The Great What-If's

Bernard Knox, a redoubted classics scholar, passed away on July 22. His obituary in the New York Times ends with a hypothetical he presented, when speaking against the attempted refudiation (sorry, repudiation), on the part of some radicals, of Western tradition in general: "God knows what the world would be like if we were all brought up on the stuff they'd like us to read".

Well, this reminds me of so many "what if" scenarios that have been brought up in conversations, in a political or historical or scientific or much lighter context. One of the most common political hypotheticals in Greece is what would have happened, if the Communist forces had won the Civil War of 1946-1949 here. A very interesting alternative history novel, titled "Lenin Square, formerly Constitution Square" (Constitution Square is one of the central locations in Athens, right in front of the Parliament building) by Dimitris Fyssas, is based on this supposition.

So, let's have a poll among ourselves: what is the hypothetical you have encountered most in your discussions? Here is a sample list (feel free to add more):

1. Wars - Battles

The Persians winning in Marathon

Mark Antony winning in Actium

Arabs winning in Poitiers

The Saxons winning in Hastings

The Turks conquering Vienna or winning in Lepanto

The British winning in Lexington

Napoleon winning in Waterloo

The Confederates winning in Gettysburg

2. Science - Technology

Archimedes not spending enough time in his bath-tub

Newton not sitting under the apple tree

Darwin not making the journey on the Beagle

Fleming not discovering penicillin

The Germans/ Soviets getting the A-bomb first

Steve Jobs graduating College

Al Gore not inventing the Internet

3. Politics

Alexander the Great not dying of disease in 323 BC

Columbus not being granted the ships to go westwards to find India

Alexander Hamilton defeating Aaron Burr in their duel

J.W. Booth failing to assassinate Abraham Lincoln

L.H. Oswald failing to assassinate JFK

Lenin's train not making it to St. Petersburg

The burglars entering a different room in Watergate hotel

Margaret Thatcher not defeating Edward Heath for the leadership of the Conservatives

The Soviet Union invading Poland in 1980

Ross Perot winning the 1992 elections

Al Gore winning the 2000 elections (alternatively, as appeared in conversations: Ralph Nader not entering the election)

Dred Scott, Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade (and, of course, Bush v. Gore) being decided differently

4. Culture - sports

Beethoven not losing his hearing

Babe Ruth not being traded to the NY Yankees

Miranda v. Arizona being decided differently

This is a list of all the what if's that I have encountered in conversations or read someplace or other and can recall now. I would appreciate more what-if's added by you (and maybe a small alternative storyline!).

And, as a postscript, watch how Lord Black Adder made many what if's actually happen, while discussing with Baldrick the role of the individual vs. broader forces and trends in the making of history.

5. Addenda (recommended by friends with good and not-so-good intentions)
Paris (of Troy) being gay
Pontius Pilate acquitting Jesus

(P.S. For Greek readers, wondering why a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Miranda v. Arizona, is listed on the culture category: there would be no "You have the right to remain silent" without it)