Historical “What Ifs” That Might Change How You See the World
Alternate history is pure brain candy—sweet, addictive, and impossible to resist once you start chewing on it. Sure, you can’t prove any of it, but that’s not the point. The thrill comes from asking simple “what ifs” that spiral into worlds completely unlike our own. What if one battle had gone the other way? What if a key invention had never been created or had arrived centuries earlier? Suddenly, history veers off course, and you’re standing in a version of reality that feels both familiar and unsettlingly strange.
Some imagined timelines are outright terrifying: dystopian societies ruled by regimes that never fell, or worlds where progress is halted in its tracks. Others are surprisingly appealing—visions of peace, prosperity, or technology that bloomed earlier than expected. Most, though, fall somewhere in between, with fascinating blends of wonder and horror that make you question how fragile our “real” history truly is.
The best part? You don’t need a time machine or a PhD to enjoy it. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to play with possibilities. So, here are a few bold “what ifs” to snack on—and who knows? They might just change the way you see the past.
What if Columbus never discovered the Americas in 1492?
Before you pounce on that title, yes, he didn’t technically “discover” a land already full of people, but his voyages opened the door for Spain and the rest of Europe. If he’d never sailed or failed, someone else eventually would have liked Portugal, for example, whose ships were already racing around Africa and into India. Someone would’ve stumbled into the Caribbean soon enough. The Columbian Exchange (plants, animals, diseases, people) still happens, just later and differently. Maybe Europe waits longer for potatoes and tomatoes; maybe Indigenous empires like the Aztec and Inca last longer or even expand, but they still would not stand a chance against muskets and ship cannons. If Spain’s presence shrinks, the Dutch, English, and French are likely to likely carve out more, and their relationships with Native peoples might tilt a bit more toward trade than conquest. However, the colonization attempts most likely wouldn’t stop.
