Here is the fifth draft of the TL:
POD: March 3, 1960: Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy visit the home of Lucille Ball and Design Arnaz in Hollywood, California prior to launch a fundraiser for Democratic Party candidate. A young former police officer named Gene Roddenberry is attending the party, hoping to make some connection with the studio heads at Paramount Studios.
March 19th 1960: Ian Fleming and MCA complete a deal for the first James Bond movie. Thunderball, a screenplay co-written by Fleming, Kevin McClory, and Jack Whittingham, is announced to begin production in September.
August 20th 1960: A press conference is held by MCA, announcing the cast and the director of the upcoming film Thunderball:
Director: Nathan Juran
Actors:
James Bond: Laurence Harvey
Domino Vitali: Yvonne Monlaur
Emilio Largo: Christopher Lee
Fiona Kelly: Luciana Paluzzi
Felix Leiter: Andy Griffith
Count Lippe: Torin Thatcher
Thunderball has a tentative release date of May 26th, 1961.
September 8, 1960: Hammer Studios producer Anthony Hinds and American author Richard Matheson renegotiate a deal to produce an adaptation of Matheson’s work I am Legend. Shortly thereafter, Hammer announces a release date in July of 1961; with Val Guest directing a cast led by Stanley Baker, Paul Massie, and Hazel Court.
October 13, 1960: Willis O’Brien, the special effects man who created King Kong, brings a script to Daniel O’Shea of RKO pictures. Shea reads through it and approves of O’Brien’s King Kong vs. Frankenstein and tries to get in touch with producer John Beck. But before the two can meet, Beck is injured in a car accident and falls into a coma. O’Shea meets with O’Brien again and explains what he tried to do and that in fact RKO owns the rights to King Kong. However, O’Shea reaches out to another producer, Henry G. Saperstein of UPA. Saperstein is intrigued by the idea and works with O’Brien on expanding upon the idea with screenwriter Rueben Bercovitch. While O’Brien is confident of his abilities, Saperstein and O’Shea have concern and reach out to Ray Harryhausen and even Toho studios…
January 17, 1961: Congoloese President Patrice Lumumba survives an assassination attempt in Lubumbashi, with evidence implicating Belgian, French and British governments,...
March 9, 1961: Hammer Studios releases the Man with Two Shadows, a thriller directed by Val Guest. The plot has a British secret agent dispatched to the Middle East who receives a severe head wound that causes blackouts and amnesia. It is a great success and critics compliment Hammer on delivering a such a remarkable thriller without using monsters or the Victorian era. Unfortunately, Columbia Pictures takes issue with much of the content and asks for cuts before releasing the film in America. It will be another two months before a deal is struck to release the Man with Two Shadows in the States in November. With this added difficulty, Hammer studios producers are determined to find a better partner to release their films across the pond.
May 26, 1961: Thunderball opens spectacularly, easily becoming the top film in Britain and the US for over two weeks straight. A second film is kicked into production, this one based off the novel Moonraker.
July 8, 1961: Hammer studios releases I am Legend, the film adaptation of the Richard Matheson novella of the same name. The apocalyptic thriller is a massive hit and will be distributed through out the US by UPA.
September 6, 1961: Marshal Tito and Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou En-Lai announces the creation of the "Third Bloc" in Belgrade, uniting over 118 countries under the call for "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics..."
September 6, 1961: Third Bloc leaders call for independence and self-determination for Puerto Rico, sparking international attention,...
September 20, 1961: After the agreement between Daniel O’Shea, Iwao Mori, and Henry G. Saperstein; Toho Studios uses the influx of cash and their distribution deal to bring back Godzilla in Bride of Godzilla. Based on the late Hideo Unagami’s screenplay; scientists and miners find an entrance to a hollow world filled with prehistoric and mythological creatures and gigantic beasts including another Anguirus (the opponent of Godzilla in the second movie), a new Rodan, and a third Godzilla. The kaiju make it to the surface and assault the Japanese home island of Kyushu. Dr. Shida, an unhinged yet brilliant scientist, deploys a gigantic robot humanoid (the “bride”, actually an actress with makeup and costume resembling something like that of the robot in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.) to fight the attackers. One by one, the Bride kills off the monsters before Godzilla badly damages “her”. The kaiju drags her back into the hollow earth just when Shida activates a hidden hydrogen bomb that destroys the entrance and presumably ends the threat of these monsters again.
June 25, 1962: Toho Studios, with the cooperation of RKO pictures, releases King Kong vs. Godzilla in Japan to great success. A sequel to RKO’s King Kong vs. Frankenstein (which had been released in Japan on a double bill with Bride of Godzilla.), Kong is found alive on a south pacific island, healing and growing to over a hundred feet tall. A scheming businessman orders his employees to capture Kong and bring him to Japan while simultaneously Godzilla (the one from the first sequel Godzilla Raids Again) is freed when an atomic submarine collides with and fractures the iceberg he was trapped in. Kong escapes en route to Japan and duels with Godzilla while the Japanese government frantically tries to destroy them. The crossover event is a major hit and UPA will distribute, with RKO, in the US and other English-speaking countries in the fall of 1962.
April 7, 1963: The Soviet split with Yugoslavia; Croatian nationalists led by Vladimir Bakaric launch an armed insurrection in Zagreb, proclaiming the "Socialist Republic of Croatia", fueling military tensions between the Third Bloc and the Warsaw Pact;....
June 12, 1963: Civil rights leader Medgar Evers survives an assassination attempt against his life in Jackson, Mississippi highlighting the civil rights movement,...
November 23, 1963: Doctor Who debuts on the BBC. Featuring William Hartnell as the Doctor, Carole Ann Ford as Susan, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara and William Russell as Ian.
December 21, 1963: The first episode of the Daleks serial debuts. The genocidal pepper pots become recurring foes.
May 31, 1964: Hammer Studios releases And Frankenstein Created Woman in the UK, soon to be followed by UPA releasing it in the US. Terence Fisher directs Peter Cushing (as Baron Victor Frankenstein) who resurrects a suicide victim (Elke Sommer) along with the soul of her wrongfully accused lover, whom then carries out a vendetta against the men whom framed him. The film is controversial, but widely acclaimed and goes to be a success in the UK and the states.
June 15, 1964: Bandung Pact (a.k.a. Third Bloc) demands admission onto the United Nations Security Council in New York City, pointing out that they represent 77 countries
December 3, 1964: Malcolm X proclaims the "Power of Africa" during a speech at Oxford University, fueling tensions within the British government,...
December 17, 1964: Malcolm X states that he feels that Martin Luther King Jr., has not addressed the plight of the Congoloese in an "adequate fashion" during a speech at Harvard University,....
December 29, 1964: Calcutta Riots; Riots erupt as the Naxalbari faction of the Communist Party of India publicly splits with the Chinese government, citing the current political strife along the Sino-Indian borders,....
February 14, 1965: Malcolm X condemns the "Rape of the Congo" in Boston, Massachusetts, condemning U.S. and European military involvement in the region,...
February 21, 1965: Malcolm X is killed at Lorraine Ballroom in New York City, New York, while speaking out against the Congo War, fueling fears of a racial conflict,....
November 25, 1965: Mobutu Sese Seko is installed in a CIA-backed coup in Kinshasa, fueling political and ethnic tensions in the region,...
August 23, 1966: SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma claims South African forces have entered into the Congolese military crisis at Kinshasa, Mobutu Sese Seko denies these claims,...
August 26, 1966: South African Defense Forces (SADF) under General Gerrit Viljoen, begin operations in Congo, much to the anger of neighboring nations,...
September 9, 1966: Star Trek (CBS-TV) makes its hit debut, starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, becoming one of the biggest hits of the network,...
November 7, 1966: John Lennon, scheduled to attend a preview of artist Yoko Ono's work at the Indica Gallery, is unable to do so due to a late autumn chill.
November 24, 1966: in the early morning following a recording session, Paul McCartney figures in a car accident. While suffering only minor injuries, the Beatles' bassist is shaken by the event.
December 1966: Fresh off of a brush with mortality, Paul McCartney decides to rework the concept of the album the Beatles had been recording. Instead of a retro marching band singing songs about childhood, the album would take on a more fatalistic mood. While the songs the band had worked on at that point (Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever) would remain largely unchanged, they would be reframed as a person reminiscing about their childhood as they confronted their morality.
December 16, 1966: South African leaders denounce United Nations sanctions against their country citing the Third Bloc regime of Patrice Lumumba, sparking international attention,...
February 17, 1967: Mao Tse-tung orders Chinese Red Guard units into Northern Vietnam, citing the Cultural Revolution and the Sino-Soviet Split, sparking international attention,...
May 20, 1967: Patrice Lumumba condemns the formation of the "national solidarity" government imposed by Mobutu Sese Seko in Kinshasa, sparking international attention and concern,...
May 29, 1967: Sgt Pepper and the Carnival of Life by the Beatles debuts at #1 on the UK album charts. It serves as the band's first concept album, covering topics such as childhood (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds), everyday living (Good Morning, Good Morning), old age (When I'm Sixty-Four), death and the afterlife (Within You, Without You). The album notably features an even more aggressive sound than the psycedelic sound of the period, with many critics pointing to this album as a forerunner of hard rock.
April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. Survives an assassination attempt in Memphis Tennessee, with many concerned that the White House has not done enough to support civil rights movement....
June 28, 1968: Siege of Cao Bang; Chinese forces lay siege to Cao Bang, North Vietnam, fueling tensions between the Third Bloc and the Soviet Bloc,..
November 6, 1968: Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) and Black Student Union (BSU) launch student strikes against the U.S. and military involvement in the Congo, in San Francisco, California,..
March 2-September 11, 1969: Sino-Soviet Border Conflict; Tensions mount as the Third Bloc and Soviet militaries launch massive arms buildups after Russian forces clash with Chinese forces at Zhenbao (Damansky) Island, fueling the threat of a nuclear war,
March 24, 1969: Soviet-backed North Korean troops begin deploying along the northern border under orders from Chairman Kim Il-Sung, fueling political and military tensions in the region,....
April 16, 1969: Chinese government under orders by Chairman Mao Tse-tung orders a crackdown on "class enemies" in Anhui Province, triggering a massive humanitarian crisis, as local leaders attempt to flee to the West,....
May 27, 1969: Actor Jeffrey Hunter dies of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, forcing the hiring of Canadian actor William Shatner as "Captain James T. Kirk"
June 21, 1969: Doctor Who (BBC-TV) starring Patrick Troughton, is cancelled with the airing of "The War Games" as the last scheduled original episode.
July 21, 1969: Moon Landing attempt by Apollo 11 fails as it runs out of fuel during landing process.
October 1, 1969: Chinese Chairman Mao Tse-tung warns North Korean Chairman Kim Il-Sung against crossing the Sino-Korean border, sparking fears of an escalating military conflict,....
February 8, 1970: "Spock Must Die" originally airs, written by James Blish has the Klingons break the Organian Peace Treaty, with critics calling the episode a "brilliant " analogue to the Sino-Soviet conflict,...
July 29, 1970: United Nations condemns U.S. and South African military operations in Namibia, sparking political tensions in New York City, New York,...
March 2, 1971: Cosmos Patrol (a.k.a. Soviet Star Trek) airs for 4 seasons; rumors state that Leonid Brezhnev is a fan of the series, sparking international attention,...
April 3, 1971: Kamen Rider debuts on television in Japan, with Hiroshi Fujioka in the lead role. The show concerns a university student named Takeshi Hongo turned into a cyborg against his will by the organization Shocker. However, Hongo breaks free of his captors, resolving to use his powers for good.
May 2, 1971: Battle of Caprivi Strip; Namibian troops ambush American troops at Caprivi Strip, fueling calls to leave the increasingly unpopular military conflict,...
Early 1972: As the first anniversary of Kamen Rider approached, Shotaro Ishinomori and the showrunners brainstormed on new plots for the series. The show had good ratings and was popular with children abd adults alike, yet Ishinomori and company felt that the "Monster of the Week" format was wearing thin. Then Ishinomori received a call fron United Artists about his show.
April 27, 1972: Battle of Laoshan; Chinese forces launch a massive offensive on Vi Xuyen, fueling political and civil unrest in the region,...
May 1972: As part of reinvigorating the show, Kamen Rider introduces the second Kamen Rider, a roguish photographer named Hayato Ichimonji played by Takeshi Sasaki. The second Rider would establish a trend of a secondary hero contrasting and complementing the first, and Ichimonji serving as an occasional rival to Hongo proved to be a hit.
June 12, 1972: Saudi Arabia reforms its constitution, making it an Constitutional Monarchy.
August 15, 1972: U.S. troops announce their withdrawal from the Congo, amidst massive protests at home, sparking international attention and concern,...
September 1972: After months of negotiation, United Artists and Ishimori Pro come to an agreement with regards to bringing Kamen Rider to the United States. Ishimori Pro would retain full creative control, yet UA would handle the English dubbing and distribution for the series. Up and coming actor <insert here> would be chosen to voice Takeshi Hongo.
September 23, 1972: In a televised address from Manila, President Ferdinand Marco's says that he will abide by the Constitution and leave office in January 1973, citing George Washington's Farewell Address,...
February 21, 1973: The Norliss Tapes (CBS-TV) horror series where monster target a small California coastal town, starring Angie Dickinson and Claude Akins, makes its hit debut,....
June 12, 1973: Seeing the success that Toei's Kamen Rider series is having in America and Europe, Tsuburaya Productions decided to double down on it afford to market their Ultra series world wide. As about this time, a thai movie director, Sompote Sands, whom decade earlier visit japan on a thai government grant and tour Toho studio, comes to Tsuburaya, offering a licensing deal to distributing their series in thailand and south east asia, but also make a movie with them featuring the Ultras. While Tsuburaya Prods is interested, they decline his offer, looking at other offers, Sompote Sands return to thailand where he make special effect driven movies which gained a small cult following for their weirdness.
September 9, 1973: Third Bloc leaders in Algiers, call for independence and self-determination for Western Sahara, angering France and Spain, sparking international attention and concern
September 14, 1973: Uzay Yolunda, a Turkish bootleg edition of Star Trek airs, written and directed by Hulki Saner starring Sadri Alisik, makes its hit debut,...
November 12, 1974: South Africa storms out of the United Nations General Assembly amidst ongoing accusations that the SADF forces are conducting ongoing military operations in the Congo,...
May 15, 1975: David Duke leads KKK members in the burning of "Little Saigon" in Galveston, Texas, killing 28 people, sparking international attention,...
September 5, 1975: Lynnette "Squeaky" Fromme, follower of Charles Manson, firebombs a comic book convention in San Diego, California in an effort to trigger a "race war",...
July 18, 1976: South African leaders cry fowl, as economic and political sanctions are imposed by the United Nations, sparking international attention,...
September 17, 1976: Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, and Gene Roddenberry protest the U.S. military unveiling of the trans orbital bomber Enterprise in Van Nuys, California, stating that it "goes against the values of the show..."
April 1977: Elvis Presley watches the Lennon-McCartney reunion on Saturday Night Live, and receives a burst of inspiration.
April 24, 1977: Paul McCartney and John Lennon reunite on Saturday Night Live (NBC-TV), premiering the song "Free as a Bird", and in a sketch where they demand $200 from Lorne Michaels,...
May 5, 1977: Cover Girls (NBC-TV) spy drama starring George Lazenby, Cornelia Sharpe and Jayne Kennedy, makes its hit series debut,....
May 8, 1977: "Planet of the Titans" 2-part finale for Season 11, directed by Philip Kaufman, makes its hit debut, the last before moving to the Paramount TV network, time-travel epic storyline featuring Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune as the Klingon Captain Po'Vill, the nemesis to Spock, is considered one of the high points of the series franchise.....
June 6, 1977: Exo- Man (NBC-TV) superhero series starring David Ackroyd makes its hit debut, demonstrating the growing market for superhero and science-fiction content in popular media,....
August 2, 1977: Star Wars, later known as Star Wars Episode 4: The New Hope, is released to critical an box office success
August 16, 1977: a young man named Mark Chapman is found dead in his car of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
August 23, 1977: Doctor Who & the Daleks starring Peter Cushing and Roy Castle is produced, to lackluster reviews, being quickly compared to Star Trek and Star Wars, but earning enough of a following in an effort to launch the film franchise.
November 4, 1977: Amidst U.S. objections, the United Nations General Assembly imposes mandatory arms embargo against South Africa, sparking international attention,...
August 5, 1978: Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 starring Peter Cushing and Roberta Tovey is produced, in an effort to cash in on the Star Wars/ Star Trek craze, sparking international attention,....
October 7, 1979: Vampire (ABC-TV) horror series starring Richard Lynch and E.G. Marshall, makes its hit debut,...
June 21, 1979: Doctor Who: Terror the Autons is released. The film is the first in the canon Doctor Who movie series. The story features the Doctor crashing on Earth and having to team up with UNIT when a rival time lord calling himself the Master arrives with an Alien Race known as the Autons. The film features David Warner as the Third Doctor, Helen Mirren as Jo Grant, and Jonathan Pryce as the Master. Patrick Troughton cameos.
September 13, 1979: "Planet of Judgement " originally airs, written by Joe Haldeman, considered one of the most cosmic horror driven episodes, banned 3 states due to scenes of gore,...
December 6, 1979: After many delays and cost overruns, Star Trek launches on the Paramount Television Network (PTN) with the episode "In Thy Image"; David Gatreaux is introduced as "Xon", Persis Khambatta is introduced as "Illia", and Stephen Collins is introduced as "William Decker", as Leonard Nimoy leaves the series,....
December 26, 1979: Buffalo Soldiers (PTN-TV) Western series starring John Beck, Lou Gossett Jr., and Stan Shaw makes its hit debut,...
March 4, 1980: Josip Broz Tito dies in Sarajevo; Soviet officials threaten a "police action" into Yugoslavia in an effort to prevent sectarian and ethnic violence in the region, fueling threats of a nuclear war in the region,....
March 24, 1980: Cardinal Oscar Romero survives an assassination attempt in San Salvador, El Salvador, with evidence implicating the military government,...
May 2, 1980: Games Workshop introduces Warhammer 40K.
March 15, 1981: Shreveport Bombing; KKK members bomb a local Chinese-American church in Shreveport, Louisiana, killing 8 people, including 3 girls,...
June 15, 1981: "Entropy Effect" originally airs, written by Vonda McIntyre, places the crew into a time warp, triggering complicated debates on the matter,...
October 8, 1981: Toy company Hasbro released the Mindvision as a response to their rival Mattel getting into the market with the Intellivision, which also put them up against the Atari 2600, Magnavox/Phillips Odyssey 2, and later the ColecoVision; the console came packaged with a Romper Room game as well as other games such as Borderline (by SEGA), Mr. Potato Head, Snoopy, Scooby-Doo, and Mindvision Basketball, the only original title on the list.
October 22-23, 1981: Cancun Summit; U.S. and European leaders meet with representatives of the Third Bloc in Cancun, Mexico, to promote political dialogue and economic trade between the two nations, sparking international attention and concern,...
April 10, 1982: The Adventures of Pollyanna (PTN-TV) family friendly period drama starring Patsy Kensit and Shirley Jones, makes its hit debut,...
June 19, 1982: Vicent Chin of Highland Park, Michigan is killed while asking for directions to a party, highlighting anti-Asian racism,...
July 26, 1982: Doctor Who: Fronteer In Space is released. The film features the Doctor and Jo arriving in the middle of a vast space empire under attack by enemy forces. The Doctor must investigate, and discover the dark and familiar forces controlling it all. The film features David Warner as the Third Doctor, Helen Mirren as Jo Grant
May 25, 1984: "The Final Reflection" originally airs, written by John M. Ford, introduces the Klingon game of "Kling zha" (Klingon chess) becoming popular amongst fans worldwide,...
July 12, 1984: "My Enemy, My Ally" (a.k.a Rihannsu") originally airs, written by Diane Duane detailing the Romulan culture, changing how people viewed the race,...
August 23, 1984: Doctor Who: Planet of Spiders is released. The film features the Doctor and Jo arriving in a planet controlled by super intelligent spiders. This is the last film to feature Mirren and Warner. Warner regenerates at the end.
September 27, 1984: Indian production of Star Trek is launched, starring Rudy Solari, Reginald Lal Singh, and Sabrina Scharf, makes its hit debut,...
November 25, 1984: After a successful marketing test, Apple releases the Macintosh console in the Western World and beyond. Using the same hardware as the Apple II computer, the Macintosh has the ability to have up to 8 players using the same console, and comes with 8 easy to use, wireless controllers; the first working wireless controllers to date.
August 31, 1985: New York Times reports the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, with many citing the rise in Asian immigration into the United States,...
September 19, 1985: In response to Congressional hearings launched by Tipper Gore in Washington D.C., the Gaming Systems Control Act (GSCA) is established under the Federal Communications Act (FCA) by Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Bill Bradley (D-NJ) regarding video games, sparking national attention,...
October 18, 1985: Atari releases the Japanese video game entertainment console, the Nintendo Famicom, internationally as the Tengen Entertainment System (TES) and becomes an instant success,...
December 13, 1985: "I of Newton" originally airs, featuring Sherman Helmsley, The Enterprise is confronted by an entity claiming to be the Devil,...
December 20, 1985: "The Star" originally airs, Christmas-themed Star Trek episode based on a script by Arthur C. Clarke uncovers a dead star system that went supernova 2310 years prior,...
January 24, 1986: "A Small Talent for War" originally airs, starring John Glover, is seen as a direct sequel to "Planet of the Titans", claiming that the humanoid races of the galaxy were seeded in an effort to create warlike species,...
January 28, 1986: Melba (PTN-TV) starring R&B singer Melba Moore as a single mother in Philadelphia, makes its hit debut,...
August 26, 1986: Blinkins (PTN-TV) US/Japanese animated series by Sunao Katabuchi, starring Tracy Gold and Missy Gold, makes its hit debut,...
August 31, 1986: Westwood Studios releases their first big hit, Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum. While not the first Western RPG, nor the first to make a large impact in the video game industry, it's the start of a very popular and influential franchise that will in turn serve as the blueprint for other games of its kind.
November 21, 1986: Batman starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Sean Young as Vicky Vale and Tim Curry as the Joker releases.
January 10, 1987: The Return of Sherlock Holmes (CBS-TV) starring Margaret Colin and Michael Pennington, with Sherlock Holmes emerging after being placed in cryogenic freeze by Moriarty,...
March 1987: Electronic Arts successfully completed a hostile takeover of MicroProse, making Bill Stealey and Sid Meier to find work at Steve Jackson Games (a.k.a. SJGURPS) in San Jose, California,...
March 19, 1987: Atari releases the Family Computer Disk System peripheral worldwide as the Tengen Disk System (TDS), which made Atari gain suspicion from parents and Moral Guardians due to its capabilities and the timing of its release. Atari later released a two-in-one console (called the Tengen Double Dip) and a standalone Disk System (called the Tengen Disk Drive)
May 6, 1987: The Great Giana Sisters (Rainbow Arts) is released on the Apple Macintosh, being one of the first of the so-called "Mario Killer" video games,...
June 29, 1987: Leonard Nimoy reports uncovering a bootleg copy of the Soviet version of Star Trek during an interview with Entertainment Tonight,....
August 31, 1987: TIME magazine features the piece "Yellow Wave", claiming Western is being overwhelmed by Asian pop culture and immigration,...
September 3, 1987: Act II (PTN-TV)sitcom starring Sandy Duncan and Charles Frank, makes its hit debut as a series,...
October 4, 1987: Sam & Max (PTN-TV) cartoon show, created by Steve Purcell and starring Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson, makes its hit debut,...
October 12, 1987: "Just How Much for that Planet?" Originally airs, written by John M. Ford, directed by Sam Raimi, is known as the show's "musical episode" complete with song and dance numbers,...
October 19, 1987: Star Trek's "The Collective" airs. Which sees introduction of the Borg.
Late 1987: American Video Games is founded by Bobby Kotick with the purpose of selling games that is 'Made in America' and products from his company Codemasters,..
March 15, 1988: The Dictator (PTN-TV);sitcom starring Christopher Lloyd as the fictional President-for-Life of a European state, makes its hit debut,...
March 23, 1988: Bonanza: The Next Generation starring John Amos, Robert Fuller and Lee Majors, makes its hit series debut,...
July 12, 1988: Final Fantasy (Square) is released internationally by Acclaim Entertainment, who opened their doors a few years prior,...
August 15, 1988: Remo Williams: The Series (ABC-TV) adventure series starring Roddy McDowell and Jeffrey Meek,
September 11, 1988: Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide is assassinated in Port au-Prince, Haiti, triggering civil unrest and panic nationwide,...
October 31, 1988: Gary Kitchen's BattleTanx (Activision) is released, the game sparks controversy for highlighting the double standard of gender roles in Western society,...
June 4, 1989: Chinese Democratic Revolution; Wang Jiangshang leads democratic revolution, defying PLA crackdown in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, sparking international attention,...
June 13, 1989: Zhou Fengsuo leads anti-government protests in Xian, fueling demands for political change in China,....
June 27, 1989: B-Men (CBS-TV) high school teen/ police drama starring James McDaniel and Kimberly Foster, is launched to compete against 21 Jump Street (FOX-TV), ....
April 7, 1989: Pat Buchanan and other Republicans in oke the "Yellow Peril" in discussions of immigration in Washington D.C., sparking international attention,...
July 7, 1989: Adventures in Babysitting (CBS-TV) sitcom starring Joey Lawrence, Brian Austin Green, and Jennifer Guthrie, makes its hit debut,...
July 31, 1989: the Nintendo Game Boy, an idea by Gunpei Yokoi, is released to the international public as the Atari Lynx; while having Tetris as an exclusive is out of the question because of Mastertronic, it still had Klax to consider,...
August 20, 1989: Nick Night (CBS-TV) vampire horror series starring Rick Springfield, makes its hit debut,..
October 31, 1989: Final Fantasy II (Square), makes its hit debut worldwide courtesy of Acclaim Entertainment, becoming a major bestseller,...
March 20, 1990: Singer Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine, is killed in a bus accident outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania, shocking music fans,...
June 10, 1990: A disgruntled Electronic Arts employee releases the Project M.A.D. documents to the public, telling about EA's plans including (but not limited to) pirating all the consoles currently released including the Atari Tengen, and threatening to release the reverse-engineered Dev Kits if they don't bend to their will; angering the entire video game industry,...
July 4, 1990: Beanpole (PTN-TV) sitcom starring Beverly Garland and Pat Hingle, makes its debut as a series,...
August 3, 1990: British music composer Rob 'Moving Shadow' Playford joins the video game industry, with the game Orbital Madness (Perfect 10 Productions/Teeny Weeny Games)
September 1, 1990: "Prime Directive" originally airs, written by Judith Garfield Reeves-Stevens, places the crew of the USS Enterprise on trial for breaking the Prime Directive,...
September 8, 1990: Federal prosecutors led by Rudy Giuliani announce a suit against Electronic Arts (EA) with the Ninth Circuit Federal court in San Francisco, California citing violations of FCC rules regarding video games,...
November 12, 1990: Electronic Arts v. U.S.; U.S. Supreme Court Chief Antonin Scalia declares Electronic Arts guilty of violating FCC rules and guidelines regarding video games and EA must pay millions of damages for violations of the RICO Act, citing racketeering, criminal conspiracy, intellectual property theft, and labor law violations...
November 14, 1990: Mastertronic establishes Tsu Bito (a.k.a. "Two Beats") Company for Japanese imports with actor Takeshi Kitano (a.k.a. Beat Takeshi) as head, and the first game for the label is "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" which was a financial success,...
November 30, 1990: NightVisions (CBS-TV) horror series directed by Wes Craven, makes its hit series debut,...
February 1991: Electronic Arts officially declares bankruptcy with the remainder of the company is sold to Bizarre Creations and 989 Studios who restructures it to EA Studios as their 'AAA' label,....
March 1991: the Planet Arcadia restaurant is founded by Vince Perri in New York City (think WWF New York and Hard Rock Cafe but for gaming)
June 30, 1991: The Coming War with Japan by George Friedman is released, promulgating the fear that Japan is militarizing, sparking political tensions across the Pacific Rim,...
August 19, 1991: Gennady Yanayev, Ditry Yazov, and Vladimir Kryuchkov announce the sudden death of Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow, amidst fears of a coup, ....
August 23, 1991: Super Famicom is released worldwide as the Atari Panther with little fanfare due to Atari focusing on the Tengen and its Disk System peripheral, which competed with the Sony MSX, Apple Macintosh, ColecoVision II, and Sega Gaia,...
August 24, 1991: Soviet General Sergey Akhromeyev defects to the West in London, warning of a military coup against the government, sparking fears of a nuclear standoff,...
October 3, 1991: Soviet military forces are deployed to aid the Yugolavian government under President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade, sparking tensions with the Third Bloc; Soviet Navy launches patrols into the Baltic Sea,...
November 1, 1991: Dragon Knight (BlueSky Software Corporation) fantasy-themed Action RPG video game is released as an response to the socio-political stance of the video game industry shifting towards the left,...
November 18, 1991: Vladimir Zhirinovsky and General Alexander Lebed announce their control of the government in Moscow, amidst growing concern over control of the Russian nuclear arsenal,...
January 18, 1992: Two-Fisted Tales (HBO-TV) action anthology series based on the EC Comics series, hosted by William Sadler, guest-starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, makes its hit debut,...
January 23, 1992: Rising Sun by Michael Crichton sparks international attention, by claiming that Asian cultures exercise an "unfair advantage" over the West...
June 16, 1992: Batman Returns starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Marlon Wayans as Ricky Grayson / Robin, Christopher Lloyd as Oswald Copplepot / the Penguin, Lorraine Bracco as Selena Kyle / Catwoman and Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent is released.
July 1992: With its flagship Final Fantasy title seeing success, Squaresoft sets up an American division, Squaresoft USA, by buying out up-and-coming Maryland-based developer Bethesda Softworks.
September 9, 1992: Former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) condemns Celeste as "feminazi propaganda" and accuses Alliance Entertainment of being "globalist commie degenerates"...
November 7, 1992: Battletoads (PTN-TV) animated series makes its hit debut as part of the Saturday morning children's cartoon lineup,...
December 2, 1992: the Atari Panther-CD peripheral is released internationally, much to the dismay of the Moral Guardians; the console will get the same treatment as the Tengen Disk System as the Panther/CD combo (called the Panther PlayStation) being available as an option from the start, with a standalone version coming later,...
April 18, 1993: Final Fantasy V is released worldwide, with localization done in-house by Squaresoft USA (North America) and Empire Software (Europe) with multi-language support. Fans noted that while the story was "scaled down" compared to the previous entry, the innovative Job System (itself an enhancement on FFIII's) as well as memorable characters made up for it.
October 13, 1993: Dragon Knights (BlueSky Software) fantasy-themed video game makes its hit debut, highlighting the importance of traditional values in society and the supposed pointlessness of feminism and civil rights activism,...
November 14, 1993: National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood (NO MAAM) is formed in Chicago, Illinois by Richard Spencer, Franklin Graham and Warren Farrell, ...
February 3, 1994: Global Baseball League (GBL) is launched under the leadership of George W. Bush and Vincent Kennedy McMahon, with a ceremony in New York City featuring Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior,...
February 13, 1994: Knight Rider 2010 (NBC-TV) starring Richard Jose Paul and Hudson Leick, in a sequel to the original series,...
March 4, 1994: NBA player Michael Jordan announces his membership in the GBL during a press conference in Chicago, Illinois,...
March 20, 1994: Boulder Summit; National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood (NO MAAM) hold its first summit in Boulder, Colorado,...
April 21, 1994: Doorways (ABC-TV) written and produced by George R.R. Martin, starring Carrie Anne-Moss and Kurtwood Smith makes its hit debut,...
July 22, 1994: "Q-Squared" 2-part episode originally airs, written by Peter David, features 3 different universes colliding, due to a civil war led by "Q, Squire of Gothos",....
July 25, 1994: Squaresoft USA releases its first flagship "western RPG" title: The Elder Scrolls I: Arena, to decent success. It combines a homebrew version of D&D made by the developers with many elements from Final Fantasy as well. While the series wouldn't quite become a smash hit on par with its parent studio's releases until 2002, the seeds of something special were planted.
August 1994: With Kamen Rider off the air in Japan, both Toei and United Artists saw the need to keep the franchise in the public consciousness. The two companies would work together to make the first American-based Kamen Rider movie, simply titled The Masked Rider. Telling the story of biologist James Winter, who received a transfusion of mutant blood after a freak lab accident, causing him to develop superpowers, the movie would prove to be a great success at the box office, even with somewhat middling critical reviews.
August 17, 1994: Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy is released predicting that Japan will sponsor terrorism in an effort to start a Second Cold War,...
October 29, 1994: President William J. Clinton is killed by Francisco Martin Duran who used an AK-47 to break into the White House and kill 3 Secret Service agents and the the president; Al Gore is sworn in as president; Duran claims that he was influenced by FOX-TV and the broadcasts of Rush Limbaugh; NRA officials claim the assassination is a false flag operation to undermine gun rights,...
November 1, 1994: President Bill Clinton is laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery; President Al Gore calls for passage of the Unified Healthcare Act and the Brady Gun Control Act, to be cited "not just as his legacy, but as tribute to all of us. As a people and as a nation,..."
November 2, 1994: Tom Daschle (D-SD) is named Vice-President by Al Gore, who promises to help push Gore's legislation in the Senate,....
November 8, 1994: Democratic Party take both the House and Senate, amidst growing sympathy after the Clinton assassination according to TIME/CNN polls,...
November 18, 1994: Atari released an improved version of the Lynx handheld, the Lynx Pocket Color,...
January 15, 1995: Bonanza: The Next Generation ends on a high note with Richard Roundtree, Dennis Farina and Leonard Nimoy starring,...
January 24, 1995: President Al Gore delivers the State of the Union Address in Washington D.C., citing both gun control and universal health care as major items on the national agenda; Former First Lady Hillary Clinton is appointed part of the task force to develop a plan for universal health care,...
March 31, 1995: Singer Selena Quintanilla survives a murder attempt by her fan club manager in Corpus Christ, Texas, sparking international attention,...
April 19, 1995: Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing c. 175+ people, injuring c. 680 people in the largest act of domestic terrorism up to this point; NRA and conservatives led by Rush Limbaugh, claim the "false flag" action of the "George Soros wing of the Democratic Party",...
July 15, 1995: Batman & Robin starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Marlon Wayans as Ricky Grayson / Robin, Robin Williams as Edward Nigma / the Riddler, Rene Russo as Chase Meridian and Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent / Two Face is released.
September 3, 1995: Heavens to Betsy (PTN-TV) Christian sitcom starring Dolly Parton makes its hit debut,...
December 20, 1995: Dragon Knight III (BlueSky Software) is boycotted by feminist gamers for its "rampant misogyny" and "portraying minorities as evil invaders" who was promptly called off as "fucking dumbass hypocrites" by Fox News,...
February 25, 1996: Dragon Knights: The Wheel of Time (FOX-TV) by Tiburon Entertainment makes its hit debut, promoting the ideas of conservatism, capitalism, and nationalism,...
April 19, 1996: Spider-Man starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Robyn Lively as Mary Jane Watson, Michael Biehn as Boyd / Sandman and Lance Henricksen as Carlton Strand / Electro is released.
July 11, 1996: Bo Jackson, Kansas City Royals, announces a contract with the Global Baseball League (GBL), sparking renewed interesting the league,....
October 30, 1996: Public Morals (PTN-TV) controversial police drama by Steven Bochco, starring Bill Brochtop, makes its hit debut,...
July 3, 1997: Final Fantasy: The Series (PTN-TV) by Dreamworks/Amblin Entertainment makes its hit debut,...
October 4, 1997: National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood (NO MAAM) holds its march on the National Mall in Washington D.C., c. 600,000 people attend, decrying the "emasculation of Christian males",...
March 8, 1998: Spider-Man 2 starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Robyn Lively as Mary Jane Watson, and Arnold Schwarzennger as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus is released.
March 31, 1998: Actor Brandon Lee is hospitalized after a shooting accident on the set of "The Crow" in Wilmington, North Carolina, sparking
November 20, 1998: BattleTanx (Activision) is released, the remake of an Gary Kitchen classic made by Singletrac, a company known for Twisted Metal and Warhawk, becoming a major bestseller,...
December 11, 1998: Star Trek (PTN-TV) goes off the air after 4 decades on the air, with many critics detailing its influence on television, sparking international attention, ....
March 31, 1999: The Matrix starring Will Smith as Neo, Sean Connery as Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinny and Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith is released.
June 5, 1999: Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within is released. it has been a large hit, but it is panned by critics.
October 31, 1999: Medal of Honor (Codemasters) is released; the game introduces the concept of alternate history to the mainstream with the realistic scenario of Nazi Germany winning World War II,...
September 27, 1999: Heat Wave & Jack science fiction sitcom starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Ron Silver, makes its hit debut,...
December 10, 1999: Men's Rights Activists boycott the release of BattleTanx: Global Assault (Activision/Singletrac) claiming that the game "undermines the nuclear family" and "is emasculating men",...
June 15, 2000: Jeju Island Accords; North Korea and South Korea announce reunification under Kim Dae-Jung and Kim Jong-il, sparking international attention,...
July 14, 2000: X-Men starring Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier / Professor X, Russell Crowe as Wolverine, Kirsten Dunst as Rouge, Jim Caviezel as Cyclops, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Angela Bassett as Storm, Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Lucy Liu as Mystique, Robert Carlyle as Toad, Tyler Mane as Sabertooth, and Kiefer Sutherland as Pyro is released.
July 28, 2000: Doctor Jekyll & Mister Hyde (SyFy-TV) horror series starring Adam Baldwin, transfers Robert Louis Stevenson's characters to modern Hong Kong,...
October 25, 2002: Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) narrowly survives a plane crash in Eveleth, Minnesota, sparking national attention,...
January 1, 2003: Young Macgyver (ABC-TV) starring Jared Padelecki, written and produced by Richard Dean Anderson, makes its hit debut,...
October 1, 2003: National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood (NO MAAM) is cited as a hate group by the ACLU, the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Southern Poverty Law Center,...
March 17, 2005: Russian politician Anatoly Chubais is assassinated in Moscow, highlighting the severe political unrest and violence nationwide,...
July 4, 2005: Wonder Woman starring Sandra Bullock as Wonder Woman, Matt Damon as Steve Trevor and Liam Neeson as Ares is released.
January 9, 2006: Emily's Reasons Why Not (PTN-TV) sitcom starring Heather Graham as a single career woman, makes its hit debut,...
May 9, 2006: Monty Oum publishes When the Dust Settles, a political thriller/Fantasy novel inspired by interwar politics; It sets in world of Remnant, a world which is threatened by monsters known as 'creatures of grimm'.
July 24, 2006: Aquaman (PTN-TV) based on the DC Comics series starring Justin Hartley, Lou Diamond Philips, and Ving Rhames makes its hit debut,...
September 13, 2007: The IT Crowd (PTN-TV) American remake of the British sitcom, starring Joel McHale, makes its hit debut, sparking national attention,...
October 3, 2007: Babylon Fields (CBS-TV) zombie series starring Ray Stevenson, Amber Tamblyn, Skeet Ulrich and Virginia Madsen, makes its hit debut,...
September 30, 2008: "The Destiny" storyline originally airs, beginning with "Gods of Night" by David Mack; as J.J. Abrams "wiped the board clean" with the Borg launching a devastating attack throughout the Federation,...
May 8, 2009: After 11 years being off the air, Star Trek returns to television, with the help of JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof at the helmet of the series,...
May 26, 2009: "Troublesome Minds" originally airs , written by David Galanter, detailing the nature of telepathy amongst Vulcans and Betazed,...
May 31, 2009: Chinese President Wang Dan calls for Chinese economic reforms, citing technological and political changes worldwide,...
September 25, 2009: Third Bloc leaders led by Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi call for a massive arms buildup against the Northern Hemisphere in Caracas, Venezuela sparking international attention,...
October 5, 2009: When The Dust Settles movie adaptation is released in theaters by Warner Bros., earning 488 million dollars out of 120 million dollar budget.
December 30, 2011: 17th Precinct (NBC-TV) fantasy series on an alternate world starring Stockard Channing, Tricia Helfer, and Esai Morales, makes its hit debut,...
April 19, 2013: Zombieland: The Series (NBC-TV) starring Tyler Ross and Kirk Ward makes its hit series debut,....
June 25, 2013: "A Choice of Futures" originally airs starring Scott Bakula, Wlliam Shatner, Patrick Stewart and Christopher Pine, in a piece explaining the rise of the United Federation of Planets,...
July 30, 2013: "From History's Shadow" originally airs, written by David Ward, helps to streamline the continuity of the Star Trek franchise,....
September 9-11, 2013: "Captain's Table" originally airs, bringing together all of the captains in a 3- night/ episode event, wherein the "Temporal Cold War" goes hot due to actions of Devidia II and the Suliban..."
February 17, 2015: Chevy (NBC-TV) sitcom starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo following the lives of retired comedians in Hollywood,...
September 10, 2017: "Old Wounds" originally airs, introducing Captain Ed Mercer (Seth Mcfarlane) as the latest captain of the USS Enterprise, fueling controversy with it's new direction,...
