If you could change one event in history, just to see what happens

[subtlefuge]

Kill a butterfly in Japan.
To test the theory, so to speak.

Honestly though, i would prevent the birth of Lenin and his fellows, the first communists.

That's the first thing in this thread that actually sounds like it would improve anything. It would probably still go horribly wrong though.

 

[artanis_neravar]

Not quite. The US would still have been part of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty would have ordered the soldiers in to the fight from day 1, the war probably would have been over a lot sooner and a lot less people may have died. American inaction until after Pearl Harbour cost the world a lot, but of course your history books only portray americans as comic book style heroes who flew in, busted hitler's head and then zapped off again leaving a grateful world bowing behind you in less than a week.

only the east coast would be British controlled, everything else was either French or Mexican. And it's funny American in action cost the world a lot, but we are the bad guys for getting involved in world affairs now?

The rest of us wouldn't be facing the constant threat of terrorism, a continuing global finacial crisis, surging resource prices, floods of refugees from countries you're currently blowing the shit out of, and we'd probably all have the flying cars and jetpacks that were supposed to be common after the year 2000, since america wouldn't be spending all its money on bombs and guns.

Hmmm, that's a world I'd love to see.

If you really think it was just America, you are sadly mistaken, Brittan has had a huge hand in all of our Middle Eastern escapades. Also the terrorists would just focus on Europe if there was no America, we didn't make they, they were always there.

 

[Substitute Troll]

I would make it so that communism and/or anarchy actually works outside of theory. Would be an interesting thing to see.

 

[iseeyouthere]

Stop the Roman Empire from falling.

I always wondered what life would be like if the Roman empire didn't collapse and send us into a Dark Age. They were very advanced for their time, so given the dates, I wonder what technology would be invented.

Mobile Phones might of been invented 200 years early for all we know... for example.

 

[KiKiweaky]

Germany wins the Battle of Britain launches an invasion of the UK and decides to wait before attacking Russia what happens next... is one of big questions I would love to see answered.

WWII absolutly fascinates me I have to say, at first I just liked the tanks when I was growing up but now the political intrigue, tactics on a a grand scale and the sheer ferocity of the eastern front still hold me captivated. I dont know how many hours I have spent watching Discovery and the History Channel or reading about some of the massive engagements and wondering about what might have happened.

 

[Nuclear Pancake]

Basically you want to see if Gladiator would happen.

 

[subtlefuge]

If you want to talk completely world-changing, save Alexander the Great's life. If the Macedonian empire never divided, who knows what would have happened?

 

[Emilin_Rose]

Honestly, i don't know when it happened, only recently did i actually realize what i guess i knew for years, but didn't realize. I'm dead inside. No matter how touching something should be, even if it brings me to tears, there's this marble shaped hole in the deepest part of my heart.

I guess if i got the chance, selfish thought it may be, i would ask to see when i lost that part, and how to stop it. Then i'd see how i turned out, what happened to me. Even if i died before now, at least i'd have died a happy person who enjoys their life.

Also:

allow tito the great to take over russia and see if communism on that large a scale if it would work. and also just for the fun of it have al gore won intead of bush

If Al Gore won the election instead of George Bush, we wouldn't have lied about wmd's to start a war. If Gore wanted a war, he'd either find some reason that didn't make him look like a moron and a war-hungry power hunter, or he'd just come right out and say "Saddam is doing terrible things to these people. Here look at this powerpoint." and push it into the mainstream until everyone knew what was happening.

Also, and far FAR more importantly: The "Right to Life" that the conservative side says all fetuses have at conception would be extended to people who are already alive also.

In otherwords, everyone would receive lifesaving medical care regardless of financial status.

After all, if that woman was arrested on charges of 'negligent homicide' for not getting medical care that would have saved her 4 1/2 month fetus, which she didn't want and couldn't afford the hospital bills for, then by that same "Right to Life", denying anyone lifesaving medical care is taking away their "Right to Life".

I just know someone is going to tell me i'm wrong here. But really, no matter how complicated you try to make it this is what it boils down to. Any fetus conceived, no matter how, be it rape, failed contraceptive, too much alcohol, whatever the reason, has the right to live until it is born. That is what pro-life anti-public option healthcare advocates believe. After that, however, if the person is born to a poorer family, then they can just be left to die because they cannot pay for the hospital stay or medical care needed to survive. This implies that the fetus is more important than the person.

I'm not going to argue with anyone about this. It's just something to think about. I've seen it first-hand, along with an foster home horror story that tends to make people sick to hear about.

 

[IRBaboon]

Ahh come out of lurking to put my two cents, I'd kill Jesus Moses, and Mohammed just to see what the world would be like without the monotheistic religions. Vikings would still be here and still be awesome... not that they aren't

 

[Nickolai77]

I would be interested to see what would happen if the british won, being an American.

Look to Canada. If Britain had given the American colonies a certain degree of self-autonomy then the war of independence could have been avoided, arguably.

I would then have imagined that British and Empire forces would have taken over French Louisiana by force during the Napoleonic Wars. It is however hard to say if Britain would have picked a fight with Spain and Mexico over some of the south eastern states in America. It's probable that the America would have different borders to what it does now.

The Civil War might still have happened, with disagreements over what powers states should have and the southern colonies in America annoyed at the ban on slavery in 1833. A Civil War of sorts may have happened in America, just a lot earlier. American forces would have been used in WW1 much earlier on, perhaps shortening WW1. America, like Australia and Canada, would have virtual independence after WW1 with the granting of Dominion status. It's hard to say how WW2 would have panned out, and it's also possible that the population of the United States would have been lower if it restricted immigration from non-British Empire territories, but it's hard to say.

But yeah, America politically would have a parliamentary system like Canada and Aus, be led by a prime mininster, and the Queen Elizabeth II could may well be your head of state.

 

[IRBaboon]

I would be interested to see what would happen if the british won, being an American.

Look to Canada. If Britain had given the American colonies a certain degree of self-autonomy then the war of independence could have been avoided, arguably.

I would then have imagined that British and Empire forces would have taken over French Louisiana by force during the Napoleonic Wars. It is however hard to say if Britain would have picked a fight with Spain and Mexico over some of the south eastern states in America. It's probable that the America would have different borders to what it does now.

The Civil War might still have happened, with disagreements over what powers states should have and the southern colonies in America annoyed at the ban on slavery in 1833. A Civil War of sorts may have happened in America, just a lot earlier. American forces would have been used in WW1 much earlier on, perhaps shortening WW1. America, like Australia and Canada, would have virtual independence after WW1 with the granting of Dominion status. It's hard to say how WW2 would have panned out, and it's also possible that the population of the United States would have been lower if it restricted immigration from non-British Empire territories, but it's hard to say.

But yeah, America politically would have a parliamentary system like Canada and Aus, be led by a prime mininster, and the Queen Elizabeth II could may well be your head of state.

I think that having America part of the british would have sped up the outcome of WW1 substantially, it would also mean that the after effect would have been drastically different, one of the reasons the empire was disbanded was the debt to America, but if America was one of the controlled countries then this debt would never have come about. I think the Empire would still be around and control America if the civil war was one

 

[Mr Shrike]

The 2nd Boer War wouldn't have happened, so there wouldn't have been the formation of the British Expeditionary Force, meaning we would'a (probably) gotten crushed by Germany in WW1.

Just to see what would have happened...

Britain wouldn't have saved France, france would have been conquered and likely capitaultaed, Britain would either have not joined the war, or would have surrendered. We'd have no Tanks, No Bombing aircraft, we'd still use Dreadnoughts.. Trench warfare would still exist, creatign stalemate wars.
and those are just the immediate consequences.

That's very true.

However, the rise of Hitler & fascism in Germany may never have occurred, thusly, the Cold War & proxy conflicts may not have happened.
I think aircraft would still have developed, but at a much slower rate than they did and tank would (most probably) not exist.

That said, though, modern medicine probably wouldn't be as we know it. Huge advances were made in the fields of surgery and emergency medicine during the wars. I mean, these things would probably still exist, but be far more rudimentary than they are now.

Essentially, a lot wouldn't have happened, for better or for worse.

CAPTCHA - items ateramea

 

[Rocking Thunder]

I take back what I said earlier, have the Russians stop being such jerks and let the ottoman empire join the allied powers during ww1, and did not collapse, but it is forced into democracy. Think about it, arab unity, with all the oil that would have come with it. Think about the lack of terrorism, as most of it stems from poverty, but the funds would be evenly distributed. The countries GDP, dont even get me started! That would honestly, probably make the world a better place, without as much islamic extremism

 

[PixelKing]

Beiber never born.
CoD never created.
Cobain never killed himself.
etc...

 

[Android2137]

Probably make the muslims win in the Crusades. I'm interested in seeing the various cultures of a world that isn't so Euro-centric and what the modern metropolis would look like if evolved from the architecture of another culture.

Ummm your alittle off there, the christiants most definatly did not win the crusades. They held jerusalem for less then 100 years. The majority of them were just attempts to take it back.

:B History was one of my weaker subjects. Alright then, which event in history made everything so euro centric today?

 

[fingerbang143]

If Rome never fell, I love the culture and Rome produces some of our best inventors etc

 

[Android2137]

Everything is not really euro centric today. Europe is very euro centric and brittan has influences all over the world from the colonies but thats it.

What about Spain and Portugal's conquests? Their culture got integrated with the native culture. In other countries, having a Western style house is a sign of prosperity. But what if it wasn't the European countries who explored and conquered? What if it was... say... China? Or Kenya? Or even the Aztecs? Today's culture and perceptions would be way different.

 

[FeanortheBrave]

EDIT:

that the Earth was round etc, around the 11th century) and their knowledge of math and medicine was really beginning to flourish.

They knew the Earth was round in around 400BC though and Aristotle wrote a paper categorically proving it was round in 330BC. It wasn't until the European Dark ages that the masses seemed to forget this fact and even then most scientist still supported the view that the earth was round.

That's true granted, I know they weren't the first to know it anyway, but then I still feel it is pretty impressive as the Arabs for centuries before had done very little, scientifically, (and indeed had done very little as a people really, before the rise of Islam and such) and thus had no previous knowledge of this.