A Fork In Time: The Alternate History Podcast

Send a Message to the Team 1492 marked the beginning of many things "new", including the discovery of a New World by Christopher Columbus sailing under the banner of a newly-united and soon-to-be ascending Spain. In this first of several episodes in the coming months, we look at how changing the discovery timing of the New World could have impacted the evolution of the Old World. Listene...

Send a Message to the Team As many as nine of Queen Victoria's male descendants suffered from hemophilia, a bleeding disorder known to be inherited on a recessive gene on the X-chromosome. How might history have been changed if Victoria had not been a carrier of the gene? Topic suggestion by listener Eric Rush. Useful Web Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia https://en.wikipedia.o...

Send a Message to the Team The first major battle of the 1898 Spanish-American war was the US naval victory over Spanish forces at the Battle of Manila Bay.  What if Spain had been victorious in that battle?  How would the near term course of the war and the larger scope of history had been different with that change? Topic suggested by listener Joe McCullough. Helpful Web Links: Battle of Manila...

Send a Message to the Team In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million thereby increasing the land size of the US by over 20% for what is now considered a financial bargain. How would history be different if Russian and/or the Soviet Union had maintained a territorial presence in North America? Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership...

Send a Message to the Team While the guns and steel of European explorers and conquerors proved deadly to the indigenous people of the New World, the most devasting impact came in the form of new diseases for which they had no immunity.  However, imagine the possibility of the reverse being true where those coming to the New World face a disease threat for which they are not prepared.  How might t...

Send a Message to the Team Henry V is revered as one of England's most celebrated warrior kings but met his untimely demise at the age of 35 to dysentery.  How would the flow of English history have been different with a Henry that survived longer and what would the long-term impacts be? Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible CLICK HERE Website...

Send a Message to the Team In 1956, the Suez Crisis posed a major threat to global peace. Listener Jacob Itzhavov poses the question for consideration: What if the United States had not pressured England, France, and Israel from backing down from their actions? Don, Alexis, and Chris discuss some possibilities. Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible...

Send a Message to the Team Alexis' choice for her favorite replay is Episode #21 ("The Sinking White Egg Basket") which explores the November 25th, 1120, sinking of the vessel known as “The White Ship” off the coast of Normandy and leading to the period in English history known as “The Anarchy”. Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible...

Send a Message to the Team This episode is very different from our normal format.  It asks the simple question of what if there was no salvation and, in effect, no Christmas. What is salvation? (Click Here) Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible CLICK HERE Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@gmail.com Direct Link to Listen...

Send a Message to the Team A revisit to one of Don's favorite episodes ('Old Blood & Votes') where guest host Dean Rogers joined for an episode to discuss a timeline where General George S. Patton survives the 1945 car accident that took his life and thus enables his return to enter the realm of American politics and influence the world immediately after the end of WWII and beyo...

Send a Message to the Team How might the presence of a different monarch result in a different Prime Minister for the opening phase of World War II and the result changes that would flow from that? Chris Copolla makes his debut in his new role as "regular contributor" for a revisit to a recent topic--the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.   ( Episode #64 , Many Shades of Edward ) Listene...

Send a Message to the Team A Fork In Time is pleased to announce that Chris Coppola will be taking a more permanent role with the show as a regular contributor.  Here are links to episodes that have featured Chris: Episode #45 , No Cigar Episode #47 , Barbarossa Barred Episode #61 , One More Time (Divine Wind) Episode #66 , Potsdam Possibilities Episode #74 , Crashing The Bull Moose Party Episode...

Send a Message to the Team On July 29, 1981, some 750 million global viewers watched the fairy-tale "Wedding of the Century" between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.   As time has passed, the details of how non "storybook" the reality behind the public appearance has come to light and it is now possible to imagine that the wedding might have not have taken place at all. W...

Send a Message to the Team After the end of World War I, conflict erupted between the new Second Polish Republic and the Soviet Union.  In the real timeline, the "Miracle on the Vistula" preserved the existence of the new Polish state and led to the inter-war years as we know them.  What would have been a different path forward if there had been a different outcome at the Battle of Warsa...

Send a Message to the Team Asking our listeners to give us feedback on the "big themes" of history. Listen and we will explain. "Big Themes" Survey Direct Link: CLICK HERE Via Our Website: CLICK HERE Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible CLICK HERE Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@gmail.com Direct L...

Send a Message to the Team The founding of Plymouth Colony in 1620 religious colonists (Pilgrims) almost didn't happen for a number of reasons as the colonists faced many hardships and also found themselves not where they were originally intended to be. How might things have different if the colony had settled in its original destination or not survived at all? Helpful Weblinks: https://en.wi...

Send a Message to the Team Twice a year, around 70 countries have their citizens make an adjustment to their clocks.  Whether you call it Daylight Saving (not plural) Time or Summer Time, it has an impact on the lives of those that live there--unless they don't have to change (see the episode for discussion). So, how would things be different in a world with no twice-yearly mandated time chan...

Send a Message to the Team Brody Burton of "Imagine If" joins for this special crossover episode between our two podcasts.  In addition to providing insight into the origins of "Imagine If", we get the experience of its format with Brody's alternate timeline where William Seward wins the US election of 1860. The "Imagine If" Website: https://sites.google.com/view...

Send a Message to the Team Alexis pilots this episode and explores another version of English succession, filled with the inevitable multiple "cousin jumps", where the Jacobite line carries to today. Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible CLICK HERE Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@gmail.com Direct Link to Lis...

Send a Message to the Team In October 1912, Theodore Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt mere weeks ahead of the American election where Woodrow Wilson was elected.  If Roosevelt had perished instead of survived, some historians would argue that William Howard Taft would have been reelected. We explore that possibility with "Show Agitator" Chris Copolla returning for the ride. Li...

Send a Message to the Team On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal opened to shipping traffic and permitted a shortcut savings thousands of miles of sailing for cargo moving around North and South America from ports around the world. What would have been different in a world where there was no water shortcut across Central America? Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membe...

Send a Message to the Team Penicillin, like so many of history's important discoveries, has the added flair of an accident.  What if the discovery of the antibiotic properties of this important medical miracle of a fungus had been missed or delayed? Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible CLICK HERE Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: af...

Send a Message to the Team On August 22, 1485, Richard III was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field marking the end of Plantegant rule and marking the start of the Tudor dynasty. How would near-term English and world history have differed with no Henry VIII or Queen Elizabeth, all the outcomes of the rise of the Tudors? Helpful Weblinks: Battle of Bosworth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle...

Send a Message to the Team On July 20, 1944, an assassination plot against Adolf Hitler led by a group of military and civilian authorities failed.  How might the end of the European portion of World War II have been different if the bombing had succeeded in Hitler's death? Sam Smith joins the podcast as a guest host for this discussion. Helpful Weblinks: July 20 Plot: https://en.wikipedia.or...

Send a Message to the Team In early September 1666, a substantial portion of London was burned in The Great Fire.  Beyond the obvious impact on the appearance of the city, what other things might have been different if the fire had not been as devasting? Helpful Weblinks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Wren https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki...