks, the U.S. issued a statement that there would be no action to free Kuwait.

in 1996, Professor Malcolm Thomas, working late on the object at Edwards Air Force Base in California, stumbles into a room that has some very strange specimens preserved in a clear liquid. He runs from the room and tries to forget what he has seen there.

in 2004, a diagnostic of the Elder early-warning system reveals no flaws. Many scientists begin to wonder if the earlier “false” positives were actually true. They make a few quiet recommendations to their respective governments about searching the local populations. As discreetly as possible, governments around the world begin screening their people to see if any of them are Elders in disguise.


Still wishing...

As your humble alternate historian enters the downhill slope of the 40's, he still has his birthday wish - a contract with a publishing company like Workman Publishing to produce a page-a-day calendar of TIAH. If you are an editor for such a company, or can place us in touch with one, please fulfill this belated birthday wish!

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The Duma

The state of TIAH

March 3rd, 2007

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Alternate Historian's Note: Our Guest Historian, Stephen Payne, suggested that it was time for a contest, so we're going to have an April Fool's Day Contest! Email us up to 3 entries for an alternate April 1st and we will post the best 10, with your own credit and link to your website (if you have one). We'll also see if we have enough credit for an ultimate winner to get a complimentary TIAH mug, but we can't promise anything on that yet. Get researching those alternate histories now, folks! The deadline will be March 29th.

in 1953, Cambridge biologist William Hughes speaks with Rosalind Franklin about the murder of James Watson and Francis Crick. She seems quite nervous speaking about the crime, and keeps stealing glances at the office of her colleague, Maurice Wilkins. Hughes asks, “Is there something about Doctor Wilkins that you would like to tell me, Miss Franklin?” She gazes into his eyes for a moment, then shakes her head. “Not here,” she says, grabbing her coat. “Let us go for a walk, Professor Hughes.” Once free of the confines of King's College, Miss Franklin opened up to Hughes. “You see, Professor Hughes, I have been working for some time on examining the building blocks of life, on finding the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid. Doctor Wilkins... he doesn't approve of a woman doing such work. He...” She paused for several moments to collect herself. “He took my research, and I believe that James and Francis accidentally saw it.” She stole a quick look around the courtyard they were walking in before continuing on. “I don't believe he wanted them to see it. They were quite brilliant, you know, and also working on the DNA structure problem.” Hughes nodded. “So, you think that they resolved the structure from the research that Wilkins had?” Franklin looked annoyed for a second, and said, “My research, yes,” but then regained the nervous look she had held a moment before. “I'm afraid of speaking up before anyone after what happened, Professor Hughes.” Hughes' mind was reeling with the possibilities. “You believe,” he said slowly, “that Doctor Wilkins is behind the murders?” Miss Franklin nodded and whispered, “Who else has a motive?” A voice from behind them suddenly cut into their conversation. “A motive for what?” They spun to see Doctor Wilkins standing a few feet away, puffing as if he had just run to catch them. Hughes quickly regained his calm exterior and said, “Just discussing the murders, old boy. Like most people on campus, I should expect. Who has a motive to kill such innocuous men?” Wilkins blushed slightly. “I couldn't say,” he said between deep breaths. “Sorry I'm so out of breath,” he told them, “but the police wanted to speak with Rosalind, and I said I'd fetch her.” Hughes felt Miss Franklin shrink back from Wilkins, and offered, “Well, why don't we both escort her back inside, then?” A strange, disappointed look stole over Wilkins face for a brief instant before he regained control of himself and said, “Yes, of course.” Professor Hughes resolved to speak with the police himself after they were done with Miss Franklin.

Duma	In 1905 Tsar Nicholas Romanov II agrees to create the Duma, an elected assembly in the Russia Federation, that crucible of European Democracy. The Boyar Duma was an advisory council to the grand princes and tsars of Muscovy with the term Duma comes from the Russian word думать (dumat), ..
.. 'to think'. The European Monarchies refused to think and a clash of systems of government was inevitable as Britain, France, Germany and Austria-Hungary sought to strangle democracy at birth in the War of Intervention.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 2002 the Citizens of Switzerland narrowly voted in favour of their country becoming a member of the League of Nations. After almost a century of peace in in Europe it was a no-brainer.	League of Natio..
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Luther's 95 The..	In 1974 Roman Catholic and Lutheran officials reach an agreement for eventual reconciliation into one communion. Momentum continued to gather for the eventual merger of Christian religions, undoing the fractures caused since 1517 by the Reformation.
~ entry by Steve Payne from counter history in context - you're the judge!

In 1966 a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 707 almost flew into a mountain wave after 45 year-old Captain Bernard Dobson rashly decided to give the passengers a close-up view of Mt. Fuji. The spiritual beings on the wooded slopes of the dormant volcano took the corrective ..	Mount Fuji
.. action required to prevent the death of of the 124 people aboard. The form of that action later became apparent; when the Boeing set down in Hong Kong, a relieved Dobson was greeted by flight traffic mandarins of the Chinese Empire.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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Pressures

	In 2008, the final resting place of three German U-boats, nicknamed Hitler's lost fleet were found at the bottom of the South Atlantic. The submarines had travelled 8,000 miles from Germany at the climax of the Second World War, but were mysteriously sunk as the war neared its end. Now, more than 60 years later, explorers located the flotilla of three submarines off the coast of South Georgia. The vessels, including one once commanded by Germany's most successful U-boat ace, formed part of the 30th Flotilla of six submarines.

All three U-boats had been operating against British shipping in the North Sea. U-23 gained notoriety for scoring one of Germany's earliest successes, sinking a British ship off the Shetland Islands days after war began. It was later commanded by Otto Kretschmer, known as Silent Otto, the most successful U-boat ace. Fantastic stories circulated that Adolf Hitler and some of his followers had commandeered the vessels in April 1945 and endeavoured to escape to the hollow lands within the Earth after World War II via an entrance in Antarctica. Now the submarines' hulls have been discovered by a team led by Selcuk Kolay, a Turkish marine engineer, who presented his findings to a shipwreck conference in Plymouth. He thought he was also close to pinpointing the third boat, U-19, thought to lie more than 1,000ft down, three miles from the coast of South Georgia. It's one of the least well known stories of the war but one of the most interesting, said Mr Kolay. It is a quite incredible story. To get to the South Atlantic these boats had to avoid Allied shipping in the Atlantic, and once they got there head for the southern polar opening to meet their Agarthan allies. Until the discovery, the Hollow Earth Research Society in Ontario, Canada asserted that Hitler and his Nazi followers were still there. After the war, the organization claimed, the Allies discovered that more than 2,000 scientists from Germany and Italy had vanished, along with almost a million people, to the land beyond the South Pole.

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In 1947, the Palestinian shepherd Mohammed Ahmed el-Hamed found in eleven caves near Wadi Qumran the Dead Sea Scrolls comprising c850 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible. Of great religious and historical significance, they are practically the only known surviving Biblical documents written before AD 100. The State of Palestine used the scrolls as a key bargaining chip in the negotiation of the two states solution in 1982, when the documents were ceremoniously handed to Israeli Chairman Yitzhak Rabin by President Mahmoud Abbas in the Free City of Jerusalem.

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In 1607, the Secret War begins between the two major factions of the Speaker's Line; those who wish to take control of the world's governments in order to fulfill the Speaker's Dream, and those who wish to continue their work without letting those outside the Speaker's Family know of their purpose.

In 1992, promising to get under the hood and fix the engine, Ross Perot announced his intention to run in the 1992 U.S. presidential election on CNN's Larry King Live. When US votes found out the extent of incompetence and waste in Washington, they were simply shocked, and today Perot is recognised as the Father of Small Government in the United States.

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In 1985, the Republic of Ireland knuckles under to pressure from the Catholic Church and kills a measure in Parliament that would have allowed the sale of contraceptives, in spite of a Supreme Court ruling in 1973 that the Irish constitution provided a right to privacy that allowed such sales. Several pharmacies worked outside of the law to provide contraception to at least married couples, and were covertly aided by the government until a conservative backlash placed staunch Catholics in charge in 1990. A very repressive law against any form of birth control passed the Parliament, and provided an impetus for feminists in Ireland to organize and campaign. They were so successful, and tapped such a huge groundswell of support, that they managed to cast out the conservative government in 1992 and finally implement the 20-year old Supreme Court decision.

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In 1969, a world wide catastrophe occurred on the date predicted by anti-pope Michel Collin as the undeclared war between United States, Russia and China in Vietnam escalated into a nuclear exchange.

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In 1494, heretical bishop Johan Friis was born in Denmark. Bishop Friis converted to the Lutheran Church after Pope Henry VIII had Martin Luther executed. Friis was instrumental in spreading the outlawed faith across Denmark, against the laws of the Holy British Empire, and earned Pope Henry's wrath for himself. He was executed for heresy in 1542.

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In 12-10-19-10-7, Inca is hit by a huge earthquake, destroying the city of Talcahuano. Oueztecan Emperor Kanticli declares the great loss of life, numbering in the thousands, to be an imperial emergency, and aid from across the two continents of the empire pours in to help the citizens of Talcahuano.

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Alistair Cook	The Democrats have the man to beat George W Bush said Alistair Cooke in his final Letter from America, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Friday, 20 February, 2004. Cooke pointed to the fateful testimony before the Senate Arms Services Committee of David Kay - the CIA's retired chief weapons inspector. 'We got it all wrong,' he said, finally driving a stake in the heart of the administration's main declared reason for going into Iraq. 'All we found,' said David Kay, 'and are likely to find are the relics of an abandoned chemical warfare arsenal and of a primitive nuclear programme.'
Letter from America

Only one man - a doctor and former governor of Vermont - sensed the rising tide of popular feeling against the war. He galvanised the young and in all the public polls he was way ahead of the other seven. In the actual primaries he was time and again a distant first. This week his main rival joined the other dear departed. Hence the 15 out of 17 primaries lost by the Massachusetts senator, John Kerry, who since the campaign's beginning has sounded an odd and lonely boast: 'George Bush must be driven from the White House and Howard Dean is the man to do it.'

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In 2004, fans of the film series The Lord of the Rings riot in Los Angeles after the film is snubbed by the Oscars, garnering only one nomination for a technical award. Control is restored in the city after the Motion Picture Academy takes the unprecedented step of declaring that The Lord of the Rings will be awarded a special Oscar for 'Artistic Merit'.

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In 1962, Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth died after his spacecraft, Friendship Seven burnt up on entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Glenn, 40 had travelled about 81,000 miles (more than 130,000km) as he circled the globe three times at more than 17,000 mph (27,000kph). Lieutenant Glenn controlled nearly two of the orbits himself after reporting 'minor difficulties' with the automatic altitude control system as he completed the third circuit - the maximum anticipated. Messages from the astronaut were transmitted by radio stations across the United States and United Kingdom and his progress was monitored by 18 ground stations around the world. As he re-entered the atmosphere after his four-hour and 56-minute journey Lieutenant Glenn made his last transmission saying: 'Boy, that was a real fireball.'

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In 1976, the South-east Asia Collective Defense Treaty (SEATO) was disbanded. The defense considered necessary at the signing of the Manilla Pact in 1954 was no longer required. The success of President Douglas MacArthur's Second Pacific War had rendered the organization unnecessary as friendly governments ruled the AsiaPac states by the mid-1970s.

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In 2004, fans of the film series The Lord of the Rings riot in Los Angeles after the film is snubbed by the Oscars, garnering only one nomination for a technical award. Control is restored in the city after the Motion Picture Academy takes the unprecedented step of declaring that The Lord of the Rings will be awarded a special Oscar for 'Artistic Merit'.