If you could go back in time and change 1 thing in history what would it be?

[Rex Little]

I believe the 2 nations would be like the U.S. and Canada. They would never fight each other again. They would be allies.

I don't think so, not if the Civil War was fought. See Harry Turtledove's How Few Remain and The Great War series for a more likely outcome: the U.S. and the CSA fight another war 20 years later and then go into WWI on opposite sides.

If the South had been allowed to secede peacefully--if the Civil War had never been fought--then I think the U.S. could have developed a relationship with the CSA similar to what we have with Canada, or at least Mexico. So that's how I would change history. Another benefit, I think, is that slavery would have died of natural causes instead of being ended by force, and race relations today would be the better for it.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Osweld
Which ever event is responsible for humans being around.

Well, we don't like you either.

[kolpo]

I would replace the unfair treaty of Versaile by a fair treaty, without punishements or territorylose for the Germans and with the suggestion to create a European Union-> no Hitler
a)->jews don't need to go to Israël->no conflict in middle east->no Bin Laden
b) no Russian occupation of eastern europe->fast economic grown in eastern europe similar to westerns one + no WWII who slows down the economy->the EU would become the biggest economic power on earth->USSR people see economic grown+they don't have WWII what let them hate europe->they revolt against Staling with EU and USA help->Russia becomes part of EU->communism hasn't destroyed the nation that much then->economic grown in Russia-> Absolute EU hegemony

[The Emperor Fabulous]

you know, if you stopped humans from happening...then no one would stop humans from happening...etc.

I think that I would have killed Stalin and put Trotsky into power.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by The Emperor Fabulous
you know, if you stopped humans from happening...then no one would stop humans from happening...etc.

I think that I would have killed Stalin and put Trotsky into power.

Why bother? Communism would've still sucked. Why not do something positive?

[Pekka]

I'd do some massive stockpurchasing and if one thing only,
i'd move next to britney spears when she was born, be her neighbour and best friend, and when she turnes 16, i'd be her boyfriend and there wouldn't be this is-she-virgin-discussion.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Pekka
I'd do some massive stockpurchasing and if one thing only,
i'd move next to britney spears when she was born, be her neighbour and best friend, and when she turnes 16, i'd be her boyfriend and there wouldn't be this is-she-virgin-discussion.

Because the answer would be an unqualified "Yes"?

[Pekka]

Umm ? I'm not sure what's the legal age to have sex in U.S.?
In here it's 16, but it's ok if both are the same age (like 14).
Sooo.. if 16 is illegal in U.S., i'd bring her here to see my family and score then.

[JohnT]

From Britannica.com :



Main Entry: joke
Pronunciation: 'jOk
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin jocus; perhaps akin to Old High German gehan to say, Sanskrit yAcati he asks
Date: 1670
1 a : something said or done to provoke laughter; especially : a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist b (1) : the humorous or ridiculous element in something (2) : an instance of jesting : KIDDING c : PRACTICAL JOKE d : LAUGHINGSTOCK
2 : something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter -- often used in negative construction

[Pekka]

i feel stupid, please kill me.

[KrazyHorse]

All those of you contemplating going back and purchasing winning lotto tickets have a lot to learn about complex system dynamics.

I'd do what I could to weaken Venetian power starting in the 11th century, making Italy an easier nut for Muslim invaders to crack.

[axi]

Killed Marx. The world wasn't ready.

Communism as it evolved helped the Nazis to power, and led to some of the cruelist dictatorships in modern history.

Without a Cold War, perhaps Americans wouldn't be so damned jingoistic either.

Then I wouldn't be a marxist. I would be an engelist.

The rise of communism has deeper roots into the antitheses of capitalism. Marx just articulated and gave shape to what these antitheses were bringing forward.

And communism did not help the nazis to power.

Without a cold war, the Americans would be as jingoistic as they are now, in an age when people thought nukes were nothing more than really big bombs.

Considering that the earlier one goes, the more radical the changes become, I would go back 40000 years and give some small "pointers" to a tribe of hunter-gatherers. Then there would be a high chance that 40000 years afterwards man would already be in Alpha Centauri. Isn't that why we always win against the AI in civ? We are there from 4000BC after all...

[orange]

I wouldn't change a thing.

Well, maybe some Diplomacy moves

[Seneca]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus


Q: If you could go back in time and change 1 thing in history what would it be?
A: Stop the Kennedy assasination.

You'd have to know who did it first.

Now, shooting that Gavrilo Princip chap in 1913 might be a smart move.

[Goingonit]

Originally posted by Seneca


You'd have to know who did it first.

Now, shooting that Gavrilo Princip chap in 1913 might be a smart move.

WW1 would have hapenned anyway. They didn't know about modern war yet, and they just had to find out.