Dark Earth Timeline

The trial is likely to be rather quicker, so he will not evade justice.

1960

November 5: Israel becomes the first Commonwealth realm to order the US F-110 Phantom jet fighter, with the Royal Israeli Air Force aiming at acquiring 80 of the advanced planes.

1960


February

February 12: President Thompson nominates California Senator Richard Nixon to the Supreme Court. -  Well that reduces the chances of any Watergate in TTL.

February 15: Germany is admitted to the membership of the League of Nations after the sudden withdrawal of previous Soviet objections. - Now I wonder why that Soviet object has been withdrawn?


March

March 19: A Soviet India class atomic ballistic missile submarine suffers an apparent meltdown and goes missing in the North Atlantic. - The Soviets aren't having much luck with their boomers are they? Losing two with a couple of months is both costly and suggests either something sinister or bloody crap management.

March 21: Thousands of London residents report horrific nightmares of a rising crimson tide enveloping the city. - Given that magic is active in this universe that is worrying.

April

April 1:
The United States Census is conducted, recording a population of 287,569,463, constituting a rise of 11.54% from 254,378,208 in 1950. - That's a hell of a leap in a decade, over 11%.  Presumably a lot of migrants?

An international naval task force headed by HMS Hood launches diversionary attacks on the defences of Devil’s Island, while bomber forces saturate its aerial defences. A strike team of daring heroes is transported onto the island through magical gates and attacks Craggen in his inner sanctum and Sir Charles Ratcliffe finally kills the Scarlet Necromancer in single combat, wielding Excalibur. - Well that ends that, unless like so many super-villians and superheroes he's going to turn up again.  Presumably Excalibur is only let out of safe keeping for dire emergencies and was Ratcliffe given the sabbath as well?


June

June 23: A CIA report finds that Wilhelm Hitler has been appointed as the new head of ODESSA. - Who?  Has Hitler had a child in TTL or is the name a chance event?

July

July 5: Traffic wardens in London begin their first regular unarmed patrols since January - well that shows the size of the cultural differences.

July 26: The World Health Organisation estimates that measles will be eradicated by 1975. - Well that would be a bonus.

August

August 7: The Royal Botanic Gardens announces that it can find no evidence to support the recent accusation that triffids are in any way dangerous. - Oops!!

August 14: Destruction of a New Orlean house of ill repute, the House of the Rising Sun, by a special action team of the Union of Concerned Mothers. - Well no song coming then?
August 15: Greek separatists kill three Imperial Policemen on Cyprus in a night time ambush.

August 29: Officials of the Lord Chamberlain close down a performance of a new West End play based on the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town on grounds of encouraging impropriety - How are the two Ronny's then?
August 30: The Jodrell Bank Observatory detects several strange radio signals apparently emanating from Epsilon Eridani. - intriguing.

September 11: The Rome Olympics come to an end, with the United States topping the medal count with 102, Italy winning 56, Germany 52, Britain 42 and Austria-Hungary 40. - No Soviet presence or much better drug prevention measures?  Even with the latter I would expect the Soviets to be up there.
September 17: Adventurers discover a fabulous treasure hoard deep in the Brazilian Amazon, including six perfect crystal skulls. - Would that include a certain adventurer nicknamed after a dog?

September 19: The New York Times publishes an article detailing the purported discovery of a plant in the Amazon rainforest that can cancer. - Is there a cure missing here?



October
October 1: Legislative elections take place in Nigeria, with nationalist and independence-backing parties winning a majority of the 250 seats across the country. - well that could be the beginning of change.
October 2: The Israeli Knesset approves an act extending German reparations to Israel for a further four years. - does the German government agree?

October 6: Release of the historical film Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas and James Dean in his comeback to motion pictures. - Is he replacing Tony Curtis?


November
November 1: A British publishing company is found guilty of gross obscenity over the attempted publication of an obscure novel; four executives are sentenced to imprisonment over the case. - Would this be a reversal of the Lady Chatterley's Lover case.


December


December 31: British atomic scientists at the AWRE report a major breakthrough in controlled fusion power research. - Now that would be very useful.

Lordroel:

It is a powerful and effective air force, but its most numerous aeroplanes (the Deltas and Hunters) are up for replacement by new aircraft. The Phantoms are being procured to replace the Hunters, with the issue of what will replace the Deltas (very close in performance to the Mirage III from @) being a more complex one.

Excellent comments and questions, Steve. Some responses:

1.) No chance of Watergate occurring; Nixon may go higher than Associate Justice in time.
2.) The Soviets withdrew the objection as part of the machinations that lead to the April Crisis. The full details will come out in due course, as well as in The Red Shadow.
3.) It wasn't an accident. The Soviet SSBN and the US SSBN were captured by the magics of the Scarlet Necromancer, as well as the B-52 that went missing; the missiles and bombs were then to be used as his Sword of Damocles dangling above the collective heads of the world.
4.) The crimson tide is part of the build up to the April Crisis, reflecting an imbalance in the magical spectrum due to increasing evil sorcery being used by the Scarlet Necromancer.
5.) Very few migrants and virtually all from the internal baby boom. Historically, the US population rose by 15.7% in the corresponding period.
6.) It is the permanent end for James Craggen. You are right on the mark about Excalibur, which usually resides beyond a gate in Camelot; the scabbard was not included, having been lost in the time of Arthur.
7.) Correct, it is Hitler's son.
8.) Armed traffic wardens are a reference to the iconic image from the Radio Times issue on Threads, as well as showing a little snapshot of British mobilisation and its impact on everyday life.
9.) Eradicating diseases is one area where Dark Earth is a fair way ahead.
10.) It is indeed an unfortunate error.
11.) Correct, there won't be a song coming out of said bawdy house.
12.) Greek separatism and Cypriot unrest is much more low level, but is just starting to simmer.
13.) You identified the origin of that reference precisely.
14.) That particular entry is one of the most consequential of all for this year.
15.) The Soviets have yet to compete at an Olympics. In 1952, Korea was raging too bitterly to contemplate it and in 1956, the war put paid to any question of their involvement.
16.) Yes, that should include a cure. Good catch.
17.) It is the beginning of gradual change, but things will move slowly, particularly with the example of the Congo.
18.) The German agreement was secured at the earlier meeting of the Chancellor and PM.
19.) Not replacing Curtis, but being included as a new character.
20.) The novel is Lady Chatterley and the different outcome to the case is one manifestation of the different social climate.
21.) It will be extremely useful. I am making a habit of having very interesting things crop up on December 31st.