Thirty years ago, the first SMS in history was sent, revolutionizing modes of communication. No more endless waiting, the message is received instantly. An efficiency which would have been beneficial to several historical figures, and which could have upset a number of major events over the centuries.
With the participation of the videographer AlterHisspecialist in uchronia on his Youtube channel with more than 330,000 subscribers, 20 minutes imagined seven text messages that would have profoundly changed history with a capital H, if the SMS had been contemporaneous with these events. Let’s go !
1/ Julius Caesar is not assassinated
What really happened : We are in 44 BC, the Roman Republic lives on a drip with a Julius Caesar appointed dictator for life. A decision that annoys a lot of senators, to the point of deciding to assassinate him, officially for fear of tyranny. Brutus, son of Caesar’s heart, is notably part of the plot. The death of the dictator leads to (yet another) civil war, between the supporters of Marc Antoine and Octave. The latter ends up winning and decides that the Republic, clearly worn and weakened, has had its day. He is named first emperor. It was the beginning of one of the greatest – and most influential – empires in history.
The SMS that changes the game:
What would have happened: Quintus Pedius, great-nephew of Julius Caesar, warns the dictator without realizing it. The latter reacts, stops the assassins and stays alive. And then ? The most credible hypothesis is that the Roman Republic, out of breath, would still have collapsed quickly. Caesar had already passed several reforms bringing him closer to an emperor without a name (we are still talking about a dictator for life who can notably name each magistrate himself).
In the most eccentric hypothesis, “the Republic, doomed to failure, is maintained, and the Roman system ends up collapsing after multiple civil wars”, imagines AlterHis. Rome, which collapsed centuries earlier, “all Western – and world – history is changing, starting with Christianity, which would never have spread without the omnipotence of the empire. It is then the whole of our societal system and our values that would have been upset, ”continues the videographer.
2/ Christopher Columbus does not confuse the Americas and the Indies
What really happened: October 12, 1492. After a journey of several months, Christopher Columbus thinks of arriving in Asia, the initial destination of his trip. In reality, he lands in Guanahani, one of the Caribbean islands. He was crowned with success on his return to Spain and Portugal, but would eventually fall out of favor for his poor treatment of the natives. In 1503, three years before his death, another navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, understood that it was not about the Indies and used the expression “Mundus Novus” for the first time. the new Worldfurther boosting interest in these lands on the other side of the ocean.
The SMS that would have changed the situation:
What would have happened: A few kilometers from the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus understands that he is not in India. But “he would no doubt have still accosted “says AlterHis. For fame and glory, but also for technical reasons: on October 9 and 10, 1492, two to three days before locating land, a mutiny was discussed among the sailors, because water and food were running out.
Above all, as history will show, the “new” world is even more attractive to European powers than a sea route to India. Colonization is rapidly accelerating. And as we saw above, only eleven years separate Columbus’ error from Amerigo Vespucci’s protest. Not enough to upset everything, therefore.
3/ Isaac Newton never hits an apple on his head
What happened : Yes, calm down the First Degree History team, we know that the anecdote of the apple is probably a myth launched by Isaac Newton himself. Anyway, in the legend, dear Isaac goes to lie down under an apple tree one fine day in 1666 and receives a fruit on his head, which gives him the illumination of the theory of gravity.
The SMS that would have changed the situation:
What would have happened: Isaac Newton would rather toast with John Wickins, his college roommate, than fall asleep under an apple tree. No theory of gravity under the elbow, and works of Isaac less resounding. In the event that no one else finds them a posteriori, “it’s a whole section of science that would be missing in the modern world, whose effects and knowledge are essential in particular for aviation and aerospace”, indicates AlterHis.
With all that that implies: no man on the Moon, no GPS via satellite, but also no planes at all, therefore a different development of the world. And then quite a few modified conflicts, given the growing importance of military aviation in the 20th century. With the added bonus of a great controversy over the movements of the private yachts of billionaires during the summer of 2022.
4/ Napoleon wins at Waterloo
What really happened: 1815. Victim of the rain and a presumptuous cavalry charge by General Ney, Napoleon suffered a heavy defeat at Waterloo, which shattered the last military hopes of France, opposed to an alliance of almost all the major European nations. The Emperor abdicated four days later, Louis XVIII began the Restoration less than a month later. France is returned to its borders of 1790 and is asked to keep calm in the face of the quadruple alliance between Austria, Prussia, the United Kingdom and Russia.
The SMS that would have changed the situation:
What would have happened: This message from General de Grouchy, present at Waterloo, calms the Napoleonic ardor, the Emperor revisits his plans and wins. “Building on this success, confidence in the government is restored, and the bourgeoisie massively finances the French army, which rebalances the balance of power between France and its neighbours”, estimates AlterHis.
This is where the Emperor plays his last card, with his… child, also grandson of the Austrian ruler at the time, François I (not the salamander and Leonardo da Vinci fan, the other). “We could therefore imagine an agreement between France and Austria thanks to Napoleon II. With the defection of Vienna, the coalition no longer has sufficient armies to continue the war against France, ”continues the videographer, and leaves her in peace.
From then on, everything changed: “This Austria-France coalition would probably have taken a very dim view of Prussia’s attempts to unite Germany and would have partially prevented it. France, much more powerful than in reality and never really defeated, would never have ceased to worry its neighbors. One could conceive of another First World War, with the France-Austria alliance against the rest of Europe. »
5/ The Trojan horse subterfuge is spotted
What “really” happened: We’ll be quick, you’re supposed to know. The Greeks hide in a giant wooden horse, enter Troy and win the war. Achilles is killed, while Odysseus begins his journey home with the Odyssey.
The SMS that would have changed the situation:
What would have happened: The unfortunate Sabonis, a simple soldier, forgot to put his cell phone in silent mode. The plan is totally fried, and the Trojan horse abandoned in place. Without this surprise entry into the city, the Greeks never win the war and end up giving up after another fifteen years of siege. Ulysses never returns home, Achilles sinks into alcohol realizing that he will never become famous, and poor Penelope continues to weave a web in the wind.
But the consequences do not end there. “In the initial myth, it was Aeneas, one of the heroes of the Trojan War, who founded Rome. Fleeing the destroyed city, he landed on the banks of the Tiber. There he marries Lavinia, daughter of a certain Latinus. In honor of his father-in-law, Aeneas gave his people the name of Latins,” says AlterHis.
Four centuries later, a fratricidal conflict between two of his descendants led to the abandonment of Romulus and Remus, then their adoption by a wolf, then the creation of Rome. In short; “if Troy does not lose the war, Rome will never be founded”, indicates the videographer. And we saw above the serious consequences of a modified Roman empire.
6/ Romeo knows Juliet is alive
What “really” happened: In the original tragedy, Brother Jean, the messenger responsible for warning Romeo of Juliet’s false death, never arrives. The chilled lover goes to the Capulet crypt, where he discovers Juliet’s cold body. Mad with grief, he kills himself by poisoning himself. Juliet wakes up, and seeing Romeo’s corpse, commits suicide in turn. The two families, consumed by pain and guilt, decide to make peace so that such dramas do not start again.
The SMS that would have changed the situation:
What would have happened: Probably more of a tragedy than a nice Christmas TV movie. Admittedly, Juliette warns Romeo of the subterfuge and the lovers do not commit suicide. But AlterHis is pessimistic: “Without the death of both, the families will never have the electroshock necessary to make peace. Montaigu and Capulet would have remained on their position, and would have wanted to hear nothing of this union. Had they learned of the subterfuge, each family would likely have launched a vendetta to kill Romeo or Juliet.”
From then on, two not really happy scenarios appear for our cursed lovers. First, to live far away, hidden, always with the fear that the pot of roses will be discovered and that an assassin will come and kill one of the two. Second, break up in order to leave the other safe. When it doesn’t want…
7/ Bambi’s mother does not get shot by a hunter
What “really” happened: Childhood trauma alert. Bambi’s mother is shot by a hunter, leaving her child alone and in mourning. The father, who had abandoned him to his mother until then, remembers his parental duty and comes to take care of the fawn a little, before abandoning him again in adolescence. A bastard all the way, despite his status as king of the forest. Bambi, slightly traumatized by all the events, ends up taking charge of himself and becomes an adult and responsible deer, the new king of the forest.
The SMS that would have changed the situation:
What would have happened: Thanks to this alert message, the two animals remain nicely hidden. Unfortunately, the memories of AlterHis are too distant (or the trauma too great), we will have to manage alone on this one.
So here is the alternative scenario: Bambi’s mother stays alive and continues her very good education. But without this trauma, Bambi remains the silly character from the beginning, preferring to rave about the color of each flower rather than learning to become an adult. When they reach the age of a deer, the other animals in the forest decide that they cannot have such an incompetent king. They overthrow the monarchy and elect the mother, the real heroine of the film.