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Let's say the battle of Tours was avoided simply if the Muslim commander, Abdul Rahman al Ghafiqi had done his due diligence and conducted reconnaissance, and been made aware of a potentially formidable enemy to his north. How differently would history have unfolded? What if he had taken the...

It seems the main reason for why the Vikings under Guthrim lost the battle of Edington was because the opposing forces were relatively evenly matched, and with the Saxons under King Alfred fighting on familiar ground, they therefore had the advantage. Another related reason was the disunity of...

As it was, the OTL battle of Tours was closely fought, and either side could have won even with the Franks under their Duke and Prince Charles Martel having chosen the battlefield, and fighting on the high (and forested) ground. The single greatest reason for the defeat of the Muslims there was...

Why did the Persian Empire under the Achaemenids (especially at its zenith) never invade India beyond the Indus Valley?

How can we get at least northern India to not only become Hellenized, but to stay Hellenized? And I have already written Alexander the Great off, so if there any other suggestions, I am all ears.

How do we make this happen?

For the purpose of this thread, let's assume that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (unlike in OTL) is able to fend off an intraparty challenge in 1990, and remain leader of the Conservative Party going into another election (probably either in 1991 or 1992) against Neil Kinnock of the Labour...

I have been watching an old 1990s NOVA documentary on Archimedes, and of course I can't resist asking this question: What if the Romans had successfully captured Archimedes as they originally intended to do? And what if his work 'The Method' had not been written over? What would the impact...

I am sure all of us have heard of the 1854 Ostend Manifesto -is there any way within reason that Cuba can become another American state, and to remain one to the present day?

What if France had decided not to declare war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1792, but instead chosen to resolve differences diplomatically. Could the constitutional monarchy in France been preserved under the 1791 Constitution, and if so what impact would this have had on France and the...

What butterflies would it take for Mongolia (namely, Outer Mongolia) to officially remain a part of China into the 21st century?

In OTL, due to the issue of slavery and Scott's personal abhorrence of it which led to his defeat in the South, and the perception of his support of slavery which doomed him in the North, he lost (as the Whig Party nominee) in a landslide to Mexican War veteran, New Hampshire native, and...

Let's suppose that the GOP establishment does picks the smarter of the two leading Bush brothers, and instead of going for Gov. George W. Bush of Texas they instead opt for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. How would the ensuing decade have turned out assuming 9/11 happens as it historically did?

Let's suppose that Elizabeth had taken an active role alongside the plotters of Wyatt's Rebellion -if Queen Mary had married King Philip of Spain they would have conceived a child, and that would have presented a threat to Elizabeth, who would then have an interest in preventing it from...

The OTL George Thomas struggled with his decision between going with his native state of Virginia or to remain loyal to the Union. *In the end he chose the Union, influenced by his northern-born wife and his own antislavery sentiments. He then went on to become one of the most gifted generals...

As we all know, he died within a month of being sworn into office as President of the United States, and was succeeded by his VP John Tyler who effectively obstructed the Whig agenda at every opportunity. Let's suppose that he served a full term in office instead with Henry Clay as his...

President Lincoln once wrote -and I am paraphrasing- that if he lost Kentucky, then he essentially would have lost the war. First, why would he write that? Why is Kentucky so essential to the outcome of the Civil War? Second, is there any realistic scenario (I don't want anything ridiculous...

What chain of events do you think need to transpire for a Hellenistic India to happen? Here's my thinking: 1. King Philip II of Macedon is not assassinated, and having made public claims that the Persians (having known of his ambitions) were behind the attempt, he embarks with his son...

Let's suppose that Gen. Joseph E. Johnson was not hit by a chance bullet at the Battle of Seven Pines, and retains command of the Army of Northern Virginia. President Davis gives command of the Army of Mississippi in the western theater to Gen. Robert E. Lee (instead of Braxton Bragg as in OTL)...

Here is the scenario: Alexander survived his illness in Babylon, goes on to conquer Arabia before heading back east (by boat this time...) with a newly reinforced army and Admiral Nearchus' navy for a rematch in India. Is there any plausible way by which he can conquer at least northern...