In 1620, the settlers destined for Plymouth Colony found themselves landed in the New World on Cape Cod hundreds of miles north of their original intended site in Virginia. Their decision to draft a brief document to define how they would be governed in a place not originally intended has come to be known as the "Mayflower Compact".
How would the philosophical and documentary landscape of what would become democracy in the American colonies have been different without this document?
Following its ten-season run starting in September 1994, "Friends" became one of the most popular and highly-rated sitcoms in television history. The careers of six actors and actresses at the core of the ensemble cast were forever changed and elements of the show influenced popular hairstyles and cultural vocabulary.
How might things have been different if the story of those so prominently occupying the couches at "Central Perk" had not been a television phenomenon? Could it have been any different?
On June 4, 1944, American forces took possession of Rome under the command of Lt. General Mark Clark. In taking the undefended Italian capital, Clark's decision allowed the German Tenth Army to escape and inflict substantial casualties on Allied forces in the coming months. The capture of Rome was soon replaced in the headlines with the Allied landings on D-Day at Normandy on June 6th.
How might the course of the war in Europe had been different if Clark had elected a different course of action?