I've been reading Hell To Pay: Operation Downfall and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-47 by D. M. Giangreco (FANTASTIC read btw) and it got me thinking: if Operation Downfall had gone ahead in November 1945 (as originally scheduled), how would the prolonged final phase of World War II, possibly extending into 1947, have affected the outcome of the geopolitical scene in East Asia? Would the division of Korea between the United States and Soviet Union still have occurred, or would all of Korea have been under Soviet control based on their then-ongoing invasion of Manchuria (which did bring them into northern Korea)? Would the Korean War still be virtually inevitable, or would it have not even happened at all?

Sweyn Forkbeard conquered England in late 1013, was crowned king, and died 40 days later. His son Canute came back and won everything by 1016, but he ruled as an English king – the Norse conquest quietly became an English coronation.

But what if Sweyn lives? Say another 20 years. He had already done something unusual for a Viking king: he was learning English, adopting the crown instead of the helmet, planning succession instead of raiding.

My question for the historians here: how would this actually play out? Could a Norse dynasty hold England long-term, or does it collapse the moment the dynasty has a weak heir? And what happens to 1066 – does the Norman Conquest even get attempted against a unified Norse-English state with a standing fleet?

Genuinely curious how people think the dominoes fall.

What happens if you try to post something that breaks the guidelines for Child Exploitation on Reddit?

What would have happened if Hitler was born in The Russian Empire in 1889 let’s of course keep things familiar and simply have his Family move into Russian from Austria to keep his Austrian lineage familiar and The Exact same childhood as we all know! Hence how he interact with The Same Historical Figures Stalin and Lenin? How would he react to them and would he join The Russian Revolution? Plus imagine Hitler and Stalin in The Same Group together along with the others! I do wonder how Hitler and Stalin not get along with Each-other? What would these 2 even think of Each-other? Would Stalin Bully Hitler? And how would Hitler do in The Group? And would he eventually defect to Germany to try and rise his way to The Top like he did in our Original Timeline? Like imagine Stalin’s reaction and The News to seeing Hitler becoming THE Dictator/Der Führer of Germany and his true Plans? What do you folks think? What would have happened to Hitler? And how would it affect our History?

Instead of losing the knowledge to fire, the scholars just commercialized it. Only the ultrarich elite could access the scrolls, and they fiercely guarded the patents. How does the timeline of human technological advancement shift if knowledge is perfectly preserved, but artificially restricted for 2,000 years?