差一點扭轉歷史的10件小事(下)

5.A Copyright Claim Could Have Balkanized The Internet

5.一份差點分裂萬維網的版權文件

Imagine living in a world where "the" Internet had been replaced by multiple Internets, where competing browsers were completely incompatible, information was kept on strict, closed loops, and getting online meant choosing which company's vision of the web you wanted to buy into. There'd be no vast, shared experience like Twitter, no popular list-based websites, and no Internet as we know it. In 1992, this world nearly happened.

想像一下，如果我們生活在這樣一個世界——在那裏英特網被分散獨立，不同的瀏覽器之間完全不兼容，信息被封鎖，而上網也變成選擇購買哪間公司的網絡版本。那兒也沒有諸如推特這樣的大型分享平臺，沒有最受歡迎的網站，也不存在我們所知的網絡。1992年，世界差點就變成那樣。

In an interview with Time magazine in 2001, Tim Berners-Lee revealed that he seriously considered patenting the web not long after its launch. He and a friend consulted with lawyers about going the money route and setting up their own company, something which potentially could have made them both millions. Ultimately, Berners-Lee rejected the idea, preferring to focus on the tech side of things and keep the web open to all. That decision could have easily gone the other way. Had that happened, you wouldn't be reading this now. In 2011, TechDirt compiled a list of potential differences if the web had been patented, and the results were insane. You'd have no Google. Search would be abysmal. Everyone would be restricted to tiny, walled gardens, only able to communicate and interact with those subscribed to the same company. Smartphones would have probably never come about. Our whole world would be less connected and more technologically backward.

《時代》雜誌2001年的一則採訪中，蒂姆·伯納斯·李表示他曾認真的考慮過在創辦網絡不久後爲其申請專利。他和一個朋友向律師諮詢過融資和創辦公司的事。這很有可能使他們成爲百萬富翁。最後，伯納斯·李放棄了這個想法，他更傾向於關注高科技方面的東西，並向大衆開放萬維網。這樣的一個決定做得很艱難。如果事情真如那樣，你現在就不可能讀到這個文章。在2011年，TechDirt列出了萬維網申請專利可能帶來的改變。結果令人瘋狂！我們沒有谷歌，幾乎無法搜索。每個人被限制在小小的防護牆內，只能夠與購買了相同公司網絡的人交流。智能電話也許永遠不會見諸於世。整個世界不像現在這樣高度連接在一起，並且技術也落後很多。

4.A School Bus Almost Helped Timothy McVeigh Escape Justice

4.一輛校車差點幫助蒂莫西·麥克維逃脫法律制裁

On April 19, 1995, a truck packed with a powerful fertilizer bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The blast killed 168 people, including 18 children. At the time, it was the worst terror attack committed on US soil. By sheer dumb luck, the bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was pulled over 90 minutes later for driving without a license and arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. But luck nearly swung back in McVeigh's favor. Two days later, he came within minutes of being set free.

1995年4月19日,一輛滿載炸藥的車在俄克拉荷馬城的阿夫爾萊德·默拉·巴爾迪聯邦大樓外爆炸。168人死於這場爆炸，其中包括18個兒童。那是當時美國最嚴重的一次恐怖襲擊。但罪犯蒂莫西·麥克維運氣太好了，爆炸發生90分鐘後，他因無證駕駛被逼停，警察搜查出他藏匿的武器並將其拘捕。但是幸運再次眷顧了這個罪犯，兩天後，他就被釋放了。

At the time, no one thought this that disheveled loner could be connected to the blast. The CIA thought Saddam was responsible, and the FBI was gunning for Islamic terrorists. McVeigh was just a guy being held on a concealed carry charge and was due to make bail any minute. The day after he was arrested, he was to go before a judge, but the hearing was delayed due to an ongoing divorce case. The very next day, he was brought in again. He would have certainly gone free had it not been for an unknown bus driver. That morning, the judge's son had just missed his school bus. Instead of going to McVeigh's hearing, the judge had to drive his son to school. This delay meant that McVeigh was still in the courthouse when the FBI called up, urgently asking the police to detain him. If that bus had been running slightly behind schedule, or if the judge's son had gotten ready faster, the bomber would have made bail and vanished into the morning heat. How long it would have taken to recapture him, or if he would have killed again, is anyone's guess.

那時，沒人會將這位衣冠凌亂的獨居者與這次的爆炸聯繫在一起。美國中央情報局認爲薩達姆纔是罪魁禍首，而美國聯邦調查局則在大肆槍殺伊斯蘭教的恐怖分子。麥克維則成了一個雖因攜帶武器入獄但能分分鐘被保釋的人。拘留的後一天，他本應去法庭，但一場進行中的離婚案件延遲了聽證會。之後，他再次被帶入法庭。若非因爲一名無名巴士司機，他絕對會被早早地釋放。那天早上，法官的兒子恰好錯過了校車，於是他不得不先載他兒子去學校再去審判麥克維。這個延遲意味着麥克維在這段時間一直被扣留在法院，所以FBI纔有時間調查清楚爆炸事件，並立即致電警察將他逮捕。若這輛校車來的稍晚一些，或是法官的兒子趕上了校車，這位罪犯就已經被保釋且消失在晨霧中了。誰也不知道什麼時候才能再次抓到他，也不知道他是否會再次行兇。

3.A Change Of Weather Could Have Altered European History

3.天氣的變化可能會改變歐洲歷史

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 is a military engagement that almost nobody has heard of. Fought between three Roman legions and local Germanic tribes, it ended in a blistering defeat for the Romans. But it could easily have gone the other way. If it had, the entire course of European history would have changed dramatically.

公元前9年的條頓堡林山之戰是一場幾乎無人知曉的軍事戰鬥。羅馬的三個軍團和當地日耳曼部落發生了戰爭，且以羅馬的迅速慘敗告終。然而，羅馬當時差一點就贏了。如果是那樣，那麼整個歐洲的歷史會產生翻天覆地的變化。

The ambush was a major psychological setback for the Romans. Around 12,000 legionnaires were slaughtered in the most gruesome way possible, their heads nailed to trees as a warning to the empire. As a direct result, Emperor Augustus halted Rome's expansion. A border was set up along the Germanic frontier that lasted 400 years. Subsequent emperors were warned against trying their luck there. For the descendants of the Germanic tribes, the battle was just as important. It became known as the "big bang" that started the German nation. This myth would eventually become an important part of German nationalism. It would even be used by Adolf Hitler to inspire hatred against the Jews. However, victory for the tribes was not a foregone conclusion that day. In his phenomenal essay "What If?" Lewis H. Lapham argued that any number of things from tiredness to slightly drier weather could have thrown the battle to the Romans. In that case, world history would have changed completely. Germany would have come under Roman rule, Germanic languages would be replaced by Romance ones, and the Reformation would likely never have happened, nor would the Thirty Years War or World War I. The modern world wouldn't just be different; it'd be completely unrecognizable.

因爲曾被伏擊，所以這種戰術給羅馬人造成巨大心理創傷。約12000的軍團隊員被以最殘忍的方式屠殺了，且頭還被敵人釘在樹上來作爲對羅馬帝國的警告。而直接導致的結果是，羅馬君主奧古斯丁停止了擴張。羅馬邊境因此劃定了持續400年的國界，來警示後代君主別在那試運氣。對日耳曼部落後代而言，這場戰爭也是極其重要的。日耳曼民族從那時開始興盛。這個傳說最後成了日耳曼民族的重要部分。它甚至被阿道夫·希特勒用於激起人民對猶太人的怨恨。然而，那天部落的戰爭並非定局。在劉易斯拉帕姆的著名論文《如果當時是這樣》中，他說道，如果德國人疲倦一些或者是天氣稍幹一點，都有可能令羅馬獲勝。那樣的話，世界歷史就會完全改變。德國會臣服於羅馬，德語也將被羅馬語替代，新政改革很可能不會發生，更不用說三十年戰爭或一戰了。世界格局將會重新"大洗牌"。

2.A Piece Of Advice Could Have Killed One Million People

2.小小建議可能殺害數百萬人

In politics, what you don't say can frequently have even more impact than what you do. For US Secretary of Defense William Perry, this point was forcibly rammed home in the summer of 1994. At the time, tensions on the Korean Peninsula were about to boil over. North Korea was rushing to get a nuclear bomb at its Yongbyon facility. South Korea wanted to stop them. As the guarantor of South Korean integrity, the US was duty-bound to get involved.

政壇上，沒說出口的話更有影響力。這句話充分體現在美國國防部長威廉·佩裏身上。1994年夏，朝鮮半島核武器問題岌岌可危，一邊是朝鮮着急在寧邊製造核彈，一邊是韓國又想阻止鄰國大哥這樣做。作爲韓國的強大後盾，美國註定要來插一腳。

On June 16, Perry and Joint Chiefs Chairman John Shalikashvili were called in to brief President Clinton. Clinton wanted to discuss the possibility of bombing Yongbyon. The main sticking point was the potential nuclear contamination that could result. Perry himself was certain that the US could take out Yongbyon without washing the peninsula in radiation. However, he was equally certain telling the president that this would result in the bombing being green-lit. This would in turn ignite a catastrophic war. At the last minute, Perry chose to keep silent. The bombing was delayed. It turned out to be the right decision. Two days later, Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang as a private citizen and brokered a peace deal. The crisis ended without a shot fired. The Pentagon later released its scenarios for what would have happened if war had come that fateful day. They predicted a minimum of one million dead Koreans, the total destruction of Pyongyang and Seoul, and the deaths of at least 50,000 American servicemen.

同年6月16日，克林頓總統召集佩裏和美軍參謀長聯席會議主席約翰·沙利卡什維利展開小型作戰會議。若朝鮮發射核彈則會造成全球大範圍的核污染，克林頓當即提出轟炸寧邊核設施的想法。佩裏本人確信美軍能夠拿下寧邊，同時不會讓核輻射危及整個半島，相當於默許了轟炸的行動。一旦開戰，後果可不是鬧着玩的，美韓兩國肆無忌憚地拼武器，遭遇滅頂的可是咱小老百姓。但佩裏在最後一刻選擇了沉默，轟炸行動也就此無限期推延。我們今時今日的美好生活印證了佩裏的選擇是正確的。兩天後美國前總統吉米·卡特以自己獨特的"私人"身份飛往平壤斡旋，與朝鮮政府簽訂了《朝核問題框架協定》，不損一兵一卒，危機就此化解。五角大樓後來預言：假如這場戰役打起來，僅平壤和首爾兩個城市的傷亡人數就達到一百萬，而美國也至少損失5萬名士兵。這簡直是在拍災難片啊！

Man's Death Nearly Reignited World War II

1.二戰差點因爲一個美國兵的死重燃戰火

Anthony Marchione has a dubious distinction. While flying over Japan, he became the last American serviceman to be killed during World War II. His legacy could have been far, far worse. Marchione's death very nearly reignited World War II.

安東尼·馬爾基奧內的死讓人煞費腦筋。飛越日本上空執行任務時，他成爲了二戰最後一個被殺害的美國士兵，他去世的後果可是很嚴重很嚴重的，二戰差點沒結束！

At the time, Japan had already surrendered. The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima had brought Hirohito to the table, and the emperor had already survived a palace coup attempt by his warmongering generals. Standard history tells us that the war in Asia was over, but not all of Japan got the message. South of Tokyo, the 302nd and Yokosuka air groups vowed to fight on. If any Allied aircraft tried to fly over Tokyo, they would shoot them down. Care to guess what happened next? On August 16, General Douglas MacArthur decided to test the Japanese commitment to the surrender by sending four bombers over Tokyo. Although the group flew out and returned unscathed, MacArthur sent them out again. On August 17, the planes flew over the 302nd and Yokosuka groups, who took potshots at them. Worried that his peace was now unraveling, MacArthur sent the planes out one last time. If the Japanese attacked, he decided it would show that the ceasefire had already broken down. They did. The rebel Japanese groups overwhelmed the Allied bombers. In the ensuing firefight, Staff Sergeant Joseph Lacharite was severely wounded, and Anthony Marchione was killed. MacArthur now seemingly had evidence that the Japanese were preparing to fight on. Logically, he should restart aerial bombing immediately. Such an act would have certainly reignited the war. Luckily, a peace delegation was scheduled to meet MacArthur the next day. The general decided that if they showed up, the Tokyo attack must be due to disloyal rebels. If they didn't, the war was back on. The delegation showed up. Had MacArthur restarted the war after Marchione's death, it would have led to a protracted battle in the Pacific. Millions more would have died. A third atomic bomb would probably have been dropped. World War II would have dragged on for months or years to come.

日本政府當時已經投降。美軍在長崎和廣島投下的原子彈迫使天皇舉了白旗，而他那好戰的將軍還在投降前發動了宮廷政變。正史告訴我們此時二戰在亞洲戰區已結束，然而這個消息卻沒有傳達到整個日本帝國。南邊的302和橫須賀空軍戰隊仍浴血奮戰，對敵機是看到一架打一架。後果可想而知。8月16日美國將領道格拉斯·麥克阿瑟爲確保日本已經投降派了4架轟炸機飛往東京上空，儘管全員平安返航，麥帥還是讓他們第二天再飛了一趟。17日轟炸機再次光臨日本，飛越302和橫須賀空戰部隊上空時遭到襲擊。麥帥驚呆了：日本人這是詐降嗎？！於是轟炸機的第三次日本之旅開始了，麥帥認爲這次行動若仍遇到襲擊則說明美國與日本的戰鬥仍未結束。不過轟炸機最後還是捱了子彈。"詐降"的日本軍隊對到來的轟炸機火力大開，參謀官約瑟夫·朗沙西堤身負重傷，安東尼·馬爾基奧內更是被直接擊斃，麥帥這下總算抓到小日本想重燃戰火的把柄了。照理說他應該馬上部署空軍展開有力的回擊，若按此情節發展，二戰恐怕就無法結束了吧。好險吶，麥帥的日程表顯示翌日會有日本和平使節前來拜訪。他就琢磨着，小日本如期而至吧，這肯定是叛亂軍的責任；沒出現的話就繼續開戰！使節如約前來，二戰以此告終。假使麥帥真的在馬爾基奧內身亡後立馬反擊，太平洋的戰火勢必蔓延，世界又將生靈塗炭！很可能還會迎來第三、第四顆原子彈……戰爭又要持續到何年何月啊!

審校：suyiee 來源：前十網