Ideas 1950-1979

• 1954: Elvis gets started/assassinated
  • Standard: Sam Phillips, looking for someone who could "blend boogie-woogie and black blues," discovers singer Elvis Presley.
  • (27): Unknown singer Elvis Presley is killed by a crazed gunman. His song "Heartbreak Hotel" moves to number one on the US charts but is forgotten a few weeks later. Triggers (30).
  • (28): An assassination attempt on Elvis Presley is botched when the assassin is himself shot by an unknown assailant. Triggers () [1956 Standard, needs a number].
  • (29): A shootout in downtown Memphis kills several, including unknown singer Elvis Presley. The investigation uncovers the fact that many of the victims were themselves carrying unlicensed weapons. Triggers (30).
  • Event

• 1956: Rock and Roll/Contemporary Classical Music becomes popular
  • Standard, Triggered by (28): Elvis's single, "Heartbreak Hotel" hits number one on the US Charts, cementing rock and roll as a popular musical genre in the US.
  • (30) Triggered by (27) AND (29): Alberto Evaristo Ginastera's Harp Concerto, Op. 25 hits number one on the US Charts, cementing classical as a popular musical genre in the US.
  • [Note: in addition to the above, this toggles the Elvis/Hitler character to switch]
  • Footnote

• 1960: Beatles Formed / Generic Boy Band
  • Standard: The Beatles go on to become one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music.
  • (31) Triggered by (26): The Beatles are a small boy band that fizzles out in five years.
  • Event

• 1960 Nothing Special / Third Fatima Released
  • Standard: The Catholic Church does not release info on Third Fatima to the public.
  • (32) Third Fatima Released: The Catholic Church does release info on Third Fatima to the public.
  • Footnote

• 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis Ends Peacefully / Nuclear War!
  • Standard: A nuclear war is narrowly averted during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  • (33) Nuclear War!: The Cuban Missile Crisis results in the limited use of nuclear weapons between the USSR and USA. Several US and USSR cities destroyed. Triggers (56).
  • Event

• 1963: Stephen Hawking Diagnosed / Stephen Hawking Cured!
  • Standard: Stephen Hawking diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
  • (34) Stephen Hawking Cured!: Stephen Hawking is cured of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and goes back to study medicine. Triggers (51).
  • Footnote

• 1968: Election mess.
  • (35) Flip to male
    • White male: Nixon
    • Black male: Martin Luther King Jr.
  • (36) Flip to female
    • White female: Jackie Kennedy
    • Black female: Rosa Parks
  • (37) Flip to black
  • (38) Flip to white
  • Event

• 1969: Woodstock Festival / Nothing Special
  • Standard: The festival exemplified the counterculture of the late 1960s – early 1970s and the "hippie era".
  • (39) Triggered by (26): No Woodstock Festival.
  • Footnote

• 1969: Neil Armstrong/Cápac Yupanqui lands on the moon
  • Standard: Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the moon, confirming that the United States is the major world power of the era.
  • Cápac Yupanqui becomes the first person to walk on the moon. His famous quote, "This is one small honor from the Incan nation to one great moon-goddess Quilla," will be remembered for decades to come, in no small part because of its curious and inexplicable sentence structure.

• 1974: Dungeons & Dragons Published / TSR Goes out of Business
  • Standard: Dungeons & Dragons, created by Gary Gygax, is published by TSR.
  • (40) No D&D: TSR goes out of business after Gary Gygax leaves the company. Triggers (45).
  • Footnote

• 1977: Cat Stevens Converts to Islam / Cat Stevens Converts to Evangelicalism
  • Standard: At the height of his fame Cat Stevens converts to Islam, leaves music, and changes his name to Yusuf Islam.
  • (41) Cat Stevens Converts to Evangelicalism: At the height of his fame Cat Stevens converts to Evangelicalism, becomes a Christian rock musician and changes his name to Christian Stevens.
  • Footnote

• 1978: VHS overtakes BetaMax / Betemax Beats Back VHS
  • Standard: VHS overtakes Sony's BetaMax in global market share.
  • (42) Betamax Beats Back VHS: Betamax manages to beat back the insurgent VHS and within several years is the undisputed winner.
  • Event