AlternateHistory.com

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AlternateHistory.com
Type of site
Discussion forum
OwnerIan Montgomerie
URLalternatehistory.com
CommercialNo
RegistrationFree, some forums only visible to members
Users70,214 as of July 30, 2021
LaunchedSeptember 2000
Current statusActive

AlternateHistory.com is a web forum dedicated to the discussion of alternate history. The forum was founded in September 2000 by Ian Montgomerie, a Canadian immigrant residing in New York, as a split-off from a Usenet newsgroup. It is currently the largest English-language forum dedicated to the study and discussion of alternate history, with around 10,000 active members and over 400,000 discussion threads.[1][2]

Description and impact[]

AlternateHistory.com is centered around discussion of how history may have unfolded differently with only small changes made to the past, a phenomenon described as the butterfly effect.[3] The forum is divided into Administration, Discussion, and Off-topic sections, and also contains a wiki. Its users, along with those at other alternate history discussion boards, have developed a lexicon unique to the discussion of alternate history. It is also known for hosting a community of map-makers who contribute maps for timelines and for works of fiction, such as the alternate history world of The Handmaid's Tale.[4][5] The site has also been used as a resource by newspapers like the New York Times to describe the concept of alternate history to their audiences.[6] Posts on AlternateHistory.com made by a Wikipedia editor who had controversially deleted information critical of Canadian politician Adrian Dix also became a minor political issue.[7]

In 2020 Alternatehistory.com received some attention when a doctored image of a Washington Times headline declaring Al Gore winner of the 2000 presidential election was taken from the site and retweeted by Trump campaign official Tim Murtaugh to give an example of the media making an incorrect call of a presidential election. Murtaugh received pushback from the Washington Times, which informed Murtaugh that it had never published a headline like that.[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Considered Alternatives". Real Life. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Alternate History Discussion". Alternate History Discussion. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ^ Singles, Kathleen (1 June 2011). "'What If?' and Beyond: Counterfactual History in Literature". The Cambridge Quarterly. 40 (2): 180–188. doi:10.1093/camqtly/bfr007. ISSN 0008-199X.
  4. ^ Prince, S.J. (4 May 2017). "Republic of Gilead Map: What Does the World of 'The Handmaid's Tale' Look Like?". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ Arbesman, Samuel. "The intriguing maps that reveal alternate histories". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ^ Olsen, Jonathan; Gross, Sarah (21 March 2014). "Skills Practice | Alternative History as Narrative". The Learning Network. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Wikipedia editors restore critical historical information about B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix". Global News. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  8. ^ Evon, Dan (8 November 2020). "Was a 'President Gore' Headline Published by Washington Times in 2000?". Snopes. Snopes Media Group. Retrieved 8 November 2020.

External links[]

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