Alternative History

Where would be the place on the ATS Network to discuss ideas about Alternate History and such? Ever get that question?

Alternate History as in what would happen if you killed Oswald before he got to JFK, etc... I thought the time travel area maybe, but not really because time travel and alternate history are not always intertwined. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your time.

Skunk works comes to mind for me. I think that is where you should post ideas like that.

Skunk Works exists for theories that are not based on much and are just ideas that need fleshing out. Without hard critical data to support them.

I'm a big Harry Turtledove fan, I wouldn't mind a section for that. If you've never read H T he a phenomenal alternative history writer, would an excellent grasp of Geo politics. Its good times and it has interested me in the whole are.

i tend to think of alternative history as actual accounts that contrast popular history, not some type of fan-fiction. That's certainly for skunk works.

"Alternative history" to me is factual, and is merely a classy way of saying "conspiracy theory."

It all depends on whose coming up with the ideas, once again look into Harry Turtledove. But anyways it would be a great section to add, I don't know how many times I have seen a "what if this....." post, it would give a place for that, not only for alternative history, but perhaps alternative futures as well.

Ie. What if global warming is true and we dont do anything about it?

What if Bush has pulls off a sucessfull flase flag and puts the US under martial law?

Etc.

to quote the OP

moviepitchguy:Alternate History as in what would happen if you killed Oswald before he got to JFK, etc... I thought the time travel area maybe, but not really because time travel and alternate history are not always intertwined. Any suggestions?

This idea in my mind is deserving of the forum "Skunk Works" as it is a theory of a possible outcome if the circumstances were different. An alternate time line per say.

What scientist is suggesting is an alternate discussion of events that have happened and the reasons causes and other things not in the mainstream media or in history books.

A possible alternate time line theory is valid and could be discussed here however without the facts at hand with data to cooberate the theory it would be best to post these topics into skunk works so that they can be discussed in such a way as to not violate the T&C of this site. As they would just be a theory of what could happen if X situation was not a factor.

both ideas are valid and both have a place on this board, Scientists view however would require more proof than moviepitchguy's as scientist's topic would require some proof to be sure, but a theory of "what if" is also valid because it would be an interesting mind exercise.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'll probably go with the skunk works then.

To further clarify what I meant by alternate history--there's a Rutger Hauer movie called "Fatherland"... it's a made-for-HBO movie. It's about an alternate outcome for WWII.

It's set in the 60's, and Germany has won WWII. The USA elected Joseph Kennedy, a notorious pacifist, President and he kept us out of WWII until Germany had virtually overrun all of Europe, forming the union of Germania. Rutger Hauer is a German police officer investigating a murder on the eve of a historic meeting between the President and Hitler to sign a peace deal.

Alternate History.

I always thought incorporating some sort of history forum on ATS would be a good idea.

I made a thread recently and I wasn't sure where to post it but if there was some sort of history forum thats exactly where it would have went. I ended up posting it in general conspiracy theories and it was later moved to social issues on PTS

anyways...