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The Jews never move out if Ur. The Habiru become peaceably absorbed by other tribes around 2000BCE and today are a footnote to history. (One scholar, Leo Kepgoing, is the world's leading expert on them today:p)

What if the Turks had never expanded beyond Central Asia? Had, in fact, never coalesced as a people at all, but remained just a small part of the rich tapestry of tribes that roamed the steppes for millenia.

Meiji fails, the Shogunate rather ruthlessly seeks and destroys all dissenters before they have a chance to coalesce. They also use American and some British troops to reestablish their threatened dominance in Satsuma and Choshu. This is part of a strategy to play off one great power against...

Yes, yes, it's been done to death and it's impossible besides. Still, this IS an AH board and it remains THE question of AH. How could the North have won the American Civil War?

Do any descendants of the various ruling Byzantine families still exist? If so, who/where are they? (I have no idea how the thumb thingy got there. It cannot be removed. Please ignore it)

England spends most of her time in the 1500's trying to bring Spain to a defeat on the Continent. Having failed miserably at this, she repeats the exercise with France in the 1600's and 1700s'. As a result North Am is settled mainly by French, with Strong contingents of Dutch, Swedes, even...

The Huns loot and burn Constantinople, after/before the Goths do the same, the Eastern Empire is dead and the city never recovers. How does the rest of history change?

The Slavs, for one reason or another, never move into Central Europe from their homeland, thought to be Eastern Europe, in the 6thc. They are gradually absorbed by other tribes and have no discernible effect on history. How is the world changed by this?

WI the Germans start WWII with as many Carriers as had the Japanese? They still have the BBS too. (Why not, the Japanese had carriers and BBS and subs, why shouldn't the Germans?) Would it make a difference? Particularly, would it enable the Germans to defend their subs in 1943?

What if Winston Churchill had ran off with Greta Garbo, while Hitler became a Jewish comedian in the Catskills and Roosevelt invited Stalin to the White House as his lover after Eleanor left him for Albert Schweitzer? Or is this implausible?

It occurs to me that the only nation doing a real life wank in the last 100 years is the US of A. Reverse that, make the USA stay the estimated number 17 it was among nations when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Have it decline even more as the years progress. (btw, will we ever get...

Like cattle or horses, we just went wherever and whenever and were completely unable to control it, lacking the ability to do so even if we wanted. How would this change human society, customs and design?

WI the Russians decided Japan was ripe for invasion in 1816? WI the British decided that China was just too easy in 1839 and to give the Army a bit of a workout in 1840? WI Satsuma/Choshu decided to solicit foreign help to overthrow the Tokugawa sometime in the early 19thc? In other...

Briefly outline a recruitment/selection/training/equipage regimen for The most effective Special Ops Personnel possible. No ASB and/or Cyborgs, just creative use of known techniques

It is January of 1864. The South has only recently surrendered Richmond and Jefferson Davis is a wanted fugitive, but the last year has really only been a protracted mopping up action. McClellans brilliant victory at Antietam, and his capture of the ANV's commander as well as it's annihilation...

Let's say Lucas refuses to make them (as in the DBWI inspiring this thread) but Paramount, still owning the rights decides it cannot lose such a hot property, and hires Tarantino, or someone else. What are the results? Is Bruce Willis good as Vader?:D

WI the thinking of the Union generals in 1859 had not been that repeating rifles would waste ammo but instead that the US had a small army (only 14,000 men to begin the ACW) and should therefore have the most modern ordinance available . They therefore decide to immediatly equip the entire thing...

Keep the Iroquois Empire in existence and about the size it was at its height into the present day.

Turn New York City into the Empire of New York, with an Emperor and a position in the modern world similar to that of Rome in the ancient. More kudos will be given the closer the POD is to the present.

IY's posting of some classic pix has reminded me of just how good the Great Masters could be at depicting the female form divine. But what if they'd gone further? what if Titian had gotten ahold of the Kama Sutra, and decided to illustrate it? what if Leonardo had painted the Mona Lisa in the...