First timelines
All of had to start somewhere with creating timelines, and I thought it would be interesting to share what each of us did as our very first timeline, and why we did it. (I’m sure that most of them are long gone, including mine, but memories are there.)
To kick things off, here’s what I remember of my first attempt, when computers were something on the USS Enterprise, and a virus was something people got.
My first try was the result of an assignment in history class in Junior High School, to change one event and say why and how it could change things. There were, of curse, some dark timelines with the south winning the civil war or Germany winning the second world war. And good ones, with the south more thoroughly restructured after the war to prevent the KKK and the like from getting a foothold. (Some, although leading to a better today, were quite grim. Junior High kids can be quite ruthless when it comes to making a better future—or a darker one.) Civil War and World War II by FAR dominated all others.
Mine had the Germans win at Jutland, and went on to a German victory in the East, and a status-quo peace in the West. The result—no USA in the Great War, no Hitler in power, no World War II. Britain about like was in the 1970’s in OTL, a major regional power. In the 40’s, the war with Japan resulted in a total American victory, and by the 70’s, Germany was a constitutional monarchy, and one of 2 great powers along with the USA. China was the big enemy.
I wrote this in the late 1970’s, when I was 13 or 14, so it was simplistic—but at least had an honest effort to look at where things might go—though I wasn’t good at it.
At the time, Nixon opening things up with China had me frightened—Russia (as most people called it then) was understandable, though hostile—China was an incomprehensible enemy with huge hordes of people, all who would always do EXACTLY AS THEY WERE TOLD. Once again, the worldview of a young teenager. And to me, the idea of people doing as they are told, and believing as they are told, by government, corporation, or religious figure (especially the last, back then) was horrifying. Also, I had already started to argue with Revealed Truth, as given in school history books. (USA good, anyone opposed to USA Bad…) so I’d decided to go with a better future based on a supposed “evil empire” doing better.
Though the timeline, in retrospect, wasn’t good, it got me hooked..
Anyone else care to share?