If you could go back in time and stop one disaster.....

[Shmoigel]

If you could go back in time and stop one disaster or other historical event, what would it be and how would you go about stopping it!

Aberfan

Putin might not have invaded Ukraine. I do think it has had far-reaching consequences and it has affected me and mine, so I'd definitely wish for a different outcome.

There have been so many disasters and tragedies, some easier to prevent than others, like the Titanic sinking. I wonder if Kaiser Wilhelm II had died at birth if the world would have been different. Southport and Nottingham could have been prevented, as could the murder of Sarah Everard.

There are lots of tragedies which are terrible for the families but others which have a lasting effect and may lead to other tragedies such as locking cockpit doors after 9/11 leading eventually to the German Wings mass murder/crash. This is a less serious disaster but the Concorde crash in France. We might still have Concorde if it hadn't happened and of course 120 odd people wouldn't have died. So I think selfishly I'd choose to prevent a disaster that had a lasting effect and caused other problems. Even the Soham murders had long term negative consequences for many other people.

If we were going for historical event rather than disaster I'd stop the Norman Conquest of England (and Ireland).

However, who knows where the historical timeline might have taken us. Maybe no English language, no Mayflower, no British empire, no Trump.

But there might have been more Stalin-esque figures. I guess you have to be careful what you wish for.