General Stuff in Life Poll: Time Travel

[MoeFOH]

Time Travel is General Stuff in life, right, cause we all want the ability to do it...   

Anyhow, here's the scenario: one chance to travel back in time to experience, witness, or maybe relive, a particular event. Similar to the film About Time, but with some caveats, the rules are: You can't change anything in history - e.g. kill Hitler, make yourself a fortune for the future, shag Marilyn Monroe or some shit like that - this is about an actual event (historical, not something personal), something you would've loved to have been part of, witnessed, or perhaps relived. You'll be fully immersed in your chosen event for 48 hrs, as if it were perfectly natural for you to be there, also with your safety assured (in case you want to go Dinosaur spotting, etc). 🦖

Vote from the category poll choices, then give us specific details below, discuss... . 

Have fun with it and have a great weekend! 

[MrBirdman]

Well if we could prove that we went back in time, while I’m not a practicing Christian I would go back to the last two days of Jesus’s life. I have questions. Also I’d bring a Hebrew translation of the New Testament, read it with him, and see what’s what. 48 hours means I wouldn’t make it to the resurrection which would obviate any concerns about completely destroying the Christian religion. 

When I return I will write the Gospel of Birdman and put it in the public domain. After I die. 

Seriously though, I really am curious how closely the historical figure aligns with the Biblical one, since he’s one of the most influential people to have ever lived. 

[Chibearsv]

I need to see Jimi at Monterey. Saturday and Sunday in Monterey 1967 would work for me. 

[BrightonCorgi]

I'd like to witness several of the big events of the Bible Old and New Testament. David and Goliath, the Resurrection, Parting the of Red Sea. etc... 

What really happened?  Was it a literal event or just as they old saying goes, "don't question the story".

[BG318]

Just give me two days at the height of any of the Mesoamerican societies in Central America. 

I'm still swinging by 1960 on the way back to shag Marilyn though...

[Ford2112]

I'm going fishing with Zane Grey on the north Umpqua river for summer steelhead. 

[Li Bai]

I'd probably attend Queen's live Aid performance.

[Çnote]

I need clarification on this

[JohnS]

I had to read the poll a little more carefully, as one can not hypothetically go in the past and change it, just witness it, and only for a 48 hr time period.

For me, it's so ridiculously difficult, I can't even begin to choose. So here's some of these below:

• Travel to Ancient Egypt and witness exactly how they managed to get 20 tonnes stone blocks across the desert to build the pyramids.
• Similarly, I'd like to solve the mystery as to how the stones were transported for Stonehenge.
• It goes without saying, but I'd have to attend the gathering where Jesus gave the sermon on the Mount. If I could follow thereafter for 48 hours and witness some miracles, that would be a bonus!
• Spend two days at the Siege of Tyre in 332 BC to see for myself Alexander the Great's men carving stone out of a cliff face to build a land bridge against the city of Tyre (which was 1 km off the coast and surrounded by water). The landbridge stll stands today, by the way.
• Funny you mention Shakespeare @MoeFOH, but academics have been arguing about the authorship of his plays for years (as he had a number of collaborators - and this is well known). In a nutshell, Christopher Marlowe accounts for Henry VI, Part 1 and Shakespeare did Part 3, but we're not sure of Part 2.
• Yes, I would have to attend EMI Studios in London in 1966 to watch the Beatles work on either the Revolver or Sgt Pepper's albums. Similarly, I would love to be a guest at United Western Recorders, Studio 3 in Los Angeles (in the same year) to see the Beach Boys crafting Pet Sounds or SMiLE.
• Attend either Game 5 of the 1969 World Series or the infamous Game 6 of the 1986 World Series at Shea Stadium.
• Be at the 3rd Test in Melbourne in January, 1937 to watch Sir Donald Bradman bat. In this game, the Australians were in trouble after losing the first two tests on sticky wickets (i.e. in the past, wickets would not be covered after periods of rain and were notoriously difficult to bat on. Nowadays, covers are used to prevent this problem), the 3rd test seemed to be going against the Australians when Bradman, batting at No.7 to avoid batting when the pitch was still drying out after rain on the first two days, came in to hit his most defining innings of 270 to set up victory and then swing momentum the Australians way, who preceded to win the next two tests as well. No team has come from 2-0 down, in a 5 test series, to win 3-2 since.

[Nevrknow]

On 5/31/2025 at 11:01 AM, JohnS said:

I had to read the poll a little more carefully, as one can not hypothetically go in the past and change it, just witness it, and only for a 48 hr time period.

For me, it's so ridiculously difficult, I can't even begin to choose. So here's some of these below:

• Travel to Ancient Egypt and witness exactly how they managed to get 20 tonnes stone blocks across the desert to build the pyramids.
• Similarly, I'd like to solve the mystery as to how the stones were transported for Stonehenge.
• It goes without saying, but I'd have to attend the gathering where Jesus gave the sermon on the Mount. If I could follow thereafter for 48 hours and witness some miracles, that would be a bonus!
• Spend two days at the Siege of Tyre in 332 BC to see for myself Alexander the Great's men carving stone out of a cliff face to build a land bridge against the city of Tyre (which was 1 km off the coast and surrounded by water). The landbridge stll stands today, by the way.
• Funny you mention Shakespeare @MoeFOH, but academics have been arguing about the authorship of his plays for years (as he had a number of collaborators - and this is well known). In a nutshell, Christopher Marlowe accounts for Henry VI, Part 1 and Shakespeare did Part 3, but we're not sure of Part 2.
• Yes, I would have to attend EMI Studios in London in 1966 to watch the Beatles work on either the Revolver or Sgt Pepper's albums. Similarly, I would love to be a guest at United Western Recorders, Studio 3 in Los Angeles (in the same year) to see the Beach Boys crafting Pet Sounds or SMiLE.
• Attend either Game 5 of the 1969 World Series or the infamous Game 6 of the 1986 World Series at Shea Stadium.
• Be at the 3rd Test in Melbourne in January, 1937 to watch Sir Donald Bradman bat. In this game, the Australians were in trouble after losing the first two tests on sticky wickets (i.e. in the past, wickets would not be covered after periods of rain and were notoriously difficult to bat on. Nowadays, covers are used to prevent this problem), the 3rd test seemed to be going against the Australians when Bradman, batting at No.7 to avoid batting when the pitch was still drying out after rain on the first two days, came in to hit his most defining innings of 270 to set up victory and then swing momentum the Australians way, who preceded to win the next two tests as well. No team has come from 2-0 down, in a 5 test series, to win 3-2 since.

Funny. I don't hear many people talk about the Miracle Mets much as much as they used to. Years ago I worked for a pitcher named Don Cardwell. One of them lived right outside of Winston-Salem. Man, the memorabilia he had was incredible. Nolan Ryan's cleats. Tom Seaver jersey (along with Don's) framed in a HUGE poster signed by everyone on the team. Signed cards out the wazoo. That was just what he had displayed in his living room. No telling what else he had. I still have one of his cards somewhere. Spent 2 weeks there and heard all kinds of stories. Yogi Berra raising hell at the team for playing in the motel parking lots afraid they would get hurt on the asphalt ( cussing mad). :). I guess he was about 60 at the time. We were in his front yard, rabbit hopping along the edge of his property, he shouts at me, John watch this. Picks up a damn rock and nails the rabbit from at least 80 ft away. Looks at me grinning and says, I still got it!

Thanks for reminding me about this.

[Chas.Alpha]

I once had one of those Personality Assessment Test things for a job I was applying for. The question was “If you could go back in time and change something.” My response was that I would install a fire suppression system in the library of Alexandria.

I didn’t get the job! 😡

If couldn’t change anything? Maybe being the 3rd man on board the tinfoil and duct tape space ship called The Eagle when it landed on the moon. That’d have been a hoot!

[BrightonCorgi]

On 5/31/2025 at 11:26 AM, Nevrknow said:

...Yogi Berra raising hell at the team for playing in the motel parking lots afraid they would get hurt on the asphalt ( cussing mad). :). I guess he was about 60 at the time. We were in his front yard, rabbit hopping along the edge of his property, he shouts at me, John watch this. Picks up a damn rock and nails the rabbit from at least 80 ft away. Looks at me grinning and says, I still got it!

Thanks for reminding me about this.

I had a roommate for a few years who Yogi was his uncle. He had all sorts of Yogi memorabilia and stories.

[joeypots]

I'd like to have been at:

The Resurrection. 

First Council of Nicaea.

The opening and excavation of king Tutankhamen's tomb

The 6th floor in the Book Depository Building in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. All Day.

The United States first hydrogen bomb test, November 1, 1952, at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.