Changing the world

[dancing kali]

If you could go back in time and change one thing in history, what would it be? You don't have to worry about temporal anomalies, poofing yourself out of existence, or the laws of physics - the universe is giving you one free shot.

Me, I'd stand on the road to Damascus and tell Saul (Paul) to turn around and go Rome... the emperor wants to see you... and don't eat any of the desert plants you find along the way... they're poisonous and have hallucinatory properties... travel only at night to avoid sunstroke... did I mention the emperor really wants to see you... and doesn't like to be kept waiting. It possibly could mean - no Fundies. Christianity without Paul's influence would be a whole different thing.

Anyone want to play with me? I'm bored.

[drhilarius]

1. Actually that change...

would probably stop some of the most horrific stuff in history. No inquisition, no dark ages, no witch trials, no Jewish persecution. So I guess your change would be mine- a sort of catch-all.

[silverlib]

2. Don't think I can top yours...

but here's another -

What if Hitler's mother had opted for abortion?

[slutticus]

6. Wow. That hurts my brain.

I've thought a lot about what the world would be like if the Nazis had won, but I've never really thought about what it would be like if Hitler had never been born.

[silverlib]

14. self deleted - wrong place

[dancing kali]

8. I'm not looking for someone to top mine

I'm curious what people would do. I occasionally ask this question when I have a bunch of people over.

Interesting idea - no Hitler... I'm not up on German History - who would have taken power if he hadn't? Hmmmm... no Hitler - no Holocaust - no Israel as we know it... I like this one - it brings up lots of possibilities.

[silverlib]

15. What I was trying to say is

that I think yours would have also stopped Hitler. I've often wondered what the world would be like if Constantine has chosen Paul's version over Peter's version of Christianity, but you outlined the possibilities very well. ...and I loved your lead-in.

Thanks!

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Persuade the English Monarchy to champion Charles Babbage

With royal support for Babbage and Lady Ada's work with "Analytical Engines", the computer would have been invented by 1840 and driven scientific progress a century earlier.

--bkl

[dancing kali]

7. Maybe we'd have

flying cars! I have a picture of Ada on my refrigerator.

[jeff30997]

4. I would go way back to see what caused the Big Bang...

The problem is that how can you be outside the Universe when even time didn't exist? So no free ride for me.:)

[LastKnight]

5. well, i would go to germany in 1970

more specifically the house jimi hendrix was staying at the night he died, and take away all his drugs, no od for you mr hendrix, the world will want more material in time... and you need to make it.

petty i know, but there is no way to beat 'the emperor wants to see you' thing. but just think how different music would be if hendrix lived... seriously.


-LK

[drhilarius]

9. Pretty easy now that I think about it...

Aside from stopping Saul, I would definitely go back and stop 9/11. Then we wouldn't even be worrying about Bush getting another term.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. No Counsel of Niacia

to decide which accounts of Jesus would become part of the official Bible....wouldn't it be a hoot if the Gospel of Thomas, in which Jesus talks of each person's divinity, was widely read and acted upon?

[dancing kali]

11. To prevent the Nicene Counsel

was my original intention when I came up with the prevent Paul from having his moment of conversion. I've read the Gospel of Thomas - I'm trying to get my fundie nephew to read it.

[Mr.Green93]

12. Kill Mohamed at birth

[Tardisian]

13. Prevent the destruction

of the Great Library of Alexandria; all those texts which were lost would mean the world might be scientifically farther ahead now.