A Fork In Time: The Alternate History Podcast

Send a Message to the Team Continuing the exploration of the last episode's fork.  In 732 AD, Christians and Muslims clashed at the Battle of Tours with the northward expansion of the Islamic caliphate halted and a strong Christian presence in Europe retained. Was this really just a minor clash that had little impact on the eventual course of European and world history or would a different ou...

Send a Message to the Team In 732 AD, Christians and Muslims clashed at the Battle of Tours with the northward expansion of the Islamic caliphate halted and a strong Christian presence in Europe retained. Was this really just a minor clash that had little impact on the eventual course of European and world history or would a different outcome have profoundly impacted everything we know about our w...

Send a Message to the Team In the summer of 1945, the Allied powers gathered in Potsdam, Germany to come to terms with the disposition of post-war Germany and the remaining war in the Pacific.  How might the peace in the Pacific had been different if the conference had produced a slightly different message to the Empire of Japan?  How would that ripple across the decades to come? Chris Coppola joi...

Send a Message to the Team On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped the first of two atomic bombs that would be used against the Empire of Japan.  The effect was to quickly hasten the Japanese surrender and finally bring an end to The Second War. What if the option to use a nuclear weapon had not been available at this moment in time?  How might the course of not only the war but the subsequ...

Send a Message to the Team In 1936, Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry the controversial Wallis Simpson. How might the course of the Second World War and the British monarchy be different if Edward had never met Wallis? Valuable Web-Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Me...

Send a Message to the Team The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest-lasting battle of the Second World War and in many ways, the least-heralded Allied victory. How would the course of not only war but most of the last century have been different if Germany had brought Britain to its knees through winning the war at sea in the Atlantic? Interesting Web Links Battle of the Atlantic: https://en.wik...

Send a Message to the Team In 1746, British forces put down the Jacobite Rebellion with a final victory at the Battle of Culloden ending forever Stuart hopes of being restored to the British crown. How might the course of not only British history but that of the larger world have changed if the Rebellion had succeeded? Helpful Weblinks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden https://en.w...

Send a Message to the Team Chris Copolla joins as a guest host once again to explore an alternative timeline where the Mongol sea-borne invasion of Japan is not impacted by the arrival of a typhoon--the kamikaze ("divine wind"). Weblinks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_of_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamikaze_(typhoon) Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: af...

Send a Message to the Team Episode 0060—Olive Us Together In July 1775, the American colonies made one last effort to avoid all-out war with Britain in the form of the Olive Branch Petition. How might history have played out if George III had not only read the petition but granted its request?   Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@gmail.com Direct Link to Listener Survey...

Send a Message to the Team History is often moved by the "winds of change".  Sometimes, those forces are actually the winds of nature.  In this final installment in our 4-part series on the impact of hurricanes in history, we explore the "what if" of 2005's devastating Hurricane Katrina. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-...

Send a Message to the Team History is often moved by the "winds of change".  Sometimes, those forces are actually the winds of nature.  In Part 3 of our 4 part series on the impact of hurricanes in history, we explore the "what if" of the path of Galveston without the Great Storm of 1900. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com...

Send a Message to the Team History is often moved by the "winds of change".  Sometimes, those forces are actually the winds of nature.  In Part 2 of our 4 part series on the impact of hurricanes in history, we explore the "what if" of the burning of Washington in 1814. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepod...

Send a Message to the Team History is often moved by the "winds of change".  Sometimes, those forces are actually the winds of nature.  In this first episode of our 4-part series on the impact of hurricanes in history, we explore the "what if" of the Spanish Armada in 1588. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodca...

Send a Message to the Team Some people make a distinction between "counterfactual" and "alternate" history.  So, since we are podcast devoted to that, maybe an episode to briefly address the similarities and differences is probably not a bad idea. Links to Web Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfactual_history Website...

Send a Message to the Team With its independence from Great Britain, the United States chose to forego a monarch as head of state and instead elected George Washington as its first president.  However, history does remind us that some suggested that Washington be appointed American's first king instead. If that had occurred, who would be presently reigning monarch from the House of Washington...

Send a Message to the Team The final two scenes of series of the 1980's NBC television hospital drama St. Elsewhere recast the entire series as potentially the vivid imagining of one autistic boy, Tommy Westphall. What are the theoretical "ripple effects" of a television universe ripe with cross-overs that connect to a show that is entirely in the mind of a child?  The implications...

Send a Message to the Team In 207 BC, a vital message between the military forces of Carthage in their efforts to conquer Rome is intercepted falling into enemy hands and the fate of the 2nd Punic War turns in favor of Rome. How might our world today be very different if the forces under Hannibal defeat Rome and gain decisive victory for Carthage, preventing the rise of the Roman Empire as we know...

Send a Message to the Team In our ever-evolving efforts to see how new things will work for the podcast, this episode features a detailed "fork" that flows from Henry Clay winning the 1840 US Presidential election from frequent contributor Brant Frost. We are asking our listeners to consider Brant's timeline and respond with their thoughts via the website or send us an e-mail with o...

Send a Message to the Team On April 21, 1836, Texian forces defeated Mexican forces at the Battle of San Jacinto "winning" independence for Texas from Mexico. What if the still numerically superior remaining Mexican forces in Texas had chosen to continue the war against the Texians and crush the revolution? Some Wikipedia links that help with background and context: Texas Revolution: htt...

Send a Message to the Team Don and Alexis discuss the podcast through 50 episodes and what lies in the future. PLEASE take a few minutes to provide valuable feedback. Direct Link to Listener Survey: https://www.aforkintimepodcast.com/listenersurvey Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@gmail.com If you enjoy the podcast, you can help by supporting us via Patreon. https://w...

Send a Message to the Team RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, and has inspired much in popular culture ever since.  She is the story that goes "on and on". What might have been her fate is she had survived her maiden voyage? CLICK HERE to access the "COVID Check-In" page on the website. Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@g...

Send a Message to the Team Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most interesting and influential women in all of recorded European history.  As both Queen Consort of France and England, she left a mark on the two different powerful nations. How might history have been different if her first child with Louis VII, King of France, had been a male heir to the French throne? Potentially helpful web links...

Send a Message to the Team On June 22, 1941, Germany launched its invasion of the Soviet Union codenamed "Operation Barbarossa"--the largest military operation in history and opening the Eastern Front of WWII.  The ultimate death toll in that theatre of the war includes over 26 million civilians and soldiers. How might history have been different if Germany had embarked on a different st...

Send a Message to the Team A quick word from A Fork In Time   asking our listeners to let us know how they are faring in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our prayers and thoughts are with all of you. CLICK HERE to access the "COVID Check-In" page on the website. Website: www.aforkintimepodcast.com E-Mail: aforkintimepodcast@gmail.com Direct Link to Listener Survey: https://www.aforkin...

Send a Message to the Team On March 15th 44BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated in one of the most well-known events in world political history. How might things have been different if Caesar had not died at the hands of those defending the Roman Republic on the now infamous "Ides of March"? Listeners can get a FREE audiobook with their FREE 30-Day Trial Membership from Audible CLICK HERE...