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Re-reading Chernow's biography of U.S. Grant, and while I'm not yet at this point in the timeline, I'm prompted to ask: What if Grant had gained a third term, in either 1876 or 1880? The first choice seems unlikeliest: Grant's admin was mired by scandals and hampered by the Long Depression...

(Another VERY broad scenario, obviously, but one that nonetheless fascinates) Simply put: What if the Vietnam War didn't occur? The root of this question is the debate(s) I've read about how LBJ's Great Society and (stronger) civil rights efforts were starved of funding/political capital by his...

(Just a random pondering, inspired by a passing mention/story element in a draft I wrote for Lilitou's "Alternate Elections" anthology) What would it take for a united, neutral Germany to be created in the wake of WWII (late 1940s-early 1950s)? The closest I've found to any proposals on this...

Just a random speculation, after perusing some details on D.C. history: What if retrocession of the Virginia portion of D.C. hadn't taken place, or been reversed, say in the wake of the Civil War or sometime later? A cursory reading suggest the first option isn't that likely, but the second...

Currently mulling PODs for a story that might become an "Alternate Elections" anthology pitch, and one that (at present, anyway) seems to work best involves no Vichy collaborationist regime being set up. The key elements: * Somewhat more prolonged Battle of France, ending in full German...

Just a random (and obviously big) musing: What if the Mongol Empire had never arisen? POD could be anything; Temujin/Genghis Khan isn't born or dies very young seem like the best choices, but as I only know the broad strokes of this period/empire, other suggestions are welcome. Without the...

(Given the name of this site, and the number of times the operation's come up elsewhere, I would be wholly unsurprised if someone's already got or has had a thread going on this scenario, so please forgive me if it sounds stale or otherwise like rehashing.) This vignette and its discussion is a...

Re-read an AH essay by William H. McNeill which mentioned this possibility, and so I wanted to put it to the forum (apologies if it's already up somewhere else): What if the 1918 flu pandemic hadn't arisen, either in that year or at all? I have doubts as to the very last; the conditions of the...

(Don't know if there's a thread for this already, so here goes) What would need to change in 1979-1980 for the Iranian Hostage Crisis to not happen? The main idea in mind right now is the Shah dying before he flees to the U.S. (assassination, more aggressive cancer, or another reason), which...

Just finished The Hollow Crown, at long last; somewhat swing-and-miss at times with certain elements or casting choices, but still enjoyable, esp. the two Richards (Cumberbatch in particular was an outstanding choice) and the first Henry IV. Given that all of these, and Richard III in...

Just a random W-If thought, and wasn't sure if there was a tech, social customs or traffic thread to properly post it in, so here it is: What past events and/or developments would have to change for either right- or left-hand driving, and the car designs/tech for such, to end up being used...

Just a random thought, prompted by recent U.S. History subst work focusing on the 1968 election: What would've had to change, even if at the ASB level, for LBJ to decide to run and (perhaps even more ASB) win in '68? First thoughts: No "slow escalation", or he adopts his own form of...

Just a random recent speculation, one I'm not sure whether it's already been discussed elsewhere on here: What if Leon Czolgosz failed to kill McKinley? First follow-up questions: What's likeliest to happen in the attempt's aftermath, esp. with regard to anyone labeled/professing to be a...

(Prompted by a chat with a historian friend who specializes in French-Canadian and Metis history) The use of penal transportation (deporting convicts to colonial possessions) is most familiar as a practice in the British Empire, beginning (as I understand) in the mid-17th century lasting until...

Some of my family have followed The Crown for a while, and like others on the Netflix thread here, came away sorely disappointed with the latest season. During a recent chat, one of them brought up an AH-worthy question, building on scenes apparently dealing with such a possibility in the...

Just a random AH scenario, initially sparked by reading up on Gary Hart due to FAM, and noting the friendship between him and Kerry. Not looking to go utopian with it, only wanted to explore the possible results. Some starting points: What would've had to change for Kerry to win? Bush gained...

Random question: Which "Insert Spoiler" function (inline or plain "spoiler") creates the black-yellow button for people to click to view? I've tried setting this up before in some posts, but all I get is a double "spoiler" bracketed text, and have no idea how this looks to anyone else.

Just a random, VERY broad speculation, which hopefully will NOT slip into (disgusted shudder) "Ancient Aliens" territory; inspired by A World of Difference and a wiki description of the scifi convention scene from In the Court of the Crimson Kings: What if alien life (microbial, primitive or...

As probably a lot of people here know, the genre of "invasion literature" (centered mainly on "What if England is invaded by a continental power" ideas, but with offshoots around the world and continuing in different forms to the present) saw its height during the period 1870s-1914, taking off...

Thought I might've seen a thread about this already, but if not, here it is: What if the U.S. doesn't purchase Alaska in 1867? The POD could be any reason. Ex: Seward dying before the Purchase goes through (though a successor or somebody else might still push it); minority opposition to the...