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If you could travel back in time to Europe in the 1200's, how coul (1 Viewer)

shader

shader

Footballguy
I was listening to a history podcast, and the speaker (Carlin) made some comment about what things would be like if you could go back in time. It got me thinking and here is the proposal:

If you went back in time right now with nothing on your back except clothes, and you didn't have a chance to do any research, what knowledge of the modern world could you use to change the world of 1200's?

I mean, we have cars, planes, computers, the internet...but could I show the old world how to make an engine?

Assuming you didn't immediately get labelled a lunatic, what advancements could you bring to society based on the knowledge you have right now?

 
Simple hygeine, prenatal care, and maybe get a brain trust together to work on electricity and telephones. I'd save millions of lives. Probably be named Czar within a year or two.

I'd also tell anyone who'll listen that there's vast, untouched resources to be had if they're willing to sail across the Atlantic and befriend and work with local native populations.

 
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I bet a fun thing would be to go way back in time to where there was going to be an eclipse and tell the cave men, "If I have come to destroy you, may the sun be blotted out from the sky." Just then the eclipse would start, and they'd probably try to kill you or something, but then you could explain about the rotation of the moon and all, and everyone would get a good laugh.

 
Brony said:
I bet a fun thing would be to go way back in time to where there was going to be an eclipse and tell the cave men, "If I have come to destroy you, may the sun be blotted out from the sky." Just then the eclipse would start, and they'd probably try to kill you or something, but then you could explain about the rotation of the moon and all, and everyone would get a good laugh.
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I live in modern times and I still don't know when an eclipse is happening until I read about it on twitter.

 
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shader said:
I was listening to a history podcast, and the speaker (Carlin) made some comment about what things would be like if you could go back in time. It got me thinking and here is the proposal:

If you went back in time right now with nothing on your back except clothes, and you didn't have a chance to do any research, what knowledge of the modern world could you use to change the world of 1200's?

I mean, we have cars, planes, computers, the internet...but could I show the old world how to make an engine?

Assuming you didn't immediately get labelled a lunatic, what advancements could you bring to society based on the knowledge you have right now?
Click to expand...
Well society evolves over hundreds of years. It takes that long for our values to be expressed accepted, codified and protected. You'd have no chance to insert democratic values, racial equality, religious pluralism or most social values. No shot.

Many of our tech innovations were built on previous innovations that weren't possibke in the 1,200s so virtually none of the major mechanical modern innovations of the 20th century would be possible.

It was a more superstitious time so any ranting about new ideas would likely get you killed or driven out of the community.

In short, virtually not a damn thing.

 
I could draw more accurate maps of the world and show them where they can find trading partners.. explain weather events, how to use different types of herbs, and would have the copyright rights to thousands of cool songs!

 
My favorite series of books when I was younger was about an East German engineer military officer on assignment in Poland who accidentally passed out in a time machine located in back of a pub. I know. I know.

He recognized what time he came back to, right around 1215 AD and he recognized that they were about 15 years out of being invaded by the Mongols so he set about working his way into a position of power and then preparing their defenses again the invasion.

I ate that #### up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Stargard

 
pantagrapher said:
Simple hygeine, prenatal care, and maybe get a brain trust together to work on electricity and telephones. I'd save millions of lives. Probably be named Czar within a year or two.

I'd also tell anyone who'll listen that there's vast, untouched resources to be had if they're willing to sail across the Atlantic and befriend and work with local native populations.
Click to expand...
Would that be a good idea? Is the plan to eventually return to present day, or are you staying in the 1200s?

 
WhatDoIKnow said:
pantagrapher said:
Simple hygeine, prenatal care, and maybe get a brain trust together to work on electricity and telephones. I'd save millions of lives. Probably be named Czar within a year or two.

I'd also tell anyone who'll listen that there's vast, untouched resources to be had if they're willing to sail across the Atlantic and befriend and work with local native populations.
Click to expand...
Would that be a good idea? Is the plan to eventually return to present day, or are you staying in the 1200s?
Click to expand...
Maybe people from past generations will be better at solving the problems that come with population growth. I'd take my chances. Plus, I'd want to be able to go out to eat and have a beer and I'd hate to think the kitchen staff were pooping and not washing their hands.

 
I would use my chainsaw and Oldsmobile to recover the Necronomicon and defeat the army of the dead

 
pantagrapher said:
Simple hygeine, prenatal care, and maybe get a brain trust together to work on electricity and telephones. I'd save millions of lives. Probably be named Czar within a year or two.

I'd also tell anyone who'll listen that there's vast, untouched resources to be had if they're willing to sail across the Atlantic and befriend and work with kick the everlovin' s### out of local native populations.
Click to expand...
 
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How the heck would you communicate? Even if you end up in England, you wouldn't know what anyone is saying.

 
It's too far back. Just about everyone sent back wouldn't have any skills to survive back then.....nevermind make a significant enough contribution to get ahead.

 
Brony said:
I bet a fun thing would be to go way back in time to where there was going to be an eclipse and tell the cave men, "If I have come to destroy you, may the sun be blotted out from the sky." Just then the eclipse would start, and they'd probably try to kill you or something, but then you could explain about the rotation of the moon and all, and everyone would get a good laugh.
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That's how the dude got King Arthur's attention in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

 
Metallurgy - well I understand minimally enough to help move the rudimentary iron age into the rudimentary steel age. I could perhaps harken to the dangers of mercury.

Gunpowder - I might be able to accelerate Europe's familiarity with this.

Hygiene and sanitation - could help reapply basic roman sanitation, at the least. Could help stop plagues.

Immunology - I could at least point the way.

Basic Genetics - no need to wait on Gregor Mendel.

Physics and astronomy - I would propose enough to get the Pope after my ###.

Law, philosophy, and literature, well I hope I might have something to offer.

Navigation, and world knowledge - I understand a sextant, and have certainty there not be sea monsters past the ends of the known maps.

 
Farming - Crop rotation and basic irrigation

Architecture - have minimal understanding of flying buttresses and cantilevering.

Printing - I could introduce the concept of a printing press.

 
gunpowder and rifling of barrels would probably gain you enough credibility to put yourself out in other arenas.

Navigational knowledge alone would be huge.

Penicillin and bleach are not super complicated to develop if you have the most basic equipment so that's not all that far fetched you could pull that off.

Bleach just requires a DC current and salt water for the most part. Not super hard to make DC current with 13th century metals.

Penicillin just requires a cantelope or some moldy bread. Once you isolate the germs and the fungus you want it's just a matter of keeping it fed.

 
Seems like if you know the basics of steam engines and electric motors you could generate some basic power. You would need a workshop though. You could probably get financial support somewhere if you could develop a warfare innovation like rifling or cartridges.

Where and more specifically when you were dropped would play a big part in what could be accomplished.

 
You could show them how quickly you can die from viruses to which you have no immunity. But you'd probably take a bunch out with you.

 
I'd be the first to pen:

"Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote" and be the bane of 11th grade English forever.

Try to read the Canterbury tales and realize you'd be back 100 years before that was written.

I think you have the same problems in French, Spanish and German as well.

Better remember your Latin primers if you want to find anyone to talk to.

 
I would be known as the master storyteller with my fascinating descriptions of the future.. the royal women would fancy me

 
Gawain said:
I'd be the first to pen:

"Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote" and be the bane of 11th grade English forever.

Try to read the Canterbury tales and realize you'd be back 100 years before that was written.

I think you have the same problems in French, Spanish and German as well.

Better remember your Latin primers if you want to find anyone to talk to.
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Yeah, communication would be next to impossible.

 
Thunderlips said:
It's too far back. Just about everyone sent back wouldn't have any skills to survive back then.....nevermind make a significant enough contribution to get ahead.
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This.. unless you're a really enlightened dude most of us have skills that are simply based upon way too much other infrastructures being in place.

For instance, I'd like to think I could improve dental care, but I don't have the ability to forge any of the instruments I need, nor know how to build my drill, nor even how to make local anesthetic... so really I couldn't get anything done.

And I'd be worthless without some tech or the internet.

I'd either be burned early at the stake.. or would have to resort to being a scammer of some sort, using my superior intellect to con people

 
You'd want to find one thing you could show them that would really impress them yet not get you labeled as a black-magic witch.

 
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