The Back-in-Time Survey Dateline: 04/20/98

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a time machine? I'll bet you have. It's a fantasy we've all entertained at one time or another. Perhaps you've wished for one when buying a lottery ticket... or maybe the thought crossed your mind three hours before your final exam, when you realized you needed three weeks to finish the assigned reading...

Homework and moneymaking aside, we history buffs could have a lot of fun with a time machine. In fact historians, even amateur ones like your guide, are in a sense time travelers, as are archaeologists, paleontologists, and any other "ologist" (professional or otherwise) who in some fashion or another explores the past. We journey back in time through literature, through art, through examination of artifacts, and through questioning... always questioning what we know and what is still to be learned. And, of course, we use our imaginations.

Sail into the past...

A time machine that could transport us physically into the past would be a fantasy gift for a theoretical time traveler. There are so many events we know too little about, so many facts about daily life that are still unclear. There are so many questions we could answer with a carefully used temporal transporter... and so much history we could change.

This week, I want to offer you a momentary fantasy, to set you to dreaming. In return, I hope you'll answer two simple questions, which you can expand on as much as you like.

Read on...

 

The hourglass graphic was created by your guide. The ship graphic was provided by www.PDImages.com.