1908
Kingdom of Nepal, Maratha Empire
King Mahesh Wesley II would formally approve the creation of a new "Youth Scout" organization recommended by the Peshwa's "Advisor" Robert Baden-Powell. The Wessex-born mercenary had served the Peshwa on the subcontinent for nearly two decades in the military and now was moving more towards a political office. Nepal had perhapas more autonomy than most of the assorted Kingdoms of the Maratha Empire and King Mahesh knew better than to do anything to incur the Peshwa's wrath.
Over the years, the "Gurkhas" of Nepal had formed the reputation of being the best soldiers in Pune's service, sometimes held in higher regard than the dwindling European regiments. Robert Baden-Powell had gained the Peshwa's ear (or that of his Ministers) and managed to convince him that forming a youth organization focusing on survival skills would make for an excellent recruiting ground for effective Scouts, Spies and other functions requiring independent thought.
Eventually, Baden-Powell would leave Nepal and encourage boys the length of the Indian Subcontinent to participate. Poor rural youth would flock to the government sponsored organization to find some excitement in their lives. They would be taught the concept of honor, hard work, the value of education and bring a sense of unity to a region still largely sectional in orientation. The Peshwa, a young man of but 26 years, would ensure that veneration of the Peshwa would be a central feature of the Scouts.
Of course, Baden-Powell would have several other key accomplishments during his tenure in Nepal. Baden-Powell would help organize the University of Kathmandu and encourage the hiring of several well-trained European doctors to expand the health care system of the nation.
Tunguska River, Russia
In June of 1908, a meteor exploded over the vast Siberian plain, devastating tens of thousands of square miles of remote forest. Only by chance did this event occur over one of the most isolated and unpopulated places on earth. Had it occurred over a densely populated area, the devastation would be been immense.
A city like London, Calcutta or Beijing would be been utterly destroyed leading to uncountable deaths.
The German Confederation
Though they would seek aid from other Protestant nations, the assorted crowns of northern Germany would find few takes willing to help. Naturally, the Catholics of Poland or the Habsburg realms were not solicited for aid.
Thus the weak Royal response to the riots and rebellions of Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Orange and other German Kingdoms would grant increasingly confidence to the revolutionaries. However, eventually the powers of the monarchies began to tell and those loyal units remaining to the Crowns would regain control over the cities one by one. Then they were able to press into the countryside.
By the fall of 1908, most of the regional monarchs had managed to suppress the disorders.
Of course, there were exceptions. The Danish King had long granted greater measures of personal and political freedom to his German subjects in Hanover, Holstein and Schleswig. The King of Oldenburg, who also held the American Crown in co-dominion, was already well along the way of reform to make his petty German state more inclusive.
Thus there were significant political differences even between the northern Protestant German states.
After regaining control over their countries, the Kings of Brandenburg and Saxony would publicly condemn their neighbors for "allowing this radicalism to cross borders". In a huff, the Danish and American-Oldenburg Kings would retort that THEIR subjects were not rebelling and perhaps the good Kings of Brandenburg and Saxony should mind their own business.
Bourbonia
After years of political turmoil, the Supreme Court of Bourbonia (granted "Home Rule" earlier in the century by France to deal with domestic issues) would formally declare ethnicity to have no bearing in suffrage. While this did not "grant" suffrage to all Bourbonians, it did allow those Polynesians, Melonesians and Aboriginals who met certain criteria (a minimum amount of land or wealth as well as a literacy test) which theorectically applied to French (or other European) settlers as well.
Per the laws of Bourbonia, over 42% of citizens (male) would be granted the right to vote and, for the first time, now included a substantial number of the descendants of the "recruited". The law would be flouted in some regions for a few years but, by the end of the decade, granting of suffrage was generally considered to be free and fair.
Detroit
With his hyper-efficient assembly line and supply chain allowing him to produce cheaper and cheaper, Henry Ford would raise the salaries of his workers to an almost unheard of $3.00 a day with a profit-sharing check at the end of the year which could reach as much as 20% of the yearly salary.
Jellinek Motors, his primary rival, had taken the lead in racing in the past few years...but not manufacturing and Ford was now outproducing Jellinek by 3 to 1 (and 2 to 1 over Buick) even WITH Jellinek's impressive financial support. Emil Jellinek realized he was not the equal of Henry Ford in manufacturing discipline (though his vehicles were considered more complex and stylish).
Seeking aid, Jellinek would find an ally in Billy Durant, a Bronx-based financer would dabbled in the automotive industry. There had been only one real rival to Ford for efficiency of assembly line on earth and that was the struggling Sandusky Automotive. Thus Durant arranged a merger with the relieved owner of Sandusky Automotive and implemented the Sandusky assembly line in Jellinek's Detroit plant. Durant was made President of the Jellinek Company, allowing Emil to focus on his racing.
Durant would take the best of Jellinek Motors and Sandusky Automotive while finding the best managers to challenge Ford Motor Company. One of these would be Walter Chrysler, who was put in charge of the Jellinek Plants in Detroit.
Now with plants in Detroit, Lansing (acquired from Ransom Olds) and Sandusky, Billy Durant determined that building his new headquarters out in Flint did not make much sense. Besides, even Durant's short time in the automotive industry was enough for him to become annoyed with Henry Ford's antics and, like his other main rival Buick, Durant would give Jellinek and Chrysler full supporting in assaulting Ford's stranglehold in his own city.