Alternate History:Guide to alternate history

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Alternate history, alternative history, allohistory (abbreviated as AH) or uchronie are fictional speculations of historical events that would've occurred if a specified point in the past (called the point of divergence or POD) was changed and had occurred differently or had a different outcome from our current history or timeline that we live in or experience, creating an alternate/alternative timeline. Because alternate histories are speculative, it a considered a form of speculative fiction.

Scientific justifications of alternate histories include the quantum theory of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, which means that every possible event are real and each cause of events or choices results in the creation of parallel universes where the outcome or effect of each event or choice has occurred and taken place.

Alternate history differs from future history, in which future history are speculation of events that could occur in the future within our current timeline, without any change in the past.

Definition and elements[edit source]

Definition and definitions of alternate histories include:

  • A point of divergence that occurred in the past or before the time the author is writing.
  • A change of history starting from the point of divergence
  • Examinations of outcome as a result of the change.

Alternate histories do not:

  • Need to set in the past. For example, alternate histories be set in the present or contemporary times analogous or parallel to OTL if they have a point of divergence set in the past. Also, as future histories refers to speculation of future events that could happen in OTL, alternate future histories are events in an alternate timeline that occur in the future parallel to OTL.
  • Need to explicitly spell out the point of divergence.
  • Need to deal with major or world changing events. Some alternate histories can be minor changes.
  • Need to include famous people or public figures, people of significant influence or power, or even real people.

Keywords[edit source]

Our timeline (OTL)[edit source]

Our timeline or original timeline (OTL) refers to the history or events that has occurred in the timeline we live and experience.

Point of divergence (POD)[edit source]

Main page:Alternate History:Points of divergence

The point of divergence (POD) is the point in history where the events begins to change, separating our timeline from the alternate timeline. Because of this, the history of the alternate timeline before the point of divergence is the same as the history in our timeline before that same point.

Alternate timeline (ATL)[edit source]

The alternate or alternative timeline (ATL) refers to the timeline containing the history that has occur after the change from the point of divergence.