What If

What If?
Activities to Encourage
Critical and Creative Thinking
Written by Jim McAlpine, Betty Weincek,

Sue Jeweler, and Marion Finkbinder
Cover Illustrated by Karen Birchak

Text Illustrated by Belinda Martinez
The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher

to reproduce copies of the student pages for use in his or
her classroom exclusively. The reproduction of any part
of the work for an entire school or school system or for
commercial use is prohibited.
ISBN 1-56644-277-X (10-digit)
978-1-56644-277-0 (13-digit)
Second Edition
2007 Educational Impressions, Inc., Hawthorne, NJ
Printed in the U.S.A.

Original edition published by Dandy Lion Publications, Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Teacher Section ......................................................................................................................520
What If?: People ................................................................................................................2134
People 1: Walt Disney ........................................................................................................22
People 2: Leonardo da Vinci ..............................................................................................23
People 3: Albert Einstein....................................................................................................24
People 4: Rosa Parks ..........................................................................................................25
People 5: Alexander the Great............................................................................................26
People 6: Christopher Columbus........................................................................................27
People 7: Gilbert and Sullivan ..........................................................................................28
People 8: Abraham Lincoln................................................................................................29
People 9: The Spanish ........................................................................................................30
People 10: Native Americans ..............................................................................................31
People 11: Ludwig von Beethoven ......................................................................................32
People 12: Wolfgang Mozart................................................................................................33
What If?: Things ................................................................................................................3548
Things 1: Incandescent Lamp ............................................................................................36
Things 2: Scissors ..............................................................................................................37
Things 3: The Human Thumb ............................................................................................38
Things 4: The Elevator ......................................................................................................39
Things 5: The Rosetta Stone ..............................................................................................40
Things 6: Photography and the Printing Press ..................................................................41
Things 7: Gold....................................................................................................................42
Things 8: The Arch ............................................................................................................43
Things 9: Satellites ............................................................................................................44
Things 10: The Cotton Gin ..................................................................................................45
Things 11: Domesticated Animals ......................................................................................46
Things 12: Water and Evaporation ......................................................................................47
Things 13: The Transistor ....................................................................................................48
3
Educational Impressions, Inc.
What If?
What If?: Events ................................................................................................................4961

Events 1: The Industrial Revolution ..................................................................................50
Events 2: Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand................................................................51
Events 3: The Gold Rush ..................................................................................................52
Events 4: The French and Indian War(s)............................................................................53
Events 5: Flight of the Hindenburg....................................................................................54
Events 6: The Great Depression ........................................................................................55
Events 7: Napoleons March on Russia ............................................................................56
Events 8: The War of 1812 ................................................................................................57
Events 9: The Irish Potato Famine ....................................................................................58
Events 10: Dropping the Atomic Bomb ..............................................................................59
Events 11: Sinking of the Spanish Armada..........................................................................60
Events 12: The American Civil War ....................................................................................61
What If?: Places..................................................................................................................6375
Places 1: Africa ..................................................................................................................64
Places 2: The Middle East..................................................................................................65
Places 3: The Lost Continent of Atlantis ..........................................................................66
Places 4: Alaska..................................................................................................................67
Places 5: The Rocky Mountains ........................................................................................68
Places 6: England ..............................................................................................................69
Places 7: Rome ..................................................................................................................70
Places 8: The South ............................................................................................................71
Places 9: Mount McKinley ................................................................................................72
Places 10: Washington, D.C. ................................................................................................73
Places 11: Earth ....................................................................................................................74
Places 12: The Sahara Desert ..............................................................................................75
Whimsy ................................................................................................................................7779
Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................80
4
What If?
Teacher
Section
5
What If?
About What If?

What If? is a favorite question for both youngsters and adults. What if we had done it differently? What if it worked a different way? What if you did this instead? Our lives are filled
with what if? questions. In groups and individually we like to explore the possibilities that
might have existed if things had been done differently.
This natural curiosity about what if can be the basis for serious thinking. It can start students thinking about other routes history might have taken, the impact on events and inventions,
and the reasons why things are the way they are. In other words, it can become a catalyst for critical and creative thinking.
What If? is a collection of activities that will lead students through explorations in several curriculum areas, always asking the question What if. The book offers an opportunity for students to look at unique situations and to come up with alternative outcomes by combining
research with creative thinking. Students will utilize the steps in Creative Problem Solving and
the higher-level thinking skills to propose, examine, and evaluate their hypotheses. Each What If?
proposition can become the beginning of hours of exciting learning.
What If? not only presents a motivating format for learning, it also builds skills that students
will use throughout their lives. As students work through each exercise, they gain new insights
into the possibilities and challenges of manipulating information that has been researched while,
at the same time, practicing valuable problem-solving skills. These research, problem-solving,
and thinking skills will transfer to other What If? exercises, to other areas of learning, and, most
importantly, to real life.
OBJECTIVES
In using this book, the student will
be able to deal with factual information at the three higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy:
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation;
be able to show cause-and-effect relationships through the What If? format;
be able to extrapolate from knowns to unknowns using real-life situations;
be able to use and apply the What If? strategy to any situation;
be able to deal creatively with information in a variety of content areas. and
be able to develop What If? problems and solutions in other areas of the curriculumto
become creators of curricula rather than consumers of information.
What If?
WHEN TO USE WHAT IF?

The activities in What If? cover a variety of content areas, including language arts, social studies, literature, and science. The assignments can be used to supplement, augment, enrich, extend,
and reinforce required curricula. You may want to develop your own What If? activities to meet
the specific objectives of local curricula or individual interests. Once the students become proficient at answering these questions,they may also want to develop their own What If? activities,
In this way, students can become problem seekers as well as problem solvers.
WHAT IF?: WHOM IS IT FOR?

Designed primarily for students in grades four through eight, What If? can be used effectively
through high school. Above average and gifted students should be able to function fairly independently once the Creative Problem Solving process is mastered. Other students may require
more direct attention and reinforcement from the teacher.
REPRODUCIBLE SHEETS IN TEACHER SECTION

The following sheets are included in this section. You may want to provide copies of some or all
of these sheets to help your students understand the Creative Problem Solving process and the
format of this book.
Creative Problem Solving and Thinking Skills
Thinking Skills and Blooms Taxonomy
A Step-by-Step Guide to Using What If?
Possible Presentation Formats
Explanation of the What If? and Ideas! Got Any? Sheets
Sample What If? Sheet for Air Transportation
Sample Ideas! Got Any? Sheet for Air Transportation (as it might be filled out by student)
Possible Student Responses to the Air Transportation Assignment.
Template for Additional What If? Activities
Reproducible Ideas! Got Any? Sheet (to be used for all activities)
Idea Starters: Ideas for Additional What If Questions to Enrich the Curriculum
7
What If?
Creative Problem Solving

and Thinking Skills
Solving problems effectively and efficiently is a skill that can be learned through direct instruction and guided practice. The first step in mastering this skill is to know the steps that are involved
in the process. While students may have to rely on a chart showing these steps for some time,
eventually they will become skilled at using the Creative Problem Solving process. With practice,
they should become adept at applying this process to What If? questions and to real-life problems.
Creative Problem Solving involved seven sequential steps. They are
1. Recognize the problem. Realize that there is a problem.
Is there a problem?
2. Define the problem. Establish exactly what the problem is.
What is the problem?
3. Gather ideas and or data. Assemble ideas or information about solving the problem.
What do I know about the problem?
What more do I need to know about the problem?
4. Rank your ideas. Put your ideas and information about the problem in order.
What information might affect the problem the most or the best?
What information is next best?
5. Test your ideas. Try out the ideas for solving the problem beginning with the first one on your
ordered list. Assess the validity of each idea.
Which ideas are workable?
6. Draw conclusions. Decide which idea(s) might work to solve the problem.
Which of the workable ideas is/are most effective and efficient?
Which idea(s) work best?
7. Evaluate your conclusions. Decide which idea(s) worked best to solve the problem.
Which idea(s) is/are most effective and efficient? Why?
Which idea(s) solved the problem?
8
What If?
Thinking Skills & Blooms Taxonomy*

Problem solving requires thinking. Benjamin Bloom ordered the steps of thinking as follows:
1. Knowledge: Recalling information that has been previously learned. This may range from
specific facts to broad theories, but nothing other than remembering is required.
2. Comprehension: Understanding or grasping the meaning of information. This may include
interpreting material, translating it from one form to another, or extrapolating effects.
3. Application: Using information in new situations. This involves applying rules, methods or
principles, showing how something is done, or solving problems.
4. Analysis.: Taking information apart. This involves breaking material into its component parts
in order to understand its elements. relationships, or organizational principles.
5. Synthesis: Putting parts together to form a new whole. This involves creating new products,
plans, communications, or relationships.
6. Evaluation: Making judgments or evaluations about the value of the material. These judgments are based on definite criteria that may be either internal or external evidence.
In order to perform the first three steps of the Creative Problem Solving process described on the
previous page (recognize the problem, define the problem, and gather ideas and data), one must
use the first three levels of thinking (knowledge, comprehension, and application).
In order to perform the last four steps of the Creative Problem Solving process described on the
previous page (rank ideas, test ideas, draw conclusions, and evaluate conclusions), one must use
the higher levels of thinking (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation).
To effectively solve problems, students must be able to use the higher levels of thinking. While
knowledge, comprehension, and application are important in order to understand what the problem is, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation allow students to move beyond obvious answers to
generate creative solutions. By practicing these skills, students will become adept at generating,
organizing, and evaluating ideas.
Creative Problem Solving
Blooms Thinking Levels
1. Recognize the problem ------------------------Knowledge
2. Define the problem ----------------------------Comprehension
3. Gather ideas and data --------------------------Application
4. Rank ideas and data
5. Test ideas
6. Draw conclusions
7. Evaluate conclusions
----------------
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
*Bloom, B.S. Englehart, M.D., First, E.J. Hill, W.H. Krathwohl, D.R. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I:
Cognitive Domain. (New York: David McKay Co., 1956).
9
What If?
A Step-by-Step Guide to Using What If?
What If?
10
Introducing Creative Problem Solving

Before introducing What If? to your students, they should be familiar with creative problem solving (often called CPS) and with Blooms classification of thinking skills. Give students the pages
that show these models. Provide the opportunity to discuss the CPS process before they apply it
to the What If? situations. Creative problem solving is not designed to be learned in isolation, nor
is it uniquely applicable to What If? situations. Once students have learned how to use these
skills, they should be able to transfer them and apply them to any area.
Using What If?

Each What If? exercise will present students with an opportunity to respond creatively to an openended question. It is a chance to work individually and to explore a variety of ideas. It is not, however, a completely unstructured situation. In order to successfully deal with the problem posed in
each assignment, students must work through the steps of Creative Problem Solving. The process
is more important than the product!
The first two steps in dealing with each problem are recognizing and defining the problem. It is
important that students be able to identify and then define exactly what the problem is asking
them to do. These steps allow them to accurately define the problem so that they know exactly
what background information needs to be gathered.
The next step in completing the assignment is to research the facts surrounding the What If? situation the student has chosen to explore. It is very important that students complete the necessary
research before proceeding to the other steps in the process. This step allows students to build a
background of information that will be useful in generating and evaluating ideas.
After the research has been completed, students will use the Ideas! The Got Any? sheet to list any
ideas they have that are related to this What If? situation. Students should be encouraged to write
down all ideas, no matter how wild and zany. After a large number of ideas have been listed, students can then proceed to rank ideas in order from those most likely to solve the problem to least
likely to solve it. Ideas are then tested to see which are most usable, relevant, or appropriate.
Students should decide which of the ideas are effective solutions to the problem. They should
then evaluate the selected ideas and judge which would be the one most effective solution.
The Project/Product
Now it is time to generate a solution for the problem using the best idea(s) and to select a format
for presenting that idea. Students may choose any product they feel will communicate their idea.
By carefully working through each step in the Creative Problem Solving process, students will be
able to produce a final project/product that has substance.
Evaluation of the Project/Product

Does the project/product reflect, effectively and efficiently, the use of the process? Evidence?
Teacher designed and defined rubric
Student designed and defined rubric
Use CPS process
Use Blooms Taxonomy
Viable, justifiable project/product
Peer Evaluation
Anything else you decide!
11
What If?
Possible Presentation Formats

Some ideas for possible products or projects are listed below. Choose one that you think will best
communicate your idea(s). You may choose to do one that is not on this list.
written report
model
video tape
design
map
debate
pamphlet
shadow box
award
mural
song
poem
plan
recording
play
questionnaire
collection
magazine
advertisement
display
puppet show
What If?
painting
letter
movie
picture
dance
scrapbook
story
news story
list
oral report
project cube
taped essay
banner
sculpture
script
time line
diagram
cartoon
game
photographs
graph
12
4
What If?/Ideas! Got Any? Sheets

WHAT IF? SHEETS
Example 1
Air Transportation
Illustration: This is a visual

stimulus for the What If?
question.
Air transportation began in 1783 with the

Montgolfier balloon. In 1903 the Wright
brothers successfully completed the first
power-driven, heavier-than-air flight. In
1910 the first commercial airline was
organized and carried 35,000 passengers
within its first three years. In 1919 the first
regular international airmail was initiated.
The first jet was built and flown in Germany
in 1939. Finally, in 1957 the first man-made
satellite was successfully launched.
Data: Background information

of varying lengths is provided.
Key words, important
dates and places are included.
This should stimulate additional
research in encyclopedias, books,
magazines, and media material.
What if there was no air transportation?

Your Ideas: Record your first thoughts about this question in this space.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What If? Question: This question

provides the problem to be
solved.
Response Lines: This is a place
for jotting down initial ideas.
This for immediate student
response and is not the place for
the solution. Ideas can later be
transferred to the Ideas! Got Any?
sheet.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Think-About Questions
1. What does air transportation mean?
2. In what ways has air transportation been accomplished?
3. In what ways has air transportation been used?
4. How has society been affected by air transportation?
5. What would be different without air transportation?
PLAN AND PRESENT YOUR IDEA
Your solution to the What If? question could be expressed any way you choose. Some ideas might
be a written product, a model, a plan, a movie, a video tape, a picture, or a design. Use your imagination and think of the product that will provide a creative showcase for your ideas.
What If?
Think-About Questions: This is a place

for jotting down initial ideas.
This for immediate student
response and is not the place for
the solution. Ideas can later be
transferred to the Ideas! Got Any?
sheet.
14
Plan and Present Your Idea: This

suggests options for the format in
which the student will present the
solution.
IDEAS! GOT ANY? SHEETS

The Ideas! Got Any? sheet is an idea generator. It is a place where students can note any ideas or
questions that they would like to research or think about more deeply. There are four sections:
Notes, Brainstorming, Information, and Day Dreaming. Students are free to record their ideas and
information in all of the sections. At this point, students may record ideas in a random fashion
and follow all trains of thought. Later they will organize their ideas, support them with additional research, and evaluate to decide which ideas are worth keeping.
12
What If?
Example 1
Air Transportation
Air transportation began in 1783 with the
Montgolfier balloon. In 1903 the Wright
brothers successfully completed the first
power-driven, heavier-than-air flight. In
1910 the first commercial airline was
organized and carried 35,000 passengers
within its first three years. In 1919 the first
regular international airmail was initiated.
The first jet was built and flown in Germany
in 1939. Finally, in 1957 the first man-made
satellite was successfully launched.

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What does air transportation mean?
2. In what ways has air transportation been accomplished?
3. In what ways has air transportation been used?
4. How has society been affected by air transportation?
5. What would be different without air transportation?
What If?
14
Ideas! Got Any?

Name _________________________________
Use this sheet to record your ideas about the What If question. Write down anything that comes
to mindideas, things you want to research, questions, or information. You will use these ideas
to structure any additional research you will need to do.
WHAT IF QUESTION: ________________________________________________________
Notes
1.
Air transportation--travel in air
___________________________________________
2.
Balloon, blimp, dirigible, airplane, rocket, kite
___________________________________________
glider,
frisbee, satellite
___________________________________________
3.
Travel, mail speed, satellite communication,
___________________________________________
research,
recreation, entertainment
___________________________________________
4.
mail slower, travel slower, people live closer to
___________________________________________
relatives
___________________________________________
Daydreaming
Other Information
Change
in entertainment/vacation, things take
___________________________________________
longer,
cross-cultural food distribution problem
___________________________________________
Brainstorming
larger
world
___________________________________________
Montgolfier?
___________________________________________
Big backup at train stations

Couldnt see move To Fly
Less noise pollution
hydrogen-dirigible?
war/weapons!
___________________________________________
Who
were other inventors?
___________________________________________
Satellite news
What
else? Why not?
___________________________________________
Different technology
Weather!
15
What If?
Possible Student Products

The following are examples of how a student might present his or her ideas on the sample Air
Transportation activity. To get to this point, the student would have had to generate many and
would have ranked them, drawn conclusions about their workability, and judged which were the
best responses to the problem as stated.
The first is in the form of a list. The instructor might question this list and/or the order of the ideas
to verify that the student used the Creative Problem Solving process to arrive at this final point.
1. Travel would be slower.
2. Mail would be slower.
3. People would live closer to their relatives.
4. There would be a change in entertainment because no shows would be broadcast via satellite.
5. Vacations would be different.
6. World-wide food distribution would be a problem.
7. The world would be larger.
8. There would be no airplanes, blimps, rockets, gliders, etc.
9. There would be less air pollution.
10. There would be less air pollution.
11. Train stations and bus stations would be more crowded.
12. War would be differentperhaps more limited and local.
The second response is in the form of a letter. The student has used the list in a more creative way
to determine the impact of the problem on a personal level: synthesis. The teacher might question
why the student chose to include certain ideas and not others in order to verify that the student
used the Creative Problem Solving process.
Dear Cousin Fred,
Chances are you wont get this letter by the time I get to Phoenix, but I thought I would
let you in on our vacation plans. We plan to leave London next week on Tuesday, the 10th.
Our ship, the H.M.S. Pinafore, sails at 6:00 a.m. on the 11th. We are scheduled to arrive in
Philadelphia on the 18th, but who knows? If we make our train connection on the 19th,
we should arrive in Phoenix on the 24th to see Grandma Moses.
Now, Grandmas nice, but, boy, I really wanted to see California since it will be our only
trip to the United States. But we just dont have time to get there because I have to be back
at school by the 10th of next month. Yuk! Winter break will be over. It really seems stupid
for travel to take such a long time.
Hows summer in Australia? Write me soon. It will be great to hear from you right after
school starts.
Your cousin,
Claire
What If?
16
________________
_____________________
Data
Illustration
What if __________________________________________________________?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
17
What If?
Ideas! Got Any?

Name _________________________________
Use this sheet to record your ideas about the What If question. Write down anything that comes
to mindideas, things you want to research, questions, or information. You will use these ideas
to structure any additional research you will need to do.
WHAT IF QUESTION: ________________________________________________________
Notes
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Daydreaming
Other Information
___________________________________________
Brainstorming
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
What If?
18
Idea Starters
The following are additional questions that could be used with the What If? format to provide
enrichment in various areas of the curriculum. They are divided into People, Places, Things,
Events, and Whimsy. Space is provided for you to note which questions you would like to use.
You may use the template provided on page 17 to prepare your own What If? activities.
People
What if the Medici family had not been interested in art?
What if John F. Kennedy had not been assassinated?
What if Patton had continued into and through Poland in 1945?
What if Hitler had not attempted genocide?
What if Marco Polo had died in China?
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Places
What if Italy was an island?
What if the Mississippi emptied into the Hudson Bay instead of into the Gulf of Mexico?
What if Pompeii had not been excavated?
What if Australia was connected to Asia?
What if the North Star was not stationary?
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
19
What If?
Things
What if the sextant had not been invented until 1900?
What if the cantilever designed by Frank Lloyd Wright didnt operate?
What if the Native Americans had had the wheel prior to the arrival of the Europeans?
What if the telephone had not been invented?
What if wood conducted electricity?
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Events
What if the Dark Ages had lasted another 300 years?
What if the United States had joined the League of Nations?
What if the French Revolution had failed?
What if Titanic had not sunk?
What if the atomic bomb test of 1945 had failed?
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Whimsy
What if water wasnt wet?
What if rain was hot?
What if rocks were soft?
What if there was no daylight?
What if balloons never popped?
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What If?
20
What If?
PEOPLE
21
What If?
People 1
Walt Disney
Walt Disney (19011966) was one of the
most famous motion picture producers in
history. He created cartoon characters such
as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He
also produced feature-length cartoon films,
movies about wild animals, and films that
appealed to a wide range of audiences. His
visionary achievements include the
spectacular amusement parks, Disneyland
Disney World, which comprises several
different theme parks.
What if Walt Disney had never lived?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How would entertainment be different?
2. How would film technology have been altered?
3. Who would have developed similar visions and concepts?
4. What qualities did Disney need besides creativity?
What If?
22
4
People 2
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) was one of the
greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance and
became one of the most versatile geniuses in
history. He is often referred to as the Renaissance
Man. His interests and achievements were in
such fields as art, anatomy, botany, astronomy,
and technology. His ideas were far ahead of his
time. One example of his futuristic thinking was
his plans for a flying machine and a parachute.
What if Leonardo da Vinci had never lived?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Does one genius affect the course of human thought? How?
2. How would art have been affected?
3. How would engineering have been affected?
4. Would people in subsequent generations have come to the same conclusions?
23
What If?
People 3
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (18791955) was one of the
greatest scientists of all time. He is best known
for his theory of relativity, which revolutionized
scientific thought with new conceptions of time,
space, mass, motion, and gravitation. In so doing,
he laid the basic foundation for controlling the
release of energy from the atom. His famous
equation, E = mc2, was the basis for the
development of atomic energy.
What if Albert Einstein had died in 1910?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What were Einsteins theories? What were his greatest accomplishments?
2. What events were occurring during the late19th and first half of the 20th centuries?
3. What technology existed during the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries?
4. What scientific advancements were made during this time period?
5. How would Einstein have affected the second half of the 20th century? The 21st century?
What If?
24
People 4
Rosa Parks
Black Americans had to abide by special rules
in the segregated society of the United States in
the first part of the 20th century. Among other
things, they had to drink from special water
fountains, go to segregated schools, and sit in
the back of buses. On December 1, 1955, Rosa
Parks did not give up her seat on the bus to a
white man. Consequently, she was arrested and
became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.
What if Rosa Parks had not sat down on the bus?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What are civil rights?
2. What happened in the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century? In the 21st century?
3. What were the rights of blacks verses those of whites in 1955?
4. What laws existed?
5. What are segregation,prejudice, integration, and discrimination?
25
What If?
People 5
Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great (356323 BC) was the first
World Conqueror. He led his armies to the
ends of the known world. He spread the Greek
civilization from Greece to North Africa and
China. He has become the subject of legends
throughout the world.
What if Alexander the Great had not died at an early age?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How did Aristotle influence Alexander?
2. What were the circumstances of his death?
3. What contributions did Alexander make?
4. How did he go about conquering and controlling his empire?
What If?
26
People 6
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (14511506) was the first
European to sail to America. He was a self-made
and self-educated man with one ideato reach
the wealth and riches of the East by sailing west.
He employed a crew of itinerant sailors to work
for the benefit of the financiers of his voyages,
the king and queen of the newly united Spain. On
October 12, 1492, he landed on Watling Island in
the Bahamas
What if Columbuss crew had forced him to turn back?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why was the crew unhappy with the voyage?
2. Who else was attempting to find an easy route to the East?
3. Why were Columbus and his backers enthused about this voyage?
4. Were Columbus and his crew brave or foolish? Why?
27
What If?
People 7
Gilbert and Sullivan

Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur S. Sullivan
established the distinctive English form of the
operetta. Gilbert provided the verbal ingenuity
to be balanced by the music of Sullivan. Their
collaboration extended from 1871 to 1889. The
later portion of their partnership was strained at
best. They each worked with others, but together
they left an extensive collection of witty and
musically delightful operettas.
What if Gilbert had never met Sullivan?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What is an operetta?
2. What was the purpose of Gilbert and Sullivans music?
3. What was their impact on musical theater?
4. Why was their relationship strained and how did this affect the way they worked together?
5. Why is their music still performed?
What If?
28
People 8
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (18091865) was the sixteenth
President of the United States. While leading the
North in the Civil War, he strove to preserve the
Union. He served from 1860 to 1865. He was
assassinated at Fords Theater at a performance
of the play Our American Cousin five days
after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox.
What if Abraham Lincoln had not loved the theater?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What did someone want to kill Lincoln?
2. What contributions had Lincoln already made to the country prior to his assassination?
3. What was left unfinished by Lincoln at the time of this death?
4. How might his place in history have been changed if he had not gone to the theater?
29
What If?
People 9
The Spanish
The Spanish began to colonize in the Western
Hemisphere following Columbuss discovery.
The Spanish colonies spread out in relation to
the gold and resources of the native civilizations
in Central and South America. The English, on
the other hand, began their colonization along
the east coast of North America.
What if the Spanish had colonized North America and the English had settled
South America?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How did the economic situations of England and Spain affect their colonization patterns?
2. What effect did the Catholic pope have on colonization patterns?
3. How were the natural resources attained by the Spanish and English alike and different?
4. How were the civilizations of North and South America alike and different?
What If?
30
People 10
Native Americans
The native American civilizations were primarily
tribal. The types of tribal organizations were
determined by the lifestyles of the tribe. The
native Americans of North America were
mostly hunters and gatherers. Several major
civilizations in South and Central America
Aztecs, Mayans, and Incasdeveloped an
agricultural base.
What if there had been no major native civilization in the New World?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What were the native American civilizations in North and South America?
2. What contributions did the native American civilizations make to the Europeans?
3. How did native American civilizations affect European settlement?
4. How did native American civilizations affect how the Europeans dealt with each other?
31
What If?
People 11
Ludwig von Beethoven

Ludwig von Beethoven, a German composer,
lived from 17701827. He is considered to be
one of the most important composers of his time
and one of the greatest figures in the history of
western music. Beethoven wrote compositions
such as the Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, and
Moonlight Sonata. Some of his most popular
and complex works were created after he was
totally deaf. His works became the prototype for
the romantic composers of the rest of the
nineteenth century.
What if Beethoven had not been deaf?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What is a prototype?
2. Why are Beethovens works still played?
3. Was Beethovens music popular during his lifetime? Why?
4. How and why did Beethovens music change as his hearing declined?
5. Compare the music Beethoven composed before his deafness and after he became deaf.
What If?
32
People 12
Wolfgang Mozart
Wolfgang Mozart lived in Austria from 1756 to
1791. He is regarded as one of the greatest
musical geniuses of all time. With over 600
works to his credit, he was also one of the most
prolific composers. He began to compose at the
age of five. His career was supported by a series
of patrons and his work was well regarded.
Despite a court appointment to the Emperor,
however, he fell deeply in debt and died in poverty.
What if Mozart had lived to be an old man?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why did Mozart die so young?
2. Does the age of a person have anything to do with productivity?
3. What kinds of music did he write?
4. What did patrons do? Why did Mozart need patrons?
5. Why couldnt Mozart sell his works?
6. Why didnt Mozart receive royalties?
33
What If?
What If?
THINGS
35
What If?
Things 1
Incandescent Lamp
The most common source of electric light is
the incandescent lamp. Thomas A. Edison
developed a way of distributing cheap
electricity to users. He invented his incandescent
lamp in 1879 and also developed one of the
first power plants to generate and then distribute
electricity.
What if incandescent lamps (light bulbs) had not been invented?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What things in society would be affected if there were no light bulbs?
2. What technology is dependent on the light bulb?
3. What alternatives could there be for light bulbs?
What If?
36
Things 2
Scissors
A pair of scissors is actually two knife blades
joined together to form a double lever. Scissors
developed shortly after people learned to make
knives. Sharp, sturdy scissors were developed
in the late 1200s.
What if scissors had not been invented?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Where and how were scissors first used?
2. What is the importance of a straight edge and how is it related to the function of scissors?
3. How would the lack of scissors affect art, industry, education, agriculture, or medicine?
4. How would Matisse have done his cutouts?
5. How could we safely produce a straight edge?
6. What alternatives could be used if there were no scissors?
37
What If?
Things 3
The Human Thumb

The thumb is the short, thick first or most
preaxial digit next to the forefinger of the
human hand.
What if people did not have a thumb?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What makes the human thumb unique?
2. How is the thumb different from other fingers on the human hand?
3. What is the relationship between the thumb and the ability to walk erect?
4. Why is the gesture thumbs up, which means okay, so appropriate to the thumb itself?
What If?
38
Things 4
The Elevator
An elevator transports people and materials to
the floors of a building. While elevators were in
use in the United States in the early 1800s, it
wasn't until Elisha G. Otis of New York invented
the first elevator with an automatic safety device
in the early 1850s that modern high-rise buildings
became accessible and safe.
What if the elevator had not been invented?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How would architecture have been affected?
2. What industries would be affected?
3. How would cities and urban areas look?
4. How would large populations be housed?
5. How would freight be carried?
6. Could there have been an alternative way of transporting people and materials? What? How?
39
What If?
Things 5
The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone, a slab of black basalt about
39 x 4 1/2 x 11, was found during Napoleons
Egyptian military campaign in 1799. It
commemorates certain events during the reign of
Ptolemy V and dates to 195 Bc. The inscriptions
were incised with tools and are in hieroglyphics,
Egyptian demotic, and Greek. The stone provided
the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.
What if the Rosetta Stone was not found and deciphered?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why is it important to decipher languages?
2. How does language influence the conclusions of archaeologists and anthropologists?
3. What else may have helped archaeologists and anthropologists to decode pictographs and/or
languages?
4. Can one item change the course of history?
What If?
40
Things 6
Photography and the Printing Press

Photography is the art of making pictures using
a series of lenses and light-sensitive plates or film
to capture and record visual images. It was first
used by John Herschel in 1839.
The printing press transfers images to paper
using ink. The construction of a press with
moveable type was invented by Johannes
Gutenberg. It was completed by 1440.
What if photography had been invented before the printing press?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. In what ways did the printing press change the world?
2. How did the recording of information change with the development of photography?
3. What aspects of human life are affected by photography and the printed word?
4. What is the interrelationship of technology and history?
41
What If?
Things 7
Gold
European explorers were seeking gold, glory, and
religious conversions in their conquest of the New
World. The Aztec and Inca cultures regarded gold
as an adornment, not as a measure of wealth.
Because the Spanish explorers possessed superior
military technology, it was fairly easy for the
Europeans to overcome the existing Aztec and
Inca civilizations and thus gain their gold.
What if the Aztec and Inca cultures had not had any gold?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How did the Spanish use the gold taken from the Aztec and Inca civilizations?
2. How did this new influx of wealth influence political events in Europe?
3. Would the Spanish have been interested in maintaining an influence in the New World had the
gold not been there? Why?
4. What happened to the sophisticated Aztec and Inca civilizations because of their wealth of
gold? Why?
What If?
42
Things 8
The Arch
The arch is a structural component used to
span an opening as well as to support loads
from above. The Romans were the first to
use the arch in large-scale architecturebuildings,
bridges, aqueducts, and baths. In most cases they
did not use mortar.
What if the Romans had not developed the arch?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How did the development of the arch affect the spread and influence of the Roman Empire?
2. What effect did the Roman arch have on architecture of the Middle Ages?
3. What would the Industrial Revolution have been like without the Roman arch?
4. How did this architecture affect the society of the Middle Ages?
43
What If?
Things 9
Satellites
Satellites are small objects revolving around
a planet. The first man-made satellite was
launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. It fell
back to Earth and burned up in 1958. Since
Sputnik, hundreds of manned and unmanned
satellites have been launched for a variety
of purposes.
What if the Romans had not developed the arch?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What are uses for satellites?
2. How do satellites affect your life?
3. What was the process for going from unmanned to manned satellites?
4. How has the development of satellites affected sports, entertainment, travel, communication,
food, and others areas of our lives?
What If?
44
Things 10
The Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney (17651825) invented the
cotton gin in 1793. It separated the cotton
fiber from the seed. The machine made
cotton profitable and helped make the
United States the largest producer of
cotton in the world.
What if Eli Whitney had not invented the cotton gin?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why was the cotton gin important?
2. How was the economy of the United States affected by the cotton gin?
3. What was the relationship between the cotton gin and the future of slavery in the South?
4. How was industry affected by this invention?
5. Without the cotton gin, would there have been an American Civil War? Why?
6. What is the connection between the cotton gin of 1793 and the Civil Rights Movement of the
20th and 21st centuries?
45
What If?
Things 11
Domesticated Animals
Humans have domesticated animals for
thousands of years. The dog was the first
animal to be domesticated. Many other animals
were tamed and raised for food, milk products,
and fur. Later humans learned to use animals for
energy and as a source of transportation.
What if humans had not domesticated animals?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What are some domesticated animals?
2. Why did humans domesticate animals?
3. Do all cultures have some domesticated animals?
4. Are all domesticated animals useful?
5. How would history be changed without domesticated animals?
What If?
46
Things 12
Water and Evaporation

Water, a common substance, is necessary for life.
Water molecules consist of two atoms of hydrogen
and one atom of oxygen. Water is colorless and
odorless and its most common state is liquid.
In evaporation, molecules of a substance change
from a liquid to a vapor or gas. When a substance
evaporates from a surface, the surface becomes
cooler because heat is absorbed by the substance
that is evaporating.
What if water did not evaporate?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What causes water to evaporate?
2. How does evaporation affect the senses?
3. How would lifestyles be affected?
4. How would the geography of the Earth be affected?
47
What If?
Things 13
The Transistor
The transistor is an electronic device used as an.
amplifier, rectifier, detector, or switch. Transistors
were developed in 1948 by John Bardeen, Walter
H. Brattain, and William Shockley. The
development of the transistor was the first step
in the miniaturization of electronic devices. The
development of the transistor revolutionized the
construction of electronic circuits.
What if transistors had not been invented?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What are transistors used for?
2. Why were transistors invented?
3. What did they replace?
4. What other developments resulted from the development of the transistor?
5. How did the invention of the transistor affect your life?
What If?
48
What If?
EVENTS
49
What If?
Events 1
The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain
during the 1700s and spread to other parts of
Europe and to North America in the early 1800s.
The Industrial Revolution created an enormous
increase in the production of goods. Some of this
increase was a result of the introduction of powerdriven machinery and the development of the
factory organization. It changed the Western
world from an agricultural society to an urban,
industrial society.
What if the Industrial Revolution had started in France instead?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Would Great Britain have been the worlds leading colonial power in the mid-1700s? Why?
2. What industries would be affected?
3. What would be Frances economic position in Europe?
4. How would France be altered?
5. Would the Industrial Revolution have been as important and far reaching?
6. What influence would the French Revolution have had on the Industrial Revolution?
What If?
50
Events 2
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the
Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the throne of
Austria-Hungary, triggering the start of World War I.
Austria-Hungary suspected Serbia had approved the
plot and declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. By
October 30, the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary,
Germany, and the Ottoman Empire) were at war with
the Allies (Belgium, France, Great Britain, Russia, and
Serbia). There were several causes of WWI, including
the growth of nationalism, a system of military
alliances that expanded the war, the competition
for territory, and the use of secret diplomacy.
What if Archduke Francis Ferdinand had not been assassinated?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Would Austria-Hungary have declared war? If yes, would others have joined the conflict?
2. How could the balance of power have been continued?
3. Would the course of European history have been altered? How? Why? American History?
4. Would World War II have occurred? Why?
51
What If?
Events 3
The Gold Rush

Gold was discovered on January 24, 1848, at
Sutters Mill in California by James Wilson
Marshall. Eighty thousand 49ers stampeded the
West Coast. The United States Gold Rush frontier
population was heterogeneous, individualistic,
rugged, and predominantly male. Frontier towns
and camps were ruled by grass-root democracy.
What if there had been no Gold Rush of 1848?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why and how did people travel to the gold fields?
2. What were the political ramifications of the Gold Rush?
3. What role did women play in the Gold Rush? Why?
4. In what ways were individuals affected by their success or failure in finding gold?
What If?
52
Events 4
The French and Indian War(s)

The French and Indian War (17541763) was the
last and most important conflict over French and
British possession of North America. Unlike the
three earlier wars, which began in Europe and
then spread to America, this struggle broke out in
America. Disputes included claims to fishing grounds,
religious differences, fur trade, and territorial claims.
The French and Indian War resulted in Great Britains
final victory over France and the loss of most of
Frances possessions in North America.
What if the French had won the French and Indian War?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What language would be the predominant language in North America?
2. How would customs (food, clothing, etc.) be different?
3. How would place names be different?
4. Would Native Americans have been forced to live on reservations?
5. What would be the boundaries of the countries in North America? What would be the names?
6. Would there have been an American Revolution?
53
What If?
Events 5
Flight of the Hindenburg

The Hindenburg, constructed
in 1936 in Germany, was
a dirigible. In 1937 it was
destroyed by fire as
it landed in New Jersey.
What if the Hindenburg had been filled with helium instead of hydrogen?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What is helium? What is hydrogen?
2. What are the positive and negative aspects of using helium and hydrogen?
3. Why was hydrogen chosen to inflate the Hindenburg?
4. How did this event change lighter-than-air travel?
What If?
54
Events 6
The Great Depression

The Great Depression, a period of world-wide
economic slump, began in 1929 with the crash
of the American stock market. It ended in 1939
the the beginning of World War II. It involved
mass unemployment, failures of banks and
businesses, falling agriculture prices, and
economic stagnation.
What if the Great Depression had not occurred?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How did the Depression affect politics?
2. What effect did the Depression have on social structures, including families?
3. What effect did the Depression have on cultural expression?
4. What caused the Depression and why did it end?
55
What If?
Events 7
Napoleons March on Russia

Napoleon was a French emperor who reigned from
1804 to 1815. His army invaded Russia in the
spring of 1812. Napoleon marched unchallenged
to Moscow, which the Russians destroyed as they
retreated from the French forces. Napoleons
troops reached the city in the late fall of 1812,
short on supplies and facing a cold winter. Because
of the distance from France, Napoleon wintered
his army in Russia. A new alliance of European
nations defeated Napoleons forces at the Battle
of Leipzig in 1813.
What if Napoleon had marched on Russia in the spring?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What affect does timing have on a military campaign?
2. Why did the Russians destroy Moscow?
3. How did Napoleons defeat affect French history?
4. How did Napoleons defeat affect American history?
What If?
56
Events 8
The War of 1812

On June 18, 1812, war was declared by the United
States against Great Britain. This move was a
result of many grievances. Fought on January 8,
1815, the Battle of New Orleans was the final
confrontation. It resulted in the signing of the
Peace Treaty of Ghent. The United States was
victorious.
What if the British had won the War of 1812?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What were the causes of the War of 1812?
2. How did winning the War of 1812 affect the United States?
3. How did losing the War of 1812 affect Great Britain?
4. What aspects of life were affected by the outcome of the War of 1812?
57
What If?
Events 9
The Irish Potato Famine

The Irish potato famine, caused by potato
blight, lasted from 1845 to 1860. Thirty
percent of the population starved to death,
died of typhoid, or emigrated to other
countries.
What if the potato famine had not occurred?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What caused the potato blight?
2. Why was the loss of the potato so important to the Irish?
3. Where did the Irish emigrate to and why?
4. What was the long-term effect of the potato famine?
What If?
58
Events 10
Dropping the Atomic Bomb

The first atomic bombs were used by the United
States against Japan. The first was dropped on
Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Nagasaki was
bombed on August 9. President Truman, in an
attempt to avoid extensive military and civilian
casualties, made the decision to use the bomb.
What if President Truman had decided not to use the atomic bomb?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What were the results of dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
2. Why were these cities chosen?
3. How did politics affect President Trumans decision?
4. Did the American public or President Truman really know what was going to happen? Why?
59
What If?
Events 11
Sinking of the Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada was a fleet pf 130 ships
and approximately 8,000 sailors and 19,000
infantry personnel. It was sent by Phillip II of
Spain in an attempt to invade England in 1588.
A large portion of the Spanish Armada was
lost in a storm that occurred during the
assault and subsequent retreat on England.
What if there had been no storm during the invasion by the Spanish Armada?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How was Spain affected by the sinking of the Spanish Armada by England?
2. How was England affected by the sinking of the Spanish Armada?
3. What losses did the Spanish and the English suffer?
4. What were the long-term effects of the sinking of the Spanish Armada?
What If?
60
Events 12
The American Civil War

The Civil War was a conflict between eleven
southern states, called the Confederacy, and the
United States federal government, or Union.
Sometimes referred to as the War Between the
North and the South, it began on April 12, 1861,
and ended on April 9, 1865. Confederate General
Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S.
Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
What if the South had won the American Civil War?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What were the causes of the Civil War?
2. How did winning the war affect the North?
3. How did losing the war affect the South?
4. What aspects of life were affected by the outcome of the Civil War?
61
What If?
What If?
PLACES
63
What If?
Places 1
Africa
Africa is the second largest continent. It
contains 5 percent of the worlds minerals.
Africas resources include, among others, an
abundance of diamonds, gold, manganese,
cobalt, copper, coal, zinc, oil, uranium, platinum,
bauxite, tin, chromite, iron, and phosphate.
What if there were no valuable resources in Africa?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Who needs Africas resources and how are they used?
2. Over time, how did the users of Africas resources acquire the rights to them?
3. How did the resources get developed/exploited?
4. How and when did the non-African world become aware of the wealth of resources in Africa?
5. How do the resources of an area affect its political, economic, social, and physical world?
What If?
64
Places 2
The Middle East

In the Middle East, petroleum furnishes the chief
income of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and
other countries. Oil deposits in Africa and the
Middle East account for about two-thirds of the
known oil in the ground. The world struggle for
oil became an important issue in national and
international politics after World War II.
What if the large commercial quantities of oil were located in Israel and not in
the Arab countries?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How would the area be affected economically, politically, militarily, and geographically?
2. How would the worlds struggle for oil be affected?
3. Would there be war in the Middle East? If so, why and who would be involved?
4. What would be the positions of the American and the Chinese positions?
5. What would happen to world markets? To the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)?
65
What If?
Places 3
The Lost Continent of Atlantis

Plato described Atlantis as a great empire with an
advanced civilization. Its armies planned to subdue
the Mediterranean countries and were successful in
parts of Europe and Africa. Athens resisted attack
and defeated them. Atlantis was supposedly destroyed
and submerged by Earthquakes and floods. Some
scientists believe that Atlantis was Thira, an island
in the Aegean Sea that was destroyed by a volcanic
eruption. Legends about this mythical continent
have fascinated people for ages and have inspired
many searches.
What if Atlantis existed?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Is whether or not Atlantis existed important? Why?
2. If Atlantis existed, what would have been its influence on the Mediterranean area?
3. What would the society have been like?
4. Will explorers or archaeologists discover important data? What and how?
What If?
66
Places 4
Alaska
In 1867 the Russian Minister to the United
States offered to sell Alaska to the United
States, and the United States accepted the
offer. Secretary of State Seward signed the
Treaty of Cessions of Russian America to
the United States of America on March 30, 1867.
What if Russia had not sold Alaska to the United States?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why was the sale arranged?
2. What was the cost?
3. What did Russia get out of the sale?
4. What did America get out of the sale?
67
What If?
Places 5
The Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a large, north-south
mountain range, stretching 3,000 miles
from Alaska to New Mexico. They form
the continental divide. Their height and
geographical structure make crossing
them difficult and sometimes impossible.
What if the Rockies had been on the east coast of North America?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How would the seven geographical plates have to be different in order for the Rockies to form
on the east coast?
2. How are the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains alike and different?
3. How would the geography be affected?
4. How would the climate be affected?
5. How would the cultural development be affected?
What If?
68
Places 6
England
England is the largest, most industrial, and most
populated area of the United Kingdom. Its major
industrial cities are located near large coal and
iron ore mines. The Industrial Revolution began
in Great Britain during the 1700s, transforming
England from an agricultural society to the
worlds first industrial nation.
What if England had very few natural resources, such as coal and iron ore?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. How do natural resources affect the development of a country?
2. How would Englands role as a world power be altered without its natural resources?
3. In what ways would the United States be affected if England had fewer natural resources?
4. What effect does natural resources have on population distribution?
69
What If?
Places 7
Rome
The founding of Rome is surrounded by legend
and question. What is known is that a small
Latin farming community existed on the site of
Rome as early as 700 BC. At its height, the
Roman Empire extended over 2,500,000 square
miles of land, including Europe, the Middle
East and North America.
What if Rome had been founded on the African side of the Mediterranean?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What were the boundaries of the Roman Empire?
2. What are the geographical similarities and differences between Africa and Europe?
3. What strategies did the Romans use to conquer its empire?
4. What contributions were made by the Romans and their empires?
What If?
70
Places 8
The South
The South consists of fourteen states making up
a region approximately one-half the size of the
United States. Prior to the Civil War, the South
received most of its income from cotton,
tobacco, sugar, rice, and other crops. Most of
the Civil War was fought on Southern soil.
What if the South had developed an industrial base as well as an agricultural

base prior to 1860?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What was the economic situation in the North prior to the Civil War?
2. What was the economic situation in the South prior to the Civil War?
3. How did the economic base in the North and the South affect their participation in the war?
4. What was the long-term effect of the war on the economic base of the North and the South?
71
What If?
Places 9
Mount McKinley
Mount McKinley is the highest point on the
North American continent. Its northern peak rises
19,470 feet above sea level, and its southern
peak rises 20,320 feet above sea level. Part of
the Alaskan range, it was named for the 25th
President of the United States,William McKinley.
What if Mount McKinley was a sand dune?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What is a sand dune?
2. Where is a sand dune located?
3. How would the geography of Alaska be different if Mount McKinley was a sand dune?
4. What would be the highest point on the North American continent?
5. What difference would it make historically?
What If?
72
Places 10
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., was the site chosen by George
Washington in 1791 as the future capital city of
the United States. He chose Pierre LEnfant as the
architect to draw plans for the city. Originally, the
area was a swamp inhabited by a small group
of Powhatan Indians.
What if the capital of the United States had been permanently established in
New York City instead of in Washington , D.C.?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why was the capital established in Washington, D.C., rather than in Philadelphia or New York?
2. What were the political ramifications involved in not choosing Philadelphia or New York?
3. How did the establishment of Washington as the capital affect historical events such as the
Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement?
4. Is there a better location for the capital city now? Explain.
73
What If?
Places 11
Earth
The Continental Drift Theory holds that the continents
of South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and
peninsular India were at one time joined in a large
single land mass. Alfred Wegener, a German
meteorologist, first proposed this theory in 1912.
He named the large land mass Pangaea. Later
theorists separated the northern and southern
hemispheres into Gonwanaland and Laurasia.
The theory states that as the land masses drifted
apart over time, the present-day continental
configurations developed.
What if the continents had not drifted apart?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. What evidence did Wegener have that caused him to develop this theory?
2. What caused the continents to drift apart?
3. How does the vocabulary used in map and globe skills relate to this theory?
4. Is the movement of continents a completed process? Why?
What If?
74
Places 12
The Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert is the largest tropical and
climactic desert in the world. It covers an area of
3,320,000 square miles in northern Africa. North
to south it extends from the Mediterranean Sea
to the sahel, or transition. From east to west it
extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.
Its terrain includes sand hills, rocky wastes, tracts
of gravel, and fertile oases.
What if the Sahara Desert was in South Africa instead of North Africa?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
1. Why is the Sahara a desert? Why is it so dry?
2. Would the Sahara be as famous if it were located in the southern part of Africa?
3. How does the climate of the Sahara region differ from that of most of southern Africa?
4. What are the population and economic patterns of the Sahara and of southern Africa?
5. What natural resources exist in the Sahara?
75
What If?
Whimsy
This section contains whimsical questions that could be used with the What If? format.
Background information as well as Think-About Questions are provided for each.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES:

What if the Olympics were to be played in outer space?
The Olympic Games are amateur sports competitions that were first held in 776 BCE (BC)at
Olympia, Greece. They were held at approximately four-year intervals until about 393 ce (AD).
the Olympics were revived in their modern form in 1896 through the efforts of Pierre de
Courbertin. The Winter Olympic Games were initiated in 1924.
1. Why would outer space be chosen as a site for the Olympics?
2. Which modern events could be held in outer space and which could not? Why?
3. What technology would have to be used to facilitate the games in outer space? Why?
4. Who would buy spectator tickets? What facilities would the spectators use/ Why?
THE VOLCANO:
What if a volcano erupted at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City?
A volcano is a vent in the Earths crust through which molten rock, steam, and ash are expelled.
The extruded magma, or lava, solidifies in various forms after being exposed to the atmosphere,
eventually building up the characteristic cone.
1. What is located at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City?
2. How would rush hour be affected?
3. How would the population be affected?
4. Which industries would benefit from this occurrence?
OXYGEN:
What if all the Earths oxygen became a solid?
Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. It is the most plentiful element in the Earths crust.
Almost all life depends upon chemical reactions with oxygen in order to produce energy.
1. How would it become a solid?
2. What would be the effect on most life forms?
3. Why would it be difficult to take a shower?
4. Why would walking in the forest be a health hazard?
5. How is oxygen used?
6. How would photosynthesis be affected?
77
What If?
EMPTY:
What if anything that was empty disappeared?
Empty is the state of containing nothing. It is being void of the usual or appropriate contents.
1. When is something empty?
2. When something disappears, where does it go?
3. Is not full the same as empty?
4. Is anything ever really empty?
EYEGLASSES:
What if eyeglasses allowed the wearer to see through things?
Eyeglasses are devices designed to correct defective vision. Convergent lenses have been used to
correct vision since the thirteenth century.
1. Through what things would glasses allow you to see?
2. How would people protect their privacy?
3. How might relationships with people change?
4. How can seeing through things be taken both literally and figuratively?
DANCE:
What if people couldnt dance?
Dance is the language of the body, demonstrated by rhythm, feeling, and movement through
space.
1. Who dances?
2. Why do people dance
3. How does dancing make you feel?
4. How has dance influenced the cultures of the world?
SHOPPING CENTERS:
What if shopping centers were declared a health hazard?
A shopping center is a collection of stores in a limited geographical area. The stores are maintained as a unit and have interconnecting walkways. When the shopping center is enclosed, it is
often called a shopping mall.
1. What is a health hazard?
2. Why might the shopping center be a health hazard?
3. How would you get goods and services you need without using shopping centers?
4. How would suburbia be affected?
What If?
78
CIRCLE:
What if anything that was empty disappeared?
A circle is a closed curve line. When you travel around in a circle, you are always equidistant
from the center point.
1. What would cause people to travel in circles?
2. What size might the circle be?
3. What would be accomplished by traveling in circles?
4. How much would it cost to always be traveling in circles?
PERSONAL SPACE:
What if people needed a four-foot space around them to survive?
Most people like to have an area of space around them. When others intrude into this space, they
resent it. We call this region surrounding each person, personal space.
1. Why is space needed for survival?
2. What could you do to insure or protect your survival space?
3. What would be the consequences of violating this space?
4. Is this a plausible What If question? Why?
THERE:
What if if there was no there there?
There may be defines as anywhere but here.
1. Would there be here here? Why?
2. Where would there be there? Why?
3. Who is Gertrude Stein?
4. Who is Albert Einstein?
MANHATTAN ISLAND:
What if Manhattan Island was made of sand instead of bedrock?
Manhattan Island is 22.3 square miles in size and is New York Citys smallest borough. It is one
of the worlds greatest industrial, commercial, and financial centers. Many of the buildings, such
as the Empire State Building, are skyscrapers of enormous size.
1. What is bedrock?
2. What building techniques are needed to support large structures?
3. How would history have been different if Manhattan Island was not made of bedrock?
4. How do the architectural and engineering practices used in sandy areas compare with those
used in bedrock areas??
79
What If?
Bibliography
American College Dictionary, The, Fourth Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Bloom, Benjamin S. et al. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives Handbook I: Cognitive Domain
New York: David McKay Co., Inc., 1956.
Greenfield, Eloise. Rosa Parks. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1973
Mc Alpine, Jim, Betty Weincek, Sue Jeweler, and Marion Finkbinder. CPS: Be an Inventor.
Hawthorne, New Jersey: Educational Impressions, 2006.
____ CPS: Planning New Worlds. Hawthorne, New Jersey: Educational Impressions, 2006
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved August 14, 2006, Available from
http://en.wikipedia.org.
World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 2006.
What If?
80

What If

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Исходное описание:

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

What If

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

What If?

Written by Jim McAlpine, Betty Weincek,

Cover Illustrated by Karen Birchak

The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher

Printed in the U.S.A.

What If?: Events ................................................................................................................4961

Educational Impressions, Inc.

About What If?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

WHEN TO USE WHAT IF?

WHAT IF?: WHOM IS IT FOR?

REPRODUCIBLE SHEETS IN TEACHER SECTION

Creative Problem Solving

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Thinking Skills & Blooms Taxonomy*

A Step-by-Step Guide to Using What If?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Introducing Creative Problem Solving

Using What If?

Evaluation of the Project/Product

Possible Presentation Formats

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What If?/Ideas! Got Any? Sheets

Illustration: This is a visual

Air transportation began in 1783 with the

Data: Background information

What if there was no air transportation?

What If? Question: This question

Think-About Questions: This is a place

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Plan and Present Your Idea: This

IDEAS! GOT ANY? SHEETS

What if there was no air transportation?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Ideas! Got Any?

Big backup at train stations

Less noise pollution

Possible Student Products

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Ideas! Got Any?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What if Walt Disney had never lived?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What if Leonardo da Vinci had never lived?

What if Albert Einstein had died in 1910?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What if Rosa Parks had not sat down on the bus?

Alexander the Great

What if Alexander the Great had not died at an early age?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What if Columbuss crew had forced him to turn back?

Gilbert and Sullivan

What if Gilbert had never met Sullivan?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What if Abraham Lincoln had not loved the theater?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

Ludwig von Beethoven

What if Beethoven had not been deaf?

Educational Impressions, Inc.

What if Mozart had lived to be an old man?

What if incandescent lamps (light bulbs) had not been invented?

Educational Impressions, Inc.