If you could change one event, big or small, to create an "alternate history"

[Strong Atheist]

or alternate earth that you could be a part of, what would you change?

[Shell Beau]

1. That is hard. I would like to change many things in history.

Slavery, the Holocaust, dropping the atomic bomb, 9-11 and so on and so on!!!

[Strong Atheist]

2. I agree it is hard, which is one reason I did not put an answer ... nt.

[trof]

3. Easy: President Gore.

What did I win?
;-)

[Strong Atheist]

8. A better Earth of your choice?

This was just a thought experiment; I like sci fi/fantasy...

[guitar man]

4. that's tough

My mind keeps going to more recent history and I want to say No Reagan. Maybe it's personal, because I'd like to imagine what my adult life would have been like if I hadn't had to struggle for the last 28 years under his delusional policies that have been carried on by those that came after him.

[jobycom]

7. I chose Reagan, too. TMTA.

Tortured minds think alike.

[guitar man]

10. yep

I came out of High School in '82, right in the middle of that mess. :(

[geardaddy]

5. That is a toughie

Sometimes I think what would it be like if the Angles and Saxons and Jutes hadn't migrated to Britain. Or if they had what would have happened if they had won against the Normans?

What would the world be like if North and South America hadn't been "discoverd" by Europeans, but by Asians, or not at all?

[Strong Atheist]

9. Yeah, I teach US history, so I think about the Native Americans a lot.

THEY certainly would have been better off if Columbus has failed, and Europe had stayed isolated for another couple hundred years...

[geardaddy]

57. As a proponent of less commonly spoken languages

it would have been interesting to see where native culture would have gone in the absence of European culture.

[jobycom]

6. It's like changing an event in your life. The resulting history would be so different

that you wouldn't be the same person or have the same values you have now, so the new you might not want the event changed.

Having said that, I'd have Carter beat Reagan. I'd like to change things like the Holocaust or slavery or even the fall of the Roman Empire, but the events are too large to even fathom all the repurcussions. Or, rather, I think the same results would happen in some other form, so I don't think anything would really change. If you eliminated the Holocaust, for instance, you'd still have the murderous anger and brutality that allowed it, and that would emerge somewhere. To really eliminate the Holocaust, you'd have to change human nature. Same with slavery, WW II, the Stalinist or Pol Pot slaughters, the genocide against Native Americans... I'd love for those to not have happened, but the fact that there are so many of them proves to me that the slaughters would happen somewhere or another.

So I stick with little things. No Reagan, and we wouldn't have the destruction of government regulations that led to the current crisis. Civil Rights would be further along in this nation, as well as all Human Rights. We'd have a responsible energy policy, and maybe even a shaky peace in the Middle East, since Carter had success there, and Reagan did nothing but wack the hornest's nest and run.

Just my thoughts. Seriously flawed, as always.

[Strong Atheist]

11. No, no, those were

good thoughts...

[TheMightyFavog]

12. I'd either kill one of the following people before they got famous

John Calvin
The Emperor Constantine
Ayn Rand

[Strong Atheist]

13. I have thought on the killing of some famous person option, and decided

that if maybe I could just kidnap them, and dump them on a sparsely inhabited tropical island, that would probably be good enough. Up to about 150 years ago, they would never have been able to get off and back to some other continent...

[jobycom]

16. Why Constantine?

If it's about Christianity, he wouldn't have changed much. He just legalized a religion that was already powerful enough to be a foregone conclusion. His decisions at council like Nicea just went along with what church leaders thought anyway. His main goal was to form an alliance with a powerful sect and to free himself from the influence of the priests of the more established religions, which all were allied with various factions.

Theodosius I made Christianity the only official religion of the Empire, but even he didn't ban any other religion.

Calvin was an ass, but not as bad as his followers.

And without Ayn Rand, poor old Neal Peart would have to find someone else to write his songs about. :rofl: Though we could get rid of her just to save shelf space at libraries, and the world would be better.

[dysfunctional press]

92. nero might have been a better choice, as far as thwarting christianity in it's early days...

his decision to use christians as human torches brought them a lot of converts and a lot of sympathy in the empire.

[jobycom]

106. You may be on to something. Do away with Nero, replace him with someone competent

and maybe Rome doesn't collapse. Christianity then was a liberal, rebellious faith, which is why the rulers feared it. It appealed to the downtrodden, and with Nero, the downtrodden grew in droves. Make a happy populace, and maybe there's no need for Christianity.

Not that I think it would matter. Christianity is just a tool. Remove it, and something else is used to keep people in line. Drugs, maybe.

[Danger Mouse]

112. Rome didn't collapse because of Nero.

The seeds of collapse were sown during the 'Soldier Emperor' period. Or you can blame Diocletian for splitting the Empire in two.
Heck, you could've prevented Nero by changing one little thing: Claudius' decision to marry Nero's mother.
:P

[enigmatic]

14. The Cleveland Indians win Game 7 of the 1997 World Series

That's number one..

[alfredo]

15. The invention of air conditioning

[Strong Atheist]

17. Make it earlier? Get rid of it? Modify it so it did not hurt the

environment? WHAT?????

[alfredo]

20. Think of the ramifications of having it. We no longer have porches

for people to sit on. Nobody uses them anymore. In the summer we isolate ourselves indoors. Nobody is outside to watch the kids that do venture out in the heat. Community suffers because there is no community left. Nature is avoided. Sure, you don't sweat, but you no longer see the sky, hear kids, birds, dogs,crickets, or feel the wind. All you hear is the hum of the AC and feel the cold draft from the vents.

[Shell Beau]

21. And that hum sounds lovely in the dead of summer in the MS delta.

People die from heat exhaustion.

[alfredo]

73. That's partially due to houses not being built for the climate, and street

crime that has flourished due to there not being people outside and in touch with the community. Street crime makes people shut their windows for protection.

[Shell Beau]

115. No. It is because it is hotter than the hinges of hell in the summer.

It is a heat that takes your breath away. Small children and the elderly die from heat exhaustion. You can open your windows all day long, and the heat takes you over.

[alfredo]

118. I lived in the Sub Sahara for three years. Some of the time

at sea level in a town that would get down to 90 degrees at night. People adapted.

[Shell Beau]

119. I wonder how many die from heat stroke or exhaustion.

[alfredo]

128. They know how to work in that heat. They are slender and fit, even at

advanced ages. Humans adapt.

[Shell Beau]

131. I was researching and it seems that many do die from heat related deaths.

I get your point of the A/C. But I really think it is one invention that we need today. I know back in the day there was no AC. But we can live more comfortably now. And if we ever get to the point where we get all of our energy from the sun or wind, A/Cs can be more environmentally friendly. I could also adapt to extreme cold, but I am glad that I don't have to. I really think the deep south needs A/C. It is a luxury to a degree, but I also think in mid August, it is a necessity.

[Strong Atheist]

132. Well, you could always wear that bikini from the other thread to stay cool...

:blush:

[alfredo]

135. That gets me hot

[Strong Atheist]

30. So, get rid of it. Cool, I mostly use my ceiling fan; only when the temp gets

above 93 - 94 degrees do I use AC...

[raccoon]

49. If air conditioning didn't exist, the Sunbelt would not have grown in population the

as much as it has in the past few decades.

However, I agree with what you said about isolating ourselves.

[alfredo]

74. AC has allowed populations to grow in some locations that cannot carry

that large a population.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. I'd redo the Big Bang to spew out hot lobster smothered in butter instead of hydrogen

Mmmmm.... a lobster based universe.

[Strong Atheist]

31. Didn't you mean a lobster

BASTED universe?

[In_The_Wind]

19. Change the outcome of that horrible day back in Nov 1963.

[Strong Atheist]

32. Ah... very wise....

Hello again, JA. :hi:

[In_The_Wind]

39. Things would be so very different now .

hello again ~

[Strong Atheist]

52. Or maybe Abraham Lincoln.

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, ...let us strive on to finish the work we are in, ...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

Reconstruction probably would have gone better...

[In_The_Wind]

60. sigh 'a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations' was

a beautiful dream

Too bad it hasn't come true, yet.
Is it still possible?

[Midlodemocrat]

45. My choice as well.

[In_The_Wind]

48. We got to view greatness in our time.

... more than once



but he was our greatest loss!

[Midlodemocrat]

51. I saw him in a motorcade in New Haven. I'll never forget it.

[In_The_Wind]

61. I was sitting in my biology class the day he died.

ah ~ to return to the days of Camelot would be a wondrous thing









let there be an end to children killing children
what happened to loving one another

[BeachBaby]

59. Add the assassination of his brother Bobby....

who was attempting to continue what his brother started. Our second chance was shot down, just like our first.

[In_The_Wind]

66. The Kennedy family losses and contributions to what America is today

will never be forgotten.




If we could turn back time maybe we could find a better way to go forward.

[BulletproofLandshark]

22. I would prevent the destruction of the Library of Alexandria.

Who knows how much knowledge was lost forever?

[Shell Beau]

23. I feel like that about the south being burned up in the Civil War.

So much history gone!

[Arugula Latte]

25. And think about all that was destroyed by bombs in Europe during WWII

Medieval parts of cities, for example, gone forever.

:(

[Shell Beau]

71. So sad. I hate to think of all that history just burning up.

[Sequoia]

86. True, but slavery was a mortal sin.

Those southerners were warned time and again but no, they had to go and start the war because they just didn't want to do without their slaves and wanted to expand it. Sherman was on a mission and like he said, War is hell.

[Shell Beau]

116. I wasn't talking about slavery at all. In my post, it was one of the

things I would change. But a lot of the south's history is gone. Buildings, papers, etc.

[Sequoia]

117. I know, I was thinking about what Sherman did

and how droves of ex-slaves would follow the carvan marching to the sea.

[Strong Atheist]

33. A good choice... nt.

[BeachBaby]

24. The rise of Hitler.

[Nye Bevan]

27. What if Hitler had never been born?

I read a book, "Making History", a couple of years ago where someone was able to use a time machine to ensure that Hitler was never born.

http://www.amazon.com/Making-History-Stephen-Fry/dp/1569471509/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236880470&sr=8-1

Needless to say, the outcome of this was not as positive as hoped for.

[BulletproofLandshark]

29. This was also explored in a similar way in the Red Alert video game series.

In that series, Albert Einstein removes Hitler from the timeline, and the Soviets take control of Europe and invade the United States.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

47. ...and as a result, the Soviet Union developed...

ARMORED BEARS!!!!

So we should be thankful that that evil, evil scientist Albert Einstien did not go back in time and send us down the path to Soviet Ursine Armageddon™.

[Strong Atheist]

34. Depends on what the author wants to do. It COULD

have turned out more positively...

[NewJeffCT]

46. Interesting idea

I'm fascinated by alternate histories, but I always qualify it by saying that what if the person that rose in place of Hitler was even worse? I mean, Hitler made some insanely bad decisions, and just a few small changes could have made a huge difference.

[Nye Bevan]

55. I agree that alternate history is fascinating

And more mundanely (and more recently) I am convinced that if Clinton had kept his pants zippered up, Gore would have won in 2000. No 9/11/01.... probably a Gore second term in 2004.... and in the White House today might be our very own Joe Lieberman!

[NewJeffCT]

58. But

we'd also have a moderate Supreme Court instead of a far right one, as Rehnquist & O'Connor would have been replaced by two Gore appointees instead of Roberts & Alito.

[NoPasaran]

69. Right, suppose for example

Thälmann and the German Communists come to power instead of Hitler. Do they erect a real workers' paradise in contrast to what Stalin is building in the USSR, or does the world face a German-Soviet military colossus bent on establishing a world-wide dictatorship? Perhaps for all its faults, this really is the best of all worlds.

[Sky Masterson]

26. I'd save John Lennon

:)

[Strong Atheist]

35. Ah... what music we missed...

:(

[sammythecat]

28. The advent of religion.

Our ability to love would be undiminished, but our use of common sense and logic would be the standard method of viewing and solving our problems.

I think the odds are at least good that the world might be a better place now, and the idea of "heaven on earth", immortality, and "resurrection" of the dead achievable goals. These ideas, in some form, are at the heart of every religion I'm familiar with. Rather than passive belief that all this is going to just happen someday, it might be better to realize that if any of this is to happen it's going to be up to us, not magic.

I don't know how pre-technological humankind, would have coped without the comfort of religion. They couldn't dream of future technologies that could make them "gods". In those days, maybe the lack of immediate relief upon death would have been just too grim.

[Raffi Ella]

40. yes, this is what I would change too, the rise of Christianity.

I can understand too how it was useful to them back before there was science/law and order but it just doesn't work in modern day.

I don't think other religions call for their members to testify for their God so I don't think other religions would have become what Christianity is today- Maybe the Middle East would've taken over and we'd all be under Shia Law...

in any case, it's caused more harm than good in my opinion and I think the world would be a much different/better place had Christianity not risen to power.

[jobycom]

67. You give too much power to religion

People would do everything they do now, only they'd blame something else.

[sammythecat]

87. True. We'd still commit sin.

Blasphemy would be out I guess, but we'd still have all the regulars. We'd still have wars too, but it might be possible there would have been fewer wars. It seems that religion has been either the cause or at least a major aggravating factor in so many conflicts. The Crusades and all the shit in the middle East are a couple of examples. Religion has had an enormous impact on the history of Europe. If religion wasn't the real reason for a conflict, then it was used as a pretense or excuse for the aggression.

What I'd be most curious about in a world without religion would be the absence of the lulling effect religion can give to the oppressed. The false hope that it's all going to be sorted out in the end by some heavenly father. This premature resignation can come to individuals in their personal lives too. I've seen this. It can be a comfort, but it can also put an end to any needed struggle to change a situation.

I really don't know how it would turn out. Maybe humans need a god to avoid being terrified by their own mortality. Things would be very different without religion, I'm pretty sure of that. We'd probably still have crime and sin, but at least we'd know that any solution to those problems would have to be entirely up to us, prayer ain't gonna do it.

[jobycom]

103. I doubt they'd be very different.

The Crusades, for instance, which everyone mentions as a religious war, was more about trade than religion. Popes and emperors stirred up anger using religion, in the same way presidents wave flags and chant their country's name, but it was just a tool. Unless you could fundamentally change the way people are manipulated, removing religion wouldn't matter. And if you could, then removing religion wouldn't be necessary. Remember that Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, and a great number of virtuous people have seen religion as the reason for their actions, too. Religion doesn't cause anything, it just gives people an excuse to be the way they are.

As for the lulling effect, several religions don't have an afterlife, yet people are still lulled. Atheists, too, often decide that they are powerless to change the world, and decide to let the world sort things out. That's not about religion, it's about recognizing that individuals, even large groups of people, really have little to no control. You either complain about that, or you accept it and go on. Eliminating religion wouldn't make people less lazy. It might even have there reverse effect--it might make some people who find support in religion give up. What if MLK hadn't believed in a god whose work he was doing, and an afterlife that was better than this world? Would he have had the strength to keep going? Maybe, maybe not.

To me, religion is just a construct people use to justify themselves. It's an effect, not a cause.

[sammythecat]

108. Religion has always been a tool for the cynical and manipulative

I was thinking that when I said when religion wasn't the real reason for a conflict, it was used as a pretense or excuse for the aggression. Whether it was the primary motive or just a tool for manipulation, religion was an aggravating factor. Without religion, the conflict would, I think, have a different beginning and a different end. History would have been dramatically changed. For better or worse I don't know. We'd still have had wars, but they would have been different.

Like I said, we'd still have sin. Bad people would still manipulate others, but they'd no longer have a tool quite as powerful and convenient as religion. And there isn't any reason for me to think we couldn't still have heroes like MLK, Mother Teresa, etc. Virtue isn't dependent on religious faith. Atheists are just as fully capable of heroic selflessness as religious people.

As for religion not causing anything, I think it does cause things. Fear and guilt are two things that come to my mind. For instance, I was raised in an Irish catholic family and taught by nuns and priest from grade school through high school. Maturbation would send me to burn in hell for eternity. Gazing at Kathy Bell's legs when she was walking to the front of the room was a mortal sin. If I died before confessing that I'd be damned to hell. I was 13. I was being watched ALL the time. I was a believer and fear of eternal damnation was part of my everyday life, and I wasn't the only one. We wasted a lot of time, energy, and thought on superstition. It was just a waste. Thomas Aquinas would have still have had a brilliant mind and might still have been a great and influential philosopher, but his philosophy wouldn't have been grounded in superstition and it would have been more profound and useful for that very reason.

In this world without religion I wasn't thinking of individual situations as much as I was thinking of civilization as a whole. I can't be certain it would be better, only that it would be changed. It would have to be. Religion has had such a profound effect on civilization that it's removal from our history would have to result in dramatic changes.

You're right that some religions don't have an afterlife. I should have said "most" instead of "every".

Lastly, you say religion is a construct people use to justify themselves, I agree with that, but I do think it's a cause as well as an effect.

I think I see where you're coming from. I consider religion to be a rather unique invention with a uniquely powerful influence on human history. If I'm understanding you right, you're saying it's not so uniquely powerful and that our human nature would have produced a history not so very much different than what we have now. I disagree, but not vehemently. You very well might be right.

Anyway, it's fun to talk about this stuff, and sorry about being so lengthy. I tend to do that sometimes. I don't get to talk about things like this as often as I'd like.
:hi:

[GaYellowDawg]

99. Then what would you shout during sex?

"Oh, universe!" "Oh, objective reality!" "Oh, empiricism!"

Doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

[sammythecat]

105. LOL!

OOR! That's actually a pretty good question that needs an answer

:rofl:

May the laws of physics always jive with you

[insanity]

36. I'd stop Stalin from gaining power.

[av8rdave]

37. I always think of events that occurred in my lifetime, which I realize is myopic

I often wonder what our world would look like if RFK hadn't been assassinated. I really believe he would have won the general election in '68. That Nixon would have been a footnote goes without saying. But how would Viet Nam have turned out? What would our relationship with government be now without Watergate?

In a lot of ways, we would have been better off now. We would be a generation ahead in civil rights, labor rights, women's right's, etc., etc.

Who would have become the subsequent Presidents? Ford would have remained an obscure Warren Commission member. How about Carter? With no Watergate to piss off the people, could he have won, or even won the nomination?

Reagan...would he have had a chance? Even if he did, we would have started his damage from a better position.

Always interesting to think about.

[Wetzelbill]

38. I would have fell for the better woman nt

[Strong Atheist]

41. Ah, the personal angle. I have thought of this kind of change too. Change the world vs.

change a personal event... tough choice...

[Wetzelbill]

44. I'm still trying to change the world

That one I can never take back though. :)

[Strong Atheist]

53. Ah. Understood. nt.

[Nye Bevan]

42. I would play Powerball yesterday with the numbers 3, 7, 13, 34, 47, with Powerball 30 (nt)

[Strong Atheist]

54. Ah, the personal get rich change. I understand the allure ... nt.

[NewJeffCT]

43. I wouldn't want to go too far back

as there are too many variables to account for with so much when you go back to Hitler or Stalin or Lenin or Lincoln...

Stopping the assassination of JFK would be one. Out of Vietnam sooner? No Nixon in '68? Would Goldwater have won the nomination in 64, or would have had Nixon-Kennedy redux?

Preventing Reagan from becoming president would be another one (by maybe having the botched hostage rescue mission succeed, and then Reagan's secret dealings with the Iranians exposed?) - no Iran Contra, no cult of Reagan, Soviet decline is hastened by the lack of Reagan's warmongering rhetoric? US is still a creditor nation...

And, of course, having one SCotUS judge having a change of heart in late 2000 and voting to continue the recount, and making Gore president (so, no 9/11, no Iraq invasion...)

[raccoon]

50. Cotton gin wasn't invented.

SO slavery wasn't nearly as profitable, so it dies out much earlier.

[Strong Atheist]

56. A possibility... nt.

[Oeditpus Rex]

62. I'd prevent all 'holy books' from being written, or at least printed

Those collections of fairy tales have made nutbags out of far too many people, and too many of them have had too much political influence.

[SoxFan]

63. As we go to the bottom of the 9th, Dave Stapleton comes in as a defensive replacement

[SoxFan]

64. Stalin and Hitler kill each other in a bar fight

and accidentally take out Pol Pot's and Slobodan Milosevic's fathers while they're at it.

[Strong Atheist]

77. Hee Hee! nt.

[Initech]

65. Prevent the elections of Nixon and Ray-gun.

[Call Me Wesley]

68. Putting the first human made fire out.

Letting the dinosaurs rule the world! ;)

[Lost in CT]

70. Joanie Loves Chachi never airs.... nt

[NoPasaran]

72. Santa Anna is not caught napping at San Jacinto

American settlers are driven out of Texas. No Texas Republic. No annexation a decade later, no war with Mexico, and no Mexican Cession to re-open the debate over extension of slavery to the territories. No Civil War (at least as we know it.)

As a corollary to this, Polk, upon election in 1846 and still determined to expand the borders, provokes war with England over Oregon.

[Brother Buzz]

75. I'd go back in time to strip the generals of their...

skyrockets. When we took skyrockets from children and gave then to the generals, we were naive. I believe even Einstein would agree with that idea.

[Nye Bevan]

76. What if the US never fought the war of independence?

And came to some kind of compromise with the English? Many lives saved from the war of independence; no war of 1812; slavery would have been abolished much sooner (as it was in England and Canada); and the US would still have eventually become an independent country (as Canada did).

What are the biggest downsides to this? Perhaps the US would not have become strong enough to help ensure that Germany was defeated in World Wars 1 and 2?

[Strong Atheist]

78. You might like Orson Scott Card:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Alvin_Maker

[Nye Bevan]

83. Looks interesting- thanks for the link (nt)

[Strong Atheist]

93. You are welcome. nt.

[abq e streeter]

79. Just one? can't; Wilkes Booth, Sirhan, Ray and Oswald (and grassy knoll guys) all miss

and the Germans reject National Socialism forcefully and early on.

[Odin2005]

80. Make the Norman invasion of England in 1066 a falure.

Such an England would have maintained strong connections with Scandinavia and would give a population base that would have allowed more extensive exploration of the New World by the Norse. Native Americans would have had time to adapt to the situation and adopt Western technologies like iron metallurgy. One could even imagine a mixed-race Norse-Native society developing in places.

[Strong Atheist]

94. Very interesting ... nt.

[cloudbase]

81. For my friends in Buffalo,

and just because I can.

[Doc_Technical]

82. I'd arrange it so the Central Powers win World War I.

Hitler won't have a hissy-fit, the Tsar in Russia won't be overthrown,
Communism won't be as much of a threat, Japan won't take possession of
numerous Pacific islands, and the neutral U.S.A oversees the de-centralization
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the British
Empire.

[Strong Atheist]

95. Again, interesting... nt.

[jellen]

84. change events in history

I would have the Vikings (not the Minn.) stay here and have their more civilized culture prevail.

[Sequoia]

85. Abraham Lincoln not being shot.

[Strong Atheist]

96. Yeah, that would probably have had a huge impact on the U.S. nt.

[BlueIris]

88. Not hard: President Kerry.

:cry:

[Strong Atheist]

97. Ah.

:hug:

[Auggie]

89. Corporate personhood. The root of all evils.

[dysfunctional press]

90. i would have asked jodi to the jr. prom, like i should have, and she wanted me to...

and things would blossom from there, and i would have had the self-worth and motivation to do more with my life...? :shrug:

[Strong Atheist]

98. Maybe. However, even now, tomorrow is always a new day...

:pals:

[GaYellowDawg]

91. Carter's hostage rescue attempt would have succeeded without casualties.

If that rescue attempt had actually worked, then I think that would have completely turned that election around. There are times when I think that someone in the military-industrial complex sabotaged the helicopters.

[Strong Atheist]

100. I do not doubt that would have changed the election. nt.

[BlueIris]

101. I was just thinking about that the other night--you're probably right. nt

[Inchworm]

102. I'd be selfish

and change something in mine.. hmm.. OMG Inchworm hit the mega-millions 1 day after getting his divorce annulled when he was 18!!!

:woohoo:

:P

[Mendocino]

104. An earth with

maybe a million people at most.

[Strong Atheist]

107. That would have advantages... nt.

[FVZA_Colonel]

109. I'd have that art institute in Vienna give Hitler a chance.

Imagine if he'd gone down in history as a painter.

[Strong Atheist]

124. Ah, a kind way of taking care of a nasty problem... nt.

[sohndrsmith]

110. can I go forward and somehow ensure that my children have fulfilling,

meaningful, wonderful lives that aren't filled with regret and tragedy, but mistakes and sadness are learned from and enrich the balance of their characters and consciences.

I don't want their lives perfect - I just want them to feel good about how they lived, what they gave to others and they were proud of the women they'd become.

That's all. Not much. heh...

(For back up I'd still like to spend a week in a little hilltop villa in the Vaucluse with Da Vinci, Lincoln, Einstein, Mischa Auer and my dad - all at the same time - with great food and better conversation. Make that two weeks with my dad. No, three... No, wait... um... sigh... pretty selfish, huh. Changing history was too overwhelming for me at this particular moment. I couldn't choose so I just threw a party. Yes I feel very small and shallow. Sort of. I think I'm forgetting a few people. Oh, right! Gerald (not Lawrence) Durrell... and... um... oh! Walt Kelly of course... and um... hm... ).

BUT since my daughters come first, I gladly table my second wish. It sure has been lovely to think about the first one, though... thanks for that... : )

[Strong Atheist]

125. You are welcome! nt.

[Canuckistanian]

111. Thwart the incorporation of The Olive Garden

I'd go back and show the potential investors an actual menu from the future.

They'd be so horrifed that they would thank me for dodging a bullet.

Drinks all around.

[Urban Prairie]

113. A Sound Of Thunder by Ray Bradbury

One of my favorite sci-fi short stories as a child, which made me realize at a young age that changing the past, even in a positive way, could create quite different results in the present, that may not be as wonderful as hoped for, and in fact might make it much worse.

[Strong Atheist]

126. I don't remember that one, though I am quite the sci-fi buff. What

happened?

[dysfunctional press]

127. they made a crappy movie version a few years ago- but at least it had ed burns and ben kingsley...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318081/

i always LOVED that story too- another of my favourites was 'the veldt'- the one where the kids had a room that was basically the model for the holodeck on star trek next generation.

[RandomThoughts]

114. I would, hope and vote for a good president in 2008

Like we did when the people of America changed the future in 2008.

[Fire1]

120. Slavery in the U.S.

[snooper2]

121. Go back with a sub-machine gun

and prevent the destruction of the Library of Alexandria :)

[Taverner]

122. I go back in time and convince GW Bush not to trade Sammy Sosa

This has numerous effects:

1 - The Texas Rangers make the playoffs and Bush is considered a titan of baseball management.

2 - He never quits, and as a result never becomes president

3 - The Cubs are stuck with their original lineup, and have to rely on teamwork, the one thing they missed when they had Sosa

4 - The Cubs play the Red Sox in the 04 World Series

5 - We never get attacked on 9/11 with Gore on watch

6 - We never go to war with Iraq, Afghanistan

7 - Gore institutes watchdogs

8 - The system crashes a good 5 years from now, rather than the accelerated crash W brought on

[dysfunctional press]

123. i always wonder what the world would have been if 'poppy' bush had died when his plane went down...

in ww2..?

a MUCH happier place is all i can think.

[LeftinOH]

129. Sabotage the airplane that Buddy Holly & his pals were on, so they'd have to take the bus instead.

[Strong Atheist]

133. Ah. More music we missed. nt.

[victoryparty]

130. small event to be sure, but Denkinger's blown call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series

[applegrove]

134. I would change so much. Especially how naive I was in 1988. Though

when I met that creep I didn't like him and ended the contact right then and there I thought. Not much has been in my power since then. But I would change much of the last 20 years. I would change the friends I had in high school to be people more like me so I would have grown up then rather than at 25.