Time

I can hardly believe the number of fantastic responses I've received to my little time travel game. Thanks again everyone for all your contributions, I'm going to print this out and save it I've had a great few days reading these. <BR> <BR>One more clarification of the rules though. You will not inhabit the body or assume the identity of any person who may have existed during in your chosen period. It's not that "Quantum Leap" sort of time travel. (*grin*) You would be more of a spirit-like presence; you could see, hear, touch, smell and taste everything, but no one will see, hear, touch, smell or taste you. (I know, darn, huh? Especially the tasting part Again, think of Scrooge visiting his past with the Ghost of Christmas Past. That's how your time travel would be. <BR> <BR>You are there only to witness something first hand, not to participate or change anything. NOW, where would you go?

Kathy

My top 2 would be witnessing the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and anytime in the early 1300's in either Italy or Avignon, France, as it was definitely an interesting, although somewhat corrupt time. (See Petrarch's comments on the papacy in Avignon, or read all of The Divine Comedy for details.) <BR>Kath

D.B.

<BR>Time Traveler: <BR>How about a slightly more feasible possibility that completely removes interference by the individual (you can't change history)? IF you had a 3D-TV and could watch some actual event in history as it happened, what event would you be most willing to see and explore? <BR> <BR>Has anyone been to Epcot and seen the virtual reality tour of the Vatican? Something like this but much more advanced. <BR> <BR>(It appears most people have approached the question in that way.) <BR> <BR>BTW -- I understand the desire and rationalization to eliminate Hitler. I am simply saying that period is long gone, and glad that no individual or nation has such power. In trying to eliminate an evil, you may actually serve it. The more distant we are from the event, the larger the ramifications to humanity if a change could be made, and know one knows what those would be (for good or bad). Though, I still like "Seven Days" on TV. <BR> <BR>

stacey

Just two off the top of my head. Woodstock. Being able to only observe would be perfect as I have a phobia for crowds. <BR>Dublin - Easter Sunday, 1916.

Meagan

I think I'd like to go back and find out what I could about the Scythians from the Ukraine. There was a recent exhibit of Scythian Gold at the Art Gallery of Ontario that I went to and it was absolutely fascinating! So little is known about this ancient people, they were previously thought to be mythical but are now uncovering more and more information every day!

Time

Hey, start your own thread with your own rules DB! It's my way or the highway. Just kidding you, hehe <BR> <BR>I can view anything on T.V. including re-creations of historical events AND different places throughout the world. I can take virtual tours of many places through the interent. Why travel there in person if I can could watch it on a screen? Hey, we travelers all know the answer to that one. <BR> <BR>It's vital to feed the five senses during the trip, but you can't interfere with anything.

elvira

If we follow through the thought process of "if you go back and do something that changes history, then the future is all f**ked up", then any action we do NOW, because hindsight is not the influence, but the action is, will f**k up the future. So, if we recognize evil or wrongdoing, we shouldn't stop it because the slaughter of ethnic Albanians might turn out to be a good thing??? <BR> <BR>I bet there are at least 11 million people who'd be willing to risk the future of the world to have had Hitler never born. <BR> <BR>On a lighter note, I realized that I want to solve the mysteries that plague me: visit Atlantis before it sinks; see Moses part the Red Sea; meet Abraham and Sarah; watch the Colossus of Rhodes being built; see Hannibal cross the Alps; be in the Tower of London with the princes and find out whodunit; ask the Black Dahlia who she's meeting; at the Sidewalk Cafe with Thelma Todd the night of her death; on the grassy knoll with a couple of video cameras and zoom lenses. <BR>

just

Why so obsessed with Hitler? Why not Lenin? He murdered ten million Russians. Why not Milosevic? We don't even know yet how many Albanians he murdered. Or is it just Western Europeans that everyone wants to save?

Topper

ttt

ncgrrl

I would like to observe Guttenberg invent moveable type. <BR> <BR>My mom told stories of her parents as youths in the "homeland." I would like to observe to see how embellished the stories are from the truth (sorry, mom). <BR> <BR>Also would like to see a few "a-ha!" moments in time like the apple falling on Newton's head and he determined the theory of gravity from that. <BR> <BR>

Laura

Wow!...just imagine! <BR> <BR>But.... <BR> <BR>If I could only go back one time for 24 hours..... it would have to be any day after May 1, 1977 until 1980, just to be able to watch my daughters again when they were still babies. That would mean more to me than anything else I could see in history....sigh..if I could just hold them one more time....they are grown women now.....

Lanny

Runnymede, England for the proclamation of the Magna Carta. The rights of all individuals, and democracy, flow from that moment. <BR> <BR>Incidentally, Stacey, Woodstock is a far better memory than the reality of being there. I know. I was.

Annette

I would like to go back to the summer <BR>of, say, 1958, and spend the whole high <BR>summer season in Western Europe. That <BR>way I could enjoy the glorious summer season at a time when there were virtually no tourist crowds to elbow my way through.

kk

Annette, what a perfect idea.

mark

While I haven't decided what event I would like to observe but talking about mass murderers and someone who hasn't been mentioned - I just saw a documentary about Stalin and Lubyachek (no idea how to spell it), the Secret Police building in Moscow, where thousands of innocent people were murdered. Stalin ordered the murdering of thousands of Russians and the displacement of thousands to Siberian camps - absolute power corrupts absolutely. <BR>But back to time travel - <BR>Maybe going back before Europeans had discovered North America and witnessing a herd of thousands of buffalo stampeding across the midwest plains. Or maybe.....

Linda

Fun question with good answers. For me it would be with Neil Armstrong on the moon, first inauguration of George Washington or the resurrection of Jesus.

rudy

I'd take any day that my father and my grandmother were still alive and in good health, just to see them again.

Art

Great thread. The best one since the language one. <BR>Kang and KLM, very good answers. Even though I received letters that my father wrote whilst traveling the US, I'd like to be able to talk with him as a young man. <BR>1. Talk with Tom Pain in late 1775 while he was writing and publishing Common Sense and drafting the Declaration of Independence. <BR>2. Speak with Wilber Write in 1898 after he had decided to build the areo plane. <BR>3. Speak with Arastarcis, the first known to measure the earth. <BR>4. Almost all of the ones mentioned by Kang. <BR>In general observe/speak with the great inventors/achievers of the world. I would ignore almost all of the rulors of various govs as almost all of them hindered progress and murdered their subjects(read slaves.) I also would ignore the fanatics of all religions. Without exception all man made religions (and that’s all we have) have murdered millions of people and hindered us from becoming civilized. The only exception that I know of is the Quakers. <BR>I read a book a couple of years ago that supposed that you could only travel forward in time and then were restricted that you would have no possibility of running into yourself. Under this supposition you could influence the future but could not change the past. <BR> <BR>

niki

A fabulous thread- if only because everyone has obviously thought of this question before and is dying to tell everyone else about it. <BR>Havent we all done this at some point- its like asking people "what would be your last meal if you had to choose it now?" or "if you had a million dollars what would you do" (ok, ok, make a billion dollars) <BR>Its the 3 wishes again. <BR>What I really want is 3 more wishes! <BR>So... if I cant have that.... <BR>VE Day sounds like a big one. Only because I wasnt born yet and it sounds like one of the days you always remember. Or the day man landed on the moon and everyone was riveted to the TV set with mouths agape and eyes bulging. <BR>Or the day they executed Marie Antoinette. <BR>Or the day the Bolshies killed the Tsar and his family. Did anyone really survive? <BR>As you can see...I cant help but want more days. <BR>

Linda

I'd like to know what really happened to Franklin's party that disappeared forever in the Artic. Or be with Scott in 1911 at the South Pole when he found Amundsen had gotten there first.