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The Germans complete the Trans-Siberian Railway.
After their failure to obtain territory in what was Russia, the Italian government turn their eyes towards North Africa. On the pretext of border infringements they issue an ultimatum to the Ottoman Empire, and when the Ottomans do not comply attack Ottoman holdings in North Africa, the Overman Legione both commanding the army and leading attacks on the battlefield. The Overman Scimitar is also seen on the battlefield where he fights Legione to a stalemate. After several months the fighting reaches an impasse and only an uprising in Ottoman-held Russia caused by their withdrawing troops from there to North Africa and necessitating their return gives the Italians the chance they need to establish control.
Sinn Fein begins to prepare for an Irish nationalist uprising.
After years of work by the Overman Greymalkin several of what was the Ringmasters Pack (Ironwood, Harpy and Terata) are finally freed from his influence and join the Royal Elite Guard.
The Americans finish rebuilding the Panama Canal, without the aid of Overmen.
The Balkan War forces the Ottoman Empire to secede most of its European territory to a number of newly-independent states. The Olympian covertly fights against the Ottomans in the war, but both he and Scimitar die when they finally meet on a battlefield in what becomes Romania.
The first commercial airline using heavier-than-air aircraft is opened in the USA.
The Treaty of Fez gives Spain control over several areas of Morocco.
The Titanic is hit by an iceberg and sinks. Over one thousand five hundred passengers and crew are killed.
Albert Zerstoiten, youngest offspring of The Ringmaster is born. He shows no superhuman powers and is reviled by his father because of this.
The nations of Brazil, Uraguay, Venezuela and Columbia, in the face of the continuing Chilean threat, form themselves into a single democratic nation, O Uniao de America do Sul (The South American Union, or SAU for short, to the rest of the world), with its capital at Goiana in Brazil. It is governed by a senate whose members are elected from each of the SAU's constituent nations.
President Madero of Mexico is murdered and Victoriano Huerta seizes power. Most nations recognise the new leader, but the US does not and supports the followers of Venustiano Carranza, Madero's successor, against Huerta.
The first jet-engined aircraft, designed by the Overman Der Gehirn is flown in Germany. Shortly afterwards the other Great Powers quickly unveil jet propelled aircraft of their own.
The first commercial radio stations go on the air.
US forces, aided by the Guardians of Democracy, seize the Mexican port of Veracruz, cutting off Huerta's supplies and revenues in an attempt to force him from power. This strategy succeeds and Carranza comes to power, but the revolutionary forces split between Carranza and Pancho Villa, one of his generals, and a civil war ensues.
Rumours begin to trickle in from Eskimo communities across the Arctic that their goddess Sedna (who controls the sea mammals) has returned to them. For many of the communities this is an exceptionally good year for fishing and hunting. Suspecting Overman involvement the US and Canadian governments investigate, but no traces of anything suspect are found, and interest in the rumours is soon lost as WWII breaks out.
The Mexican civil war ends with Carranza victorious and recognised by the US as the new Mexican leader.
The first working helicopter, designed by Der Gehirn, is flown in Germany.
A young Occultist, Eric Wraithe, is kidnapped from Cambridge University in the UK by a creature whose appearance matches that of James Vandaleur, the Overman known as Abyss. He is never seen again.
As Sinn Fein preparations gain momentum only the outbreak of WWII conceals the danger of civil war in Ireland.
The Amazon develops an easily used pregnancy testing kit which she markets worldwide.
A communist revolution starts in the German held sector of what was Russia.
Initially the revolution is very successful, and rapidly spreads across the whole of what was Russia, but gradually falters once the great powers bring the full force of their armies to bear, including the remaining members of their various Overman teams. The Russian Royal Family is killed by revolutionary forces during the uprising in Moscow. When it becomes obvious that they are losing, the Revolutionary leaders use their ultimate weapons - secretly developed nuclear bombs - on the main military concentrations of all the great powers. The bombs also kill almost all of the remaining Overmen of the various nations involved.
While the leaders of the various powers are still stunned by this, the revolutionary leaders issue an ultimatum : all great powers will retreat to their pre-WWI borders and stay there. The great powers comply. Years later it is discovered that the Communists were running a huge bluff - they in fact had only one bomb left and could not easily produce more. However, as the leaders of the time did not know this their bluff was successful.
In the confusion, the Soviets go back on their word, and take control of all of Europe as far west as Germany, putting the most hated of the powers occupying Russia under Communist control. Although they protest, the other great powers can do little because of their fear of the Sovier nuclear arsenal.
Excalibur and Angel of Mercy of the Royal Elite Guard are attempting to intercept one of the nuclear bombs in mid-air when it explodes. Excalibur dies instantly, but Angel of Mercy is somehow transformed by it and survives, vastly more powerful than she was before. She is also now far more strong-willed than she was before and when the British government tries to order her back into the war she refuses and leaves the Earth, flying off into space.
This war was fought with technology roughly equivalent to the early 1950's of the real world, with primitive jet aircraft, high altitude bombers, tanks and so forth. Chemical weapons are not used in the war due to memories of their horrors in WWI.
Once again, all sides in the war use concentration camps on a large scale to hold civilians opposed to their actions.
Minerva remains neutral throughout the war, but provides medical resources to all sides in the conflict.
After the war Germany becomes the scapegoat of the other major powers. Its Empire, now headless with the invasion of Germany by the USSR, is divided amongst them. Germany is forced to pay reparations to the USSR and is economically crippled by high taxes and rigid control imposed from Moscow.
The war causes the forging of strong diplomatic ties between Britain and the SAU due to their help against the Chilean Empire.
The International Red Cross moves its headquarters to Andorra la Vella in Minerva.
The Easter Rising of the Sinn Fein movement collapses after bloody fighting in Dublin in which several of the fastest members of the Royal Elite Guard are called back from the Russian front to give their assistance. Fourteen of the uprisings leaders, including the sons of the Overmen Banshee and Shamrock, are executed for treason and the last, Eamon de Valera, only escapes execution due to his US citizenship.
Several nations involved in the war introduce the use of antibiotics in the treatment of injured soldiers.
Red tides occur along the US coastline.
After Pancho Villa's forces raid New Mexico, a US expedition including the Guardians of Democracy, enters Mexico to hunt him down. However Villa eludes the Americans and the American forces entry into Mexico almost causes war between Mexico and the US before the expedition is withdrawn.
The Ottoman Empire deports its entire Armenian population (nearly two million people) to Syria and Mesopotamia, considering them a dangerous foreign element despite their pledges of loyalty. About a third escape deportation, and most Armenians in Ottoman-occupied Russia escape due to the war raging there, but over six hundred thousand Armenians die or are killed en route. Many Armenians later flee to the new Soviet Union.
While Britain is distracted by WWII and the Easter Rising, the Chilean Empire invades the Falkland Islands and South Georgia for the second time. Unfortunately for them there is little naval involvement in the war, and a large British Navy task force retakes the islands fairly quickly. The SAU lends help to the British in the form of the use of some of their naval bases and dockyards.
After the expulsion of the Great Powers from Russia many nationalist movements try to gain control in different areas of Russia. However when the communists threaten the use of nuclear weapons their movements soon collapse and the absorption of all areas of Russia continues without trouble.
In the confusion and movements following the Russian Revolution General Chang Hsun, one of Chinas many warlords, rises up and attempts to take control of the country. Despite actually taking control of Peking he gains very little support elsewhere in the country, enabling the scarred, but still dangerous British Army to crush his forces with little damage to themselves.
Unrest in Germany rises and stays at a high level as the populace resist their Soviet invaders and the harsh restictions they have placed on the German populace. After several purges of the German leadership, and the deportation of a number of influential German figures to Siberia, the German people become resigned to their lot and submit to the Soviet yoke.
A worldwide influenza epidemic kills over twenty million people despite the efforts of several nations to provide antibiotics against it.
As part of the German war reparations the German fleet is scuttled by Soviet forces off Murmansk.
Following pre-WWII studies of the Overman Lichtkranz German scientists develop the worlds first working laser.
After the fiasco of WWII the British Liberal-Conservative coalition is forced to resign, and Britains first Labour government is elected.
Britain pledges conditional support for the establishment of a Jewish national homeland.
The League of Nations is established.
The first commercial nuclear fission reactor comes on line in the USSR.
British troops shoot over three hundred rioting Indians in what becomes known as the Amritsar Massacre.
A secret Irish government is formed by Sinn Fein.
A series of strikes across Spain which are broken by violent action by the employers is followed by a wave of assassinations of people on both sides of the strike. Several attempts are made on the lives of Carmen Velasquez, the Duchess of Cordova and her sister Francesca. In each case they kill the assassins without even being scratched.
Stalin comes to power in the Soviet Union after Lenin becomes seriously ill and purges all known Soviet Overmen. Some resist and cause great damage to areas of the Soviet Union, while others flee, but over the next few years most of them are hunted down and killed.
Britain takes over Palestine.
Spain attempts to take control of all of Morocco. The native Rifs tribes resist with all the force they can bring to bear, with some success, especially after an old Rif tribesman with Overman powers joins the fight, but eventually Spanish forces, led by General Francisco Franco, prove too much for the Rifs and by early 1922 the Rif War is over with Spain in full control of Morocco. The Rif Overman vanishes with the end of the war, and is never seen again.
A right-wing coup in Germany is defeated by a lack of popular support, following the crushing of any earlier German resistance by the Soviets. The perpetrators are deported to Siberia.
The Irish Free State is declared, but the division of Ireland into a separate North and South does not satisfy the Irish nationalists.
Prohibition begins to be enforced in the US, leading to a massive growth of organised crime to cater to the public demand for alcohol.
The British Communist Party is founded, but receives very little public support.
Britain detonates its first nuclear weapon at Woomera in Australia.
An earthquake in Kansu province, China kills over a hundred thousand people.