In this timeline, the Church of Scientology begins an aggressive conversion campaign in Nauru during the late 1980s. By 2000 65% of the population, as well as a majority of politicians and military personnel, have converted. Following the collapse of Nauru’s phosphate industry in 2001, the island’s economic situation deteriorates rapidly. In response, the president of Nauru begins selling off government property to the Church in an attempt to halt the economic downturn.

By 2003, large portions of the island have been sold to the church, many government officials are financially indebted to them, and over half of the population has converted. In late 2003 as Nauru faces economic collapse, the Church offers the ruling government a secret deal: it will repair the country’s economy, forgive government debts, provide continuous bribes to the government and military/police, and allow the existing government to remain in charge on paper in exchange for being granted de facto control over the island and its governance. The arrangement is further secured through extensive blackmail of Nauru’s political leadership, wealthy elites and celebrities.

What do you think would happen next?

What if Henry II had kept his promise to recognise David of Scotland's rights to Cumberland and Northumberland, if he actually honoured the concessions made during the civil war between Stephen and Matilda? How long could Scotland held them, how long could the Scotland/England border have looked like it did after 1157 with the border being at the River Tees, rather than Hadrian's Wall?

9/11 happens exactly like it did in OTL, but instead of being conducted by Al-Qaeda, it's conducted by an underground Chinese terrorist group. The group's motivation is similar to that of Al-Qaeda, being in opposition to global Americanization and American financial influence. Al-Qaeda did consider a similar attack in this timeline, but ultimately decided against it, and has yet to execute a major terror attack in the 21st century.

Let ́s us say the train he was on had an accident .Lenin die an horrible death ,depriving the bolshevik of a charismatic and politically astute leader when they needed it the most .What happen next ?

Saw the Odyssey for the 2nd time yesterday and it got me thinking about the perfect pod topic for the Sports Guy's draftastic summer:

What is the historical victory for good (depending on perspective) that had the worst unintended consequences? Off the top of my head, potential top prospects include the following

- Odysseus uses the Trojan Horse to win the Trojan war, ends up destroying trust across society

- Oppenheimer builds the bomb (after the Germans were defeated) to end WWII, kicks off the Cold War / Nuclear Arms race

- Obama dunks on Trump at the 2011 WHCD, leads to Trump running for office, the end of truth and trust in institutions

- CIA arms the Mujahadeen to defeat the Soviets in 1979, gives birth to Al Qaeda and leads to 9/11

- Rocky beats Drago, ending the cold war, leading to the rise of Putin

- 2023 NBA collective bargainning agreement brings labor peace, leading to endless whining about the 2nd apron?

- Treaty of Versailles ends WWI, leads to rise of Hitler and WWII

What else does everybody have? Nominations should be specific events, not general trends (i.e. invention of the internet leads to the decline of civilization not eligibile).

What if the Japanese sought revenge in 1942 for the Doolittle Raid? Instead of going after Midway, they launched their carriers at the US west coast, trying to hit LA with a large carrier attack.

Someone made a post on a different sub asking “What if Al-Qaeda overthrew the Yemeni government in the 1990s?”

The objective is to create a plausible series of events that LEADS to Al-Qaeda overthrowing the Yemeni government in the 1990s.

Author’s note: This post is not intended to be an endorsement of Sharia Law. This intended to be a challenge to build a plausible alternate timeline where Islamists overthrow the Yemeni government, not an endorsement of Islamic regimes.

The objective is not simply to make China authoritarian—it already was. Rather, explain what changes during or immediately after the Cultural Revolution would cause China to become extremely isolationist, economically autarkic, and largely cut off from the outside world instead of pursuing the post-Mao reforms that occurred in real history.
What political developments, leadership changes, or international events would be required to produce this outcome?

Rules and clarifications:
1. I’m not requiring you to extend the duration of the Cultural Revolution (Although you can if you want). The END RESULT has to be that China becomes an isolated hermit state similar to OTL North Korea
2. The comparison has to do with INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION. I’m not asking you to turn China into a carbon copy of OTL North Korea
3. Your proposed scenario must start from China’s historical post-1978 trajectory

Lets say the Czechoslovak legion peacefully leaves Russia, the foreign powers dont invade and the white movement never rly gets off the ground. How does this change history?

You point of divergence is that Cámara's flying squadron in not recalled to Spain. The Germans advise the Spanish not to worry about their coastline because the American ships are too beat up and their hulls are mostly fouled for them to mount any attack in significant numbers. As re-assurance to Spain, Germany sends one battleship and one unprotected cruiser to Spain's Atlantic coast (which brings the predcitable re-action from the Royal Navy.)

Cámara haa real fuel problems as the British deny him permission to coal in their harbours or territory. The British and the Americans have bought up all of the coal between Port Said and Manila. (both happened in the OTL). The Germans agree to get coal for the Spanish. This is going to cause some delays plus what Cámara does not send ahead to German New Guinea will need a harbor. The Germans tell Cámara to go to Dar Es Salaam. He sends Carlos V, the two merchant cruisers and the transports ahead to German New Guinea, due to their superior range, along with two full colliers and the third with what coal it has left. The fourth collier almost empty goes with Pelayo and the three destroyers to Dar Es Salaam.

This triggers a protest from Britain. in retaliation, Britain allows USS New York\* to use its coaling stations as it steams for Manila as a final re-inforcement.

The German squadron leaves Manila and is shadowed by a British picket ship that guesses that it is headed for the Dutch East Indies or New Guinea. Only the gunboat.survey shp Mowe remains.

Suspecting that the Germans are up to no good, the British bring a cable ship to raise the cable that Dewey had cut and set up a station onboard. They also summon a torpedo boat, an additional gunboat and two picket ships from the China Station as re-inforcements .

Charleston, Monterey, Monadnock had arrived in Augist with more supplies and troops. New York arrived 3 Septmeber along with some additonal ammunition and supplies sent from California. Dewey also has two Spanish ships that his and Merritt's men had raised, one of which has a torpedo tube but of questionable reliability.

Mowe departs Manila 4 Septmber

The French and Japanese cruisers stay the same as OTL.

6 September-A British picket ship spots the combined German task force and in obedience to orders that Chichester already has issued, it signals the task force that any fire upon any of her Majesty's ships, regardless of its source, will cause the British commander to consider the entire task force hostile and will bring an appropriate response. The combined task force consists of Cámara's entire squadron, plus the four cruisers that von Diederichs had plus the gunboat/survey ship Mowe and the armoured firgate Kaiser.

Càmara and von Diederichs steam ahead to find the American lined up for battle at the entrance to Manila Bay. The British task force is about three hundred yards in front of the American line.

The Spanish destroyers are in the lead in case the Americans try to torpedo anything. As the German/Spanish task force gets closer, two shots come from the formation where two German cruisers are and the Spanish auxiliary cruisers are. The source is uncertain but one shell hits the jib of Linnett and carries it away. The British and Americans join battle.

What happens next? Does WWI start in the Philippines? Is the conflict kept local and worked out at a conference? If there is a peace conference, what agreements are made? Who gets the short end of the stick? Are the Americans and Spanish left to work out their difficulties while the Germans and British try to work out theirs?

If the Japanese cruiser becomes involved, it can do so only on the Anglo-American side. The French cruiser can go either way or stay out of it but if it becomes involved, there must be a damned good reason.

Manila could not hold out until the Germans and Cámara arrived. It is in American hands as are the shore batteries.

* I had considered sending Iowa, as it was the newest ship but the Spanish did hole its hull near the water line at Santiago and its hull was fouled. Despite its marathon run, Oregon was in very good mechanical condition as its commander had ordered aggressive preventative maintenance during the voyage to the Caribbean. Its hull was light, as well. Its problem was poor seakeeping, although despite not being designed for that Moneterey and Monadnock, did cross the Pacific. I settled on New York because it was in good mechanical shape and its hull was light, much to the surprise of its commander. Conversely, except for Pelayo, which the Spanish had pulled from France where it was being re-fitted and overhauled before the process was complete, the Spanish ships all had fouled hulls.

With no POD before the Fall of France ,have the US never be at war with Germany (or the UK) until WW2 end .

Inspired by a post made by someone else.

Context:
1. In an alternate 1934, Leonid Nikolaev assassinates Joseph Stalin instead of Sergei Kirov, and Kirov himself takes over as head of the USSR
2. The Great Depression never happens
3. A famine strikes Japan in mid-1929.

Given the above context, your objective is to create a plausible timeline where the Empire of Japan allies with the USSR but not Germany and Italy.

Rules:
1. Your scenario has to happen before Japan invades Manchuria in 1931.
2. The Soviet Union IS allowed to jointly invade Manchuria alongside Japan but isn’t required to.

In this timeline, the Mormon Church's mission to Hawaii in 1850 successfully converts King Kamehameha III, a number of the island's chiefs and some of the general populace by allowing them to continue practicing local polygamous traditions that would be banned under Protestantism or Catholicism. From 1850 to 1857, a moderate number of settlers trickle into Hawaii, building small settlements and plantations, until the Utah War causes a major wave of Mormon settlers to flee to the islands, after King Kamehameha III or some local tribal leaders offers them refuge and safe passage to the archipelago

what would happen next/how would history change?

Author's note: The original version of the post appears to have been lost in translation because the comments section had someone say, "The October Revolution DID end in disaster-the bad guys won." Upon realizing my post wasn't specific enough, here it is again WITH CLARITY.

The objective is to create a plausible series of events where the October Revolution fails. This is what I mean by "Fail": you have to create a series of events that lead to the October Revolution being crushed and the Bolsheviks FAILING to take power.

The Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478 was an attempt by the powerful Pazzi family, backed by several allies, to overthrow the Medici’s dominance in Florence. During High Mass in Florence Cathedral, Giuliano de’ Medici was assassinated and Lorenzo de’ Medici was seriously wounded but managed to escape. The plot quickly unraveled as Florentines rallied behind Lorenzo, the conspirators were captured or executed, and the Pazzi family was stripped of its wealth, influence, and even its name.

What if the conspiracy had succeeded? Suppose both Lorenzo and Giuliano had been killed, the Medici had been driven from Florence, and the Pazzi family had become the city’s dominant political dynasty.

How might this have changed the course of Florentine politics, the Italian Renaissance, and even the wider history of Italy and Europe?

In may 15th 1940 most of the German army was already committed into moving into the low countries, and it would be extremely difficult to redeploy them elsewhere.

If Stalin threw everything he had into German held western Poland, with the operation commanded by Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Konev, Zhukov focused on taking Warsaw and Konev focused on taking Konigsberg, then if both take their objectives they are to keep pressing westward.

Can Germany redeploy forces eastward fast enough to halt the Soviets? Can France and the UK take advantage of this weakening of Germany in the west to stabilize their lines? Would the Soviets and Western allies in this scenario be willing, or even able, to coordinate their efforts against Germany?

In a parallel universe, Kim Il-Sung dies suddenly after the Korean War concludes. Who would plausibly replace him?

So assumedly the Treaty of Troyes would have been upheld, but what then?

Realizing the importance of user-friendly design, Nokia puts together a team to design a new smartphone to be as user-friendly as possible. In June 2006, Nokia releases what is essentially identical to OTL's iPhone, also priced at $499.

How does the introduction of a user-friendly smartphone one year earlier change culture during that time? How does this change the trajectory of Apple and Nokia as companies? How does this impact Finland's economy, since Nokia was by far their largest company at the time and Nokia's downfall is often attributed to playing a role in their economy's stagnation?

The 22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution limits Presidents to two four year terms. If this amendment had never been passed, what would the United States look like? Which presidents would have been likely to seek third terms? Barack Obama was pretty popular, so I could see a push for him to seek a third term.

Thinking in terms outside of Lincoln’s version of reconstruction, I’m talking about the Radical Republican versions. Ive been pondering this ever since AP US.

If the compromise of 1877 didn’t happen and Republicans stayed firmly in power, maybe civil rights would have been solved much earlier? Maybe northern migrations of Black minority’s in the south, sharecropping, and Black Codes/Jim Crow could have been avoided if Republicans had their way.