Turning Points

[Panjandrum]

What are the most significant turning points in history? What would have happened if Pontius Pilate had freed Jesus, rather than Barabus? What if Churchill had bowed to the (seemingly) inevitable and made peace with hitler? What if Ogedai Khan had lived just one more year?

Is history an account of the more-or-less inevitable, or an acocunt of improbable events that may well have gone another way?

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Panjandrum

What are the most significant turning points in history? What would have happened if Pontius Pilate had freed Jesus, rather than Barabus? What if Churchill had bowed to the (seemingly) inevitable and made peace with hitler?

Good thread start Panj! I see we have a "love" and interest of History in common.

The Crusades -->> which I'd like to start a thread on

Alexander The Great's rapid conquest of the East

Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, (which spans hundreds of years)

Industrial Revolution

World War II , which you alluded to

and being American, I will say the Civil War

to name a couple off the top of my head.
This should be an interesting thread.

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by Panjandrum

What are the most significant turning points in history? What would have happened if Pontius Pilate had freed Jesus, rather than Barabus? What if Churchill had bowed to the (seemingly) inevitable and made peace with hitler? What if Ogedai Khan had lived just one more year?

Is history an account of the more-or-less inevitable, or an acocunt of improbable events that may well have gone another way?

Perhaps the entire European nations would have been conquered by the Tartars and Christianity possibly would have been eradicated.

[Edella]

What are the most significant turning points in history?

The Cuban missile crisis,possibly as close as this planet has come to nuclear war.I shudder to think...

[anglepose]

i would say the day man learnt to wrote seing as that was the birth of history

[anglepose]

perhaps a turning point would be the abolishment of slavery probably the best turning point in history

[Darnok]

what if the Dutch settled Australia first, before the English!

[Panjandrum]

Originally Posted by Darnok

what if the Dutch settled Australia first, before the English!

Twould not have made a great deal of diffrence in global terms, I suspect. For one, the Dutch were already past the peak of thier powers by the time Australia was discovered, and I doubt they could have held onto it in the face of British aggression. Even if they had, Holland and England have aligned together in every major conflict for hundreds of years (apart from the Anglo-Dutch wars, of course) so what impact Austrailia has had globally would probably have been replicated.

[DarkColoredLight]

Concerning America. Because I'm a self centered patriot jerk, who enjoys some good old THC during lunch breaks. The "mini ice age" that drove a lot of cold, sober, europeneans to the americas. Funny how we drink mostly beer in the states. But, euro has quite a taste for wine.

George Washington fighting to not lose the revolutionary war. Rather than the conventional fight-to-win scenario. Almost getting "dethrow" after loosing two battles in a row.

So many more insightful programs on THC. Whether they're historically accurate or not, they're a hell of a lot more entertaining than "The Real World."


There was one about Hitler's start up as an painter. But, wasn't accepted into the art college he wanted to attend, because he couldn't paint people.

Now, why wouldn't hitler like paint people?
Where did he channel the energy he had, after his failed art school attempt?
I think about 6 million jewish folk can tell you, with out saying a word.

[Boerseun]

I think the biggest single turning point was when a certain ape decided that life in the trees suck.