What if ...
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Genocideman
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"What If Book"
I read or listened to and audiobook by the name of "What If" "The Worlds Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been ??" Counterfactuals--what-if scenarios--fueled countless bull sessions in smoke-filled dorm rooms in the 1960s. What if Sitting Bull had had a machine gun at Little Big Horn? What if Attila the Hun had had a time machine? What if Columbus had landed in India after all? Some of those dorm-room speculators grew up to be historians, and their generation (along with a few younger and older scholars) makes a strong showing in this anthology of essays, in which the what-ifs are substantially more plausible. What if Hitler had not attacked Russia when he did? He might have moved into the Middle East and secured the oil supplies the Third Reich so badly needed, helping it retain its power in Europe. What if D-Day had been a failure? The Soviet Union might have controlled all of Europe. What if Sennacherib had pressed the siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.? Then the nascent, monotheistic Jewish religion might never have taken hold among the people of Judah--and the daughter religions of Christianity and Islam would never have been born.
So suggest some of the many first-rate contributors to this collection, which grew from a special issue of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History. One of them is classicist Josiah Ober, who suggests that if Alexander the Great had died at the age of 21 instead of 32, Greece would have been swallowed up by Persia and Rome, and the modern Western world would have a much different sensibility--and probably little idea of democratic government. Still other contributors are Stephen E. Ambrose, Caleb Carr, John Keegan, David McCullough, and James McPherson, who examine a range of scenarios populated by dozens of historical figures, including Sir Walter Raleigh, Chiang Kai-shek, Robert E. Lee, Benito Mussolini, and Themistocles. The result is a fascinating exercise in historical speculation, one that emphasizes the importance of accident and of roads not taken in the evolution of human Historians and philosophers alike have pondered the crucial turning points of history-events that forever altered the course of civilization, and set the stage for the world in which we live today. In these essays, some of the most respected minds of our time ask the question "What If..."
George Washington had never made his miraculous escape from the British on Long Island in the dawn of August 29, 1776?
A Confederate aide hadn't accidentally lost General Robert E. Lee's plans for invading the North?
Alexander the Great had been slain in battle, instead of saved at the last instant by a loyal bodyguard?
The Allied invasion on D-Day had failed?
The Mongols had succeeded in conquering Europe?
Both fascinating and frightening, What If? offers in-depth reflections on the monumental events of the past, and amazing speculations as to what our world might be like had things gone differently in that one singular moment in time.
"Fascinating and provocative."- New York Times Book Review
"The book of the year for any history lover."-Kirkus Reviews
"Counter-factual supposes, would-haves, might-haves, could-haves, possiblys, perhapses, probablys and maybes, in all their dizzying permutations."-Time
"Consistently well-drawn, these scenarios open intellectual as well as imaginative doors."-Publishers Weekly
"Great Fun."-Entertainment Weekly
"A captivating display of historical imagination, What If? takes us through 2,500 years of close squeaks and narrow misses."-C. Vann Woodward, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University
What If? includes contributions by:
Stephen E. Ambrose
Caleb Carr
James Chace
Theodore F. Cook, Jr.
Robert Cowley
Thomas Fleming
David Fromkin
Ira D. Gruber
Victor Davis Hanson
Ross Hassig
Cecilia Holland
Alistair Horne
John Keegan
Lewis H. Lapham
David Clay Large
David Mccullough
William H. McNeill
James M. Mcpherson
Ted Morgan
Williamson Murray
Josiah Ober
Robert L. O'Connell
Geoffrey Parker
Peter Pierson
Barbara N. Porter
Theodore K. Rabb
Elihu Rose
Stephen W. Sears
Dennis E. Showalter
Barry S. Strauss
Arthur Waldron
Tom Wicker :sniper:
I read or listened to and audiobook by the name of "What If" "The Worlds Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been ??" Counterfactuals--what-if scenarios--fueled countless bull sessions in smoke-filled dorm rooms in the 1960s. What if Sitting Bull had had a machine gun at Little Big Horn? What if Attila the Hun had had a time machine? What if Columbus had landed in India after all? Some of those dorm-room speculators grew up to be historians, and their generation (along with a few younger and older scholars) makes a strong showing in this anthology of essays, in which the what-ifs are substantially more plausible. What if Hitler had not attacked Russia when he did? He might have moved into the Middle East and secured the oil supplies the Third Reich so badly needed, helping it retain its power in Europe. What if D-Day had been a failure? The Soviet Union might have controlled all of Europe. What if Sennacherib had pressed the siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.? Then the nascent, monotheistic Jewish religion might never have taken hold among the people of Judah--and the daughter religions of Christianity and Islam would never have been born.
So suggest some of the many first-rate contributors to this collection, which grew from a special issue of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History. One of them is classicist Josiah Ober, who suggests that if Alexander the Great had died at the age of 21 instead of 32, Greece would have been swallowed up by Persia and Rome, and the modern Western world would have a much different sensibility--and probably little idea of democratic government. Still other contributors are Stephen E. Ambrose, Caleb Carr, John Keegan, David McCullough, and James McPherson, who examine a range of scenarios populated by dozens of historical figures, including Sir Walter Raleigh, Chiang Kai-shek, Robert E. Lee, Benito Mussolini, and Themistocles. The result is a fascinating exercise in historical speculation, one that emphasizes the importance of accident and of roads not taken in the evolution of human Historians and philosophers alike have pondered the crucial turning points of history-events that forever altered the course of civilization, and set the stage for the world in which we live today. In these essays, some of the most respected minds of our time ask the question "What If..."
George Washington had never made his miraculous escape from the British on Long Island in the dawn of August 29, 1776?
A Confederate aide hadn't accidentally lost General Robert E. Lee's plans for invading the North?
Alexander the Great had been slain in battle, instead of saved at the last instant by a loyal bodyguard?
The Allied invasion on D-Day had failed?
The Mongols had succeeded in conquering Europe?
Both fascinating and frightening, What If? offers in-depth reflections on the monumental events of the past, and amazing speculations as to what our world might be like had things gone differently in that one singular moment in time.
"Fascinating and provocative."- New York Times Book Review
"The book of the year for any history lover."-Kirkus Reviews
"Counter-factual supposes, would-haves, might-haves, could-haves, possiblys, perhapses, probablys and maybes, in all their dizzying permutations."-Time
"Consistently well-drawn, these scenarios open intellectual as well as imaginative doors."-Publishers Weekly
"Great Fun."-Entertainment Weekly
"A captivating display of historical imagination, What If? takes us through 2,500 years of close squeaks and narrow misses."-C. Vann Woodward, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University
What If? includes contributions by:
Stephen E. Ambrose
Caleb Carr
James Chace
Theodore F. Cook, Jr.
Robert Cowley
Thomas Fleming
David Fromkin
Ira D. Gruber
Victor Davis Hanson
Ross Hassig
Cecilia Holland
Alistair Horne
John Keegan
Lewis H. Lapham
David Clay Large
David Mccullough
William H. McNeill
James M. Mcpherson
Ted Morgan
Williamson Murray
Josiah Ober
Robert L. O'Connell
Geoffrey Parker
Peter Pierson
Barbara N. Porter
Theodore K. Rabb
Elihu Rose
Stephen W. Sears
Dennis E. Showalter
Barry S. Strauss
Arthur Waldron
Tom Wicker :sniper:
GuyontheRight
Active member
What if Attila the Hun had had a time machine?
Then Im sure Id be in a long line to personally kill that sob :m16:
Then Im sure Id be in a long line to personally kill that sob :m16:
FutureRANGER
Active member
Don't think you wanna know what he means (I think thats what he means. w/e)
That book looks awesome, Imuna buy it.
What if the UN wasn't around? This came up in another thread so I posted it here.
That book looks awesome, Imuna buy it.
What if the UN wasn't around? This came up in another thread so I posted it here.
dragon_master_gunner
Active member
What if women were allowed to be Tankers, Scouts, Infantrymen, etc....
TheSunsetSniper
Active member
What if this thread became the longest thread in the history of this forum? 
TheSunsetSniper said:What if this thread became the longest thread in the history of this forum?
Getting real close now..
Only 79 "what ifs" to go..
http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/statistics.php
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