[Closed] If you could travel back in time what would you show people?

I'd invite them home and show them:

Solar panels for hot water and electricity
Triple-glazed windows
This computer and get them to ask me questions
My Telecaster connected to its modelling amp and give them a riffs.
The electric car
My Zesty 727

I'd hide the phone.

My gentleman's sausage to Roger Bacon in the 13th Century. He needed the inspiration to finally get magnifying lenses sorted

[img] [/img]

If it was my ancestors, the price of property in Shoreditch now.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

I'd show this to Alan Turing and give him a big kiss.

I'd show them my phone. Unfortunately, being back in time, it wouldn't work as I don't keep anything on it. Bugger that then. I dunno a 27&1/2 inch wheel?

Malvern Rider - Member

and that just shows us what a ****ing mess we have made of everything.

[img] /revision/latest?cb=20070110144009[/img]

I'm with Malvern. Show them what we've messed up and destroyed hoping they'll alter the timeline. I learnt nothing from watching Back to the Future. I'd also show them the advances we've made with medicine and Human Rights. At which point I assume they'll try and burn me 🙁

Oh, that says 'burn'. I misread it.

I'd show them nothing.

The nature of causality....butterfly effect....sound of thunder ....how do i know he didn't invent transparent aluminium?

I'd show Reginald Mitchell a Spitfire Mk 24 and the eulogies to the iconic aircraft written by the pilots from many countries who fought in the RAF (and USAAF) during WW2.

I'd also take Hatey Plopkins' folks to see their local Marie Stopes clinic after showing them the highlights of her Heil Online opinion pieces.

Ada Lovelace would be shown around Bletchley Park and the NASA mission control centre, when I'd introduce her to Alan Turing and Margaret Hamilton respectively.

I'd also show the 1978 electorate what forty years of unrestrained Thatcherism has done to the social fabric of the country.

I'm with Malvern. Show them what we've messed up and destroyed hoping they'll alter the timeline.

Time travel paradoxes aside. We cut down plenty of the forests in the Bronze Age, didn't stop us carrying on for the next few thousand years.

I think the only way you could solve that particular problem would be to take back some tech that would bypass the need for open land for agriculture during the Bronze age and wood as fuel in the early industrial revolution.

That or go back to about 0BC, convince a few people you're the son of god and make up a few new commandments about trees/polution. Crucifixion might hurt and you might have to convince Jesus to pursue a career in carpentry rather than philosophy.

If you showed that factory farming picture to someone in, say, the 17th century, struggling to feed their family after a string of poor harvests, they'd think it was a brilliant idea.

And tarmac roads? Way better than being up to your arse in mud for six months of the year. You can still get from one end of the country to the other in less than a day despite the traffic.

The past is a different country. They do things differently there.

In the spirit of conjecture ... which past 'people' are we showing this stuff to?

These people?:

[img] [/img]

These people?:

[img] [/img]

These people?

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

These people?

[img] [/img]

Edit - cross post/great minds etc 😆

[img] [/img]

I'd also show the 1978 electorate what forty years of unrestrained Thatcherism has done to the social fabric of the country.

Yeah!! Cos the 70s were great, weren’t they...?

I was gonna say that......how far back in time are we going? ❓

I think nothing can compete with a smartphone regardless if its 20, 200 or 2000 years! (on the basis it was working)

Surely any time travel that's going to happen has already happened in relation to our past because the future people will have time travelled back from their time to be back there at the past time as t was and so all the effects of time travel are already accumulated.

Have you lot not seen the Terminator films where the future bloke becomes John Connor's dad and then the bits of the mangled robot become the source of knowledge from which the main future computer is made and John Connor gets hidden underground at nuclear warheads day it all goes round in a loop. Like that.

Weirldy enough, the bicycle. Pretty much any blacksmith roman times could have built one...

For Native Americans, It has to be the Sten Gun

[img] [/img]

I'd like to show this to Röntgen and his cohorts.

That girl in the dancing cage at bcm a good time.
(My only regret)

Weirldy enough, the bicycle. Pretty much any blacksmith roman times could have built one...

Why stop there? How about the steam engine? We'd have a steampunk Roman empire!

Native americans would probably best benefit from a dose of smallpox and measles vaccines. There was enough of them to obliterate the settlers, they just died out before they could respond.

The romans very, very, nearly invented the steam engine. They had reciprocating bronze pumps with valve chests and even poppet valves like on an IC engine, understood how a crank worked and made the crudest steam turbine toys:

[img] [/img]

MalvernRider +1
I would also show early sailors a modern sailing boat & catamaran.

Why stop there? How about the steam engine? We'd have a steampunk Roman empire!

Might we also then have 'punk'd' ourselves for having accelerating mass-transit, mass-pollution, deforestation, mass-production, intensive agriculture/overpopulation and megacities? Imagine returning back in the time machine to find Dredd/2000AD actually happened before it was a comic-strip?

Are we humans obsessed with intensifiying everything? Mega!

Thing is, with most of these things, if you just gave the Romans Smartphones or a steam engine, would you not just speed up the last 2000 years, we'd still arrive at the same point we likely will in 2000 years from now, it'll just be now rather than 4000AD.

And a copy of the God Delusion for the disciples and Mohamed.

For Native Americans, It has to be the Sten Gun

IIRC wasn't it Smallpox that did for them before the settlers even arrived?

Yes cowboys with guns and indians with bows and arrows is the western version of events (either heroic tamers of the west or as white guilt). But they were pretty much wiped out just before we got there.

[edit, beaten to it by hot fiat]

I'd show these guys

[img] [/img]

this

[img] ?itok=-7esHVvK[/img]

If you took some of things you're suggesting back to when you're suggesting, you'd be killed to death for witchcraft

I'd go back and show them this all over again, and again until they realised its not such a good idea after all..
[img] https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-f1e63ae134c2ec7e81ce4ef92b8b6bd4 [/img]
[img] [/img]

Then I'd show them this
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

Then I'd show them this[img] [/img]

Would you be travelling back to a time before or after Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote Dr Jekell and Mr Hyde?

Might we also then have 'punk'd' ourselves for having accelerating mass-transit, mass-pollution, deforestation, mass-production, intensive agriculture/overpopulation and megacities?

Only if the steam engine delayed/prevented the fall of the Roman Empire. I doubt it would have stopped the empire rotting from within and being invaded by barbarian hordes (unless as a by product they invented gatling guns). So the Dark Ages would still have arrived about on time.

Fission's fine, you can conduct fission in a dissused gym under a sports stadium in the centre of America's third largest city quite safely*.

It was the application of fission as a mechanism for generating an explosve force that was the problem.

*possibly the most irresponsible and yet at the same time astonishing experiments ever.

Stadium? Sure[url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn ] a shed [/url]is perfectly adequate

Chemical Weapons, not too sure who I'd poke in the ribs for this one.. but someone manufactured them..

Most toxic: VX

VX belongs to organophosphorus compounds and is classified as a nerve agent because it affects the transmission of nerve impulses in the nervous system. It is odorless and tasteless in its pure form, and appears as a brownish oily liquid.

Developed in the UK in the early 1950s, VX is particularly potent because it’s a persistent agent: Once it’s released into the atmosphere it’s slow to evaporate. Under regular weather conditions, VX can persist for days on surfaces, while it can last for months in very cold conditions. “VX vapor is heavier than air,” which means that when released, “it will sink to low-lying areas and create a greater exposure hazard there.” Such characteristics make VX potentially useful as an area-denial weapon.

VX is also a fast-acting agent. Symptoms can appear only seconds after exposure. They include salivation, constriction of the pupils and tightness in the chest. As with other nerve agents, VX works by affecting the enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) that acts as the body’s ‘off switch’ for glands and muscles. With the enzyme blocked, molecules constantly stimulate the muscles. As the muscles spasm, they tire. Death is caused by asphyxiation or heart failure. While it is possible to recover from exposure, tiny amounts of the agent can be lethal.

Most recently used: Sarin

In September 2013, the UN confirmed that a chemical weapons attack involving specially designed rockets that spread sarin over rebel-held suburbs of the Syrian capital took place the month before. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon stated that this was the “most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988.”

Sarin (also known as GB) is a volatile but toxic nerve agent. A single drop the size of the head of a pin is enough to kill an adult human rapidly. It is a colorless and odorless liquid at room temperature, but evaporates rapidly when heated. After release, sarin will spread into the environment rapidly and present an immediate but short-lived threat. Similar to VX, “symptoms include headaches, salivation and secretion of tears, followed by gradual paralysis of the muscles” and possible death.

Sarin was developed in 1938 in Germany when scientists were researching pesticides. The Aum Shinrikyo cult used it in a 1995 attack on the Tokyo subway. While the attack caused mass panic, it only killed 13 because the agent was dispersed in liquid form. In order to maximize casualties, not only must the sarin be a gas, but the particles need to be small enough so they are easily absorbed through the lining of the lungs, yet heavy enough that they are not breathed back out. Sarin is not easy to weaponize.

The quality of the agent also matters. Sarin (and VX) is susceptible to degradation, especially if it isn’t pure. Iraq’s sarin for example, had a shelf life of about one to two years. While the degraded products are still toxic, they can’t be used as weapons. Although Syria’s CW stockpile was growing old and the agents were likely to have deteriorated significantly, the sarin used in the attack on the Ghouta suburbs on August 21, 2013 was higher quality than that used in the 1995 Tokyo attack or in Halabja. But it was still a far cry from the sarin produced by the United States and the Soviet Union.

Most popular: Mustard Gas

Also known as sulphur mustard, this agent gets its name from its trademark rotten mustard or garlic and onion odor. It belongs to the group of blister agents (or vesicants) that work by targeting the eyes, respiratory tract and skin, first as an irritant and then as poison for the body’s cells. It’s particularly grisly and slow acting. When skin is exposed to it, it reddens and burns for a few hours before large blisters appear and cause severe scarring and pain. Eyes will swell, tear and possibly go blind a few hours after exposure, and when inhaled or ingested, victims will experience sneezing, hoarseness, coughing up blood, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Chemical Weapons, not too sure who I'd poke in the ribs for this one.. but someone manufactured them..

Maybe it was, if you hadn’t travelled back in time they might have never been invented.

I'd **** with them and show them a video of Star Wars and tell them this is our future! 😆

America's founding fathers the consequences of the second amendment? Maybe then they could be a bit more explicit about what they really meant.

Yeah!! Cos the 70s were great, weren’t they...?

Dark Ages

Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't use this phrase. It was coined by idiot old profs in love with Greek and Roman culture and in no way reflects actual real history in any sense

Chemical Weapons, not too sure who I'd poke in the ribs for this one.. but someone manufactured them..

Fritz Haber - unfortunately he wouldn't care what you thought.

Does he look like he gives a toss?

[img] [/img]

Unlike someone like Openheimer who was really troubled by the uses weapons might be put to (or Nobel who created the Peace Prize after his Obitury was printed prematurely) Haber was dead keen on what chemical weapons would achieve and even insisted on being there in person, in Ypres, when they were first deployed. (67,000 casualties - big thumbs up from Fritz)

His wife was so troubled by his work that it drove her to suicide.

Haber also developed the Haber Bosch process - the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen - which in the form of fertilisers keeps roughly a third of the world's population alive today. Not sure he applied the same fervour to that though.

In reference to Nobel - it would be interesting what effect taking people's obituaries back in time would have though

Dark Ages

It was coined by idiot old profs in love with Greek and Roman culture

Its perfectly legitimate when used in reference to the 1970s though.

America's founding fathers the consequences of the second amendment? Maybe then they could be a bit more explicit about what they really meant.

It was a typo - it was meant to be a right to bear Alms.

@saxonrider ref the road bikes, I hope they be distinctly unimpressed - hardly progress.

Its perfectly legitimate when used in reference to the 1970s though

Yes, yes it is. 😆

See it depends what you take back and to what period of time - I mean a smartphone to the Romans for example would be interesting as a games console and nothing else - there'd be no wifi, no phone network, no-one else to call and no videos to stream.

And then the battery would die and there'd be nowhere to charge it.

Or am I overthinking this?

I may be thinking small as oppose to highbrow but I would take my kids back to the house where I grew up half a century ago and show them the ice on the inside of the single glazed windows and how we huddled around a single electric fire in the Winter. Pre "mod cons"

show them the ice on the inside of the single glazed windows

Just bring them round to my house in about 6 weeks time 🙂

My memories of the 1970s are of red wellies, flares, Fatcha, vinyl seats, wildcat strikes, youth culture offensive to anyone over the age of 25, Magnus Pyke, rubbish cars, proper winters, three television channels, Chorlton and the Wheelies, The Generation Game, Pigs In Space and actual proper Lego without the silly bespoke pieces.

My memories of the 1970s are of red wellies, flares, Fatcha, vinyl seats, wildcat strikes, youth culture offensive to anyone over the age of 25, Magnus Pyke, rubbish cars, proper winters, three television channels, Chorlton and the Wheelies, The Generation Game, Pigs In Space and actual proper Lego without the silly bespoke pieces.

but only 3 days a week 🙂

proper Lego without the silly bespoke pieces.

Ah! You didn’t have the Lego sets then.

I may be thinking small as oppose to highbrow but I would take my kids back to the house where I grew up half a century ago and show them the ice on the inside of the single glazed windows and how we huddled around a single electric fire in the Winter. Pre "mod cons"

Pahhh .... I used to live in't hole in't middle of road... and got up for work half an hour before going to bed.

Immediate thoughts of seeing this thread a few minutes ago tie in an awful lot with Malvern Rider's four photos, we've raped this planet for the sake of convenience to ourselves in the past ~60 years, with little thought of the long term repercussions of our actions.

Haber also developed the Haber Bosch process - the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen - which in the form of fertilisers keeps roughly a third of the world's population alive today. Not sure he applied the same fervour to that though.

Well...................

The fixed nitrogen was more because you can't make (decent) explosives without it. The Germans were prevented from importing guano which is what the rest of the Allied powers were using. That it makes fertiliser too was a bonus.

Awesome Chemist, possibly a psychopath though.

A few friends worked in weapons development, they all seem to justify it by saying they only do XYZ whether that's supersonic aerodynamics (of bullets), nuclear reactions, lasers, whatever, most have a conscious blindspot for the overall system.

and got up for work half an hour before going to bed.

Pah... You had a BED!

Something to show them what humanity is working towards, probably this:

Cloning's rubbish - those two sheep don't even look alike

Something to show them what humanity is working towards, probably this:

My electric spiralizer.

I'd have a word with the Irish king of Leinster, Diarmuid MacMurrough, that maybe it might not be a good idea to invite in the Normans to settle a local dispute.

Anyone watch Zapped ?? The first series was funny, the second is about to be aired. If you've not seen it then check it out as some of what we're talking about here is represented in the programme..

[img] [/img]

Id show them TM, the current tory cabinet and Donald Trump. We'd fall about laughing, then I'd ask if I could stay. Please. Wait - when am I going back to?