Question Of The Day, Wednesday, August 22, 2018

[Mamanyt1953]

I know there are some history buffs out there...this is for you.

If you could go back in time, PRIOR TO 2000, and change just ONE EVENT in World History, what would that be? The ONLY restriction on this is that you CANNOT SAY "make so-and-so never be born." That's cheating.

I'd go back to 1908, and make sure that a young Adolph Hitler DID get admitted to the Vienna Academy of Art. It was only after his final rejection that he became very angry and involved himself in revolutionary politics.

 

[Katie M]

Gavrilo Princip was only able to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand because Ferdinand's driver didn't know his way around Sarajevo. I would get a driver more familiar with the city.

 

[mightyboosh]

I'd go back to 1908, and make sure that a young Adolph Hitler DID get admitted to the Vienna Academy of Art.

Yeah, that's a good one and has been mused about before.
Bill Maher did a monologue on this very theme relating to some bitter right-wingers so here it is. It includes a couple of expletives so if you're easily offended, skip it.

Maher: Loesch, Breitbart, and Bannon Took Their Rejection by Hollywood 'Out on the Whole Country' | Breitbart

 

[cassiopea]

I'd go back to 1908, and make sure that a young Adolph Hitler DID get admitted to the Vienna Academy of Art. It was only after his final rejection that he became very angry and involved himself in revolutionary politics.

In all honesty I think WWII would have happened anyway - with a different radical leader, different political titles but the same basic cause of things like regaining pride, lands, money, military, ethnic population and so forth. It was altogether spawned by lingering effects of WWI and the many bitterness regarding it's end. Germany was humiliated after it's defeat thanks to such events like the Treaty of Versailles, which was incredibly harsh and understandably unfair to many. There was a lot of dissent towards that by the former central powers, so the chance of any savvy spoken propagandist, good or bad, could have easily swoon the many struggling masses over.

Factors caused by WWI include so much needless loss of life, the loss and change of land ownership between countries, revolutions, overthrow and change of governments and monarchy, huge economical changes, inflation, rise of nationalism and fall of colonialism, the changing of gender roles, the creation of the League of Nations and so forth; WWI left A LOT of unresolved and unfinished issues also. It was this really open ended book, so it really was no wonder that another war happened. It would have been a surprise if another war didn't happen!

A statement was even said by Ferdinand Foch after the Treaty: "This is not a peace. It is an armistice for 20 years"

He was pretty much spot on there.

So while I know killing/changing Hitler's fate is a popular concept, I would not bother to do it. I think it is an incredibly moot thing. If anything, I would try to lessen the damage done that the Treaty of Versailles did, if not somehow magically prevent WWI to help prevent WWII. However, there was a lot of tension and showing off of technology years before the Sarajevo assassination prior to WWI, so it would feel like a daunting thing to prevent altogether.

In any case, I would probably want to prevent a lot of the other lesser known genocides, like the Rape of Nanking. Or I would love to prevent the rise of Communism! I DESPISE communism. A worse history in the cause of so many deaths and suffering that spans decades upon decades, including causing so much pain in my family history in a personal level. So Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Sung, Enver Pasha etc I would much rather go back in time and kill them than kill Hitler. Or somehow tell Mr Marx to not publish that stupid book of his.

But altogether though I don't really want to change anything about history, even the terrible sad tragic parts. Because history is so fundamental towards our growth and understanding about humanity, especially in our present. Without both good and bad, nothing would proceed. Nothing would be appreciated. To know nothing about what happened before you were born is to forever remain a child.


(Sorry I totally sound like the little preachy know it all I totally appreciate the question of the day BTW! Thanks for poking the noggin'!)

 

[kashmir64]

I wouldn't go back and change anything major. Who knows how the world would be today if major things changed then. I would simply go back to 1979 and slap myself silly for ever picking up a cigarette.

 

[GreyLady]

@Cassiopia it is really hard to see changing history with one event because things in History tend to flow in movements involving many people over different countries stemmed from different far reaching causes so it seems like event causes branch backwards and expand like a spider web instead of backing in to a funnel towards one thing... for that reason this question is so hard to answer!!

people from purposefully spreading Myxomatosis among rabbit populations in the 50's. I mean, that was just so mean and even pet bunnies get it. Like other things though it's hard to say a different disease wouldn't be invented. Or that there weren't bigger incidences I'm not aware of But it's a bad thing people did to other animals, it'd be nice to take it back. I dont think one event could save too many of us.

 

[rgwanner]

On a completely different note - I live in the south. I wish kudzu had never been introduced. It is killing all the trees on our property. It can grow 2 feet overnight. It is virtually impossible to kill. It has no natural predators here and no practical uses.

The History Channel ran a show on what would happen if humans went extinct. They said kudzu would completely cover the entire southeast. It is horrible stuff.

Not as serious as what would have prevented wars, but I know I am not alone in hating kudzu.

 

[maggiedemi]

Well if I can go all the way back, I would have Adam & Eve never eat the apple in the Garden of Eden.

Does my own life count? For me I would go back to 1994 and take a different life path. But then I probably wouldn't have my cats.

If you've ever seen the movie Back To The Future, if you change one thing, it might mess up the rest of your life and make it worse.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It includes a couple of expletives so if you're easily offended, skip it.

Bomb-proof, here. I enjoyed it.

In all honesty I think WWII would have happened anyway - with a different radical leader, different political titles but the same basic cause of things like regaining pride, lands, money, military, ethnic population and so forth.

Possibly. Although I'd be willing to take that chance.

I would simply go back to 1979 and slap myself silly for ever picking up a cigarette.

Now, THERE'S an answer a LOT of us can get behind!

Not as serious as what would have prevented wars, but I know I am not alone in hating kudzu.

Nope. I feel about kudzu the way I feel about spiders, and for a lot of the same reasons. It...scuttles and sneaks. Scariest day ever as a young teen? The car we were travelling in broke down on a deserted stretch of highway. BOTH sides of the road were hills COVERED IN KUDZU! I had nightmares for week about the stuff growing down and covering the car and us before help came. You can almost watch the vines grow. It grows a foot a day, so THIS

can happen in little more than a single season.

 

[maggiedemi]

kashmir64 --I used to smoke those vanilla flavored cigars when I would go out dancing in my 20s. I never inhaled though, so I don't know if it counts. Just a phase I went through I guess.

 

[Willowy]

I have Morning Glory vines that have taken over the rock garden. I mean literally covered everything. That's bad enough; I can't imagine what kudzu must be like! I'm glad we have cold enough winters that it can't grow here. For now anyway. . .

 

[artiemom]

I would go back in time to prevent JFK's assassination... and any future attempts....

 

[rgwanner]

I have Morning Glory vines that have taken over the rock garden. I mean literally covered everything. That's bad enough; I can't imagine what kudzu must be like! I'm glad we have cold enough winters that it can't grow here. For now anyway. . .

At least morning glory has flowers. Kudzu is just leaves. It is actually a serious problem in the south - it smothers all the vegetation and trees and causes damage when the trees die and fall over.

The previous picture is not an anomoly. (sp?). I could see it happening in 2 seasons. I am surprised there is not a "B" movie "The Kudzu That Ate Atlanta"

Hope you can kill the morning glory. Anything that just takes over is irritating.

 

[maggiedemi]

Yeah and when you go back and prevent his death, you can find out who killed JFK. It would be great to finally know for sure.

 

[GreyLady]

At least morning glory has flowers. Kudzu is just leaves. It is actually a serious problem in the south - it smothers all the vegetation and trees and causes damage when the trees die and fall over.

The previous picture is not an anomoly. (sp?). I could see it happening in 2 seasons. I am surprised there is not a "B" movie "The Kudzu That Ate Atlanta"

Hope you can kill the morning glory. Anything that just takes over is irritating.

I looked it up and found this video: What a good idea. Goats are great for other reasons too, but I would definately want one if I had this issue!

 

[DreamerRose]

I wish Marie Antoinette had spent a little more time caring for the poor people of France instead of building a play village for herself. I also wish she had urged her husband to do something about the national debt. (France was deeply in debt because of the help it gave to the American colonies in the American Revolution.) Both Marie and her husband were decent people and if they had taken a more active role in governing their country it might have prevented the French Revolution and they would have kept their heads. France could have had a constitutional monarchy like Britain.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I would go back and have the Constitution be rewritten to not include the right to bear arms, or at least change it to bare arms.

 

[Katie M]

I would go back and have the Constitution be rewritten to not include the right to bear arms, or at least change it to bare arms.

As long as you don't want to arm bears

 

[1 bruce 1]

I would have convinced Jean Stapleton to not stop being Edith on "All in the Family" for another few seasons.
(Seriously, I respect her professional wishes, I understand why she did it, and consider her one of the worlds best actresses but....I loved her as Edith Bunker and always will.)
Yeah that's probably not the deep answer people wanted but "Those were the days..."

 

[1 bruce 1]

As long as you don't want to arm bears

This sounds like a really cheesy reality show in the making