Lazyweb question: airships and alternate history

[redbird]

The remark that airships are a sign of alternate history--and possibly that world-splitting generates them the way splitting uranium generates neutrons--has been around for at least a few years. Does anyone remember who first came up with it, or when? My vague memory suggests either Dave Langford or james_nicoll.

Also, can anyone think of an alternate history story with airships earlier than Leiber's "Catch That Zeppelin"?

[Edited to add important qualifier.]

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure that it wasn't me.

[timill]

"Gunpowder God"/"Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen" was 1964/5.

"Time Patrol" (Poul Anderson) was May 1955.

[redbird]

Sorry, I left out a crucial qualifier--I specifically am wondering about the earliest alt.history with airships. (I think Moore's Bring the Jubilee and the Thurber pastiche "If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomatox" are both earlier than either of those.)

[timill]

"As Easy As A B C" and "With the Night Mail", though you could claim they're not AH.

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

At the time, they were pure SF. And "With the Night Mail" is a gadget story, complete with massive helpings of technobabble. Normally I hate those, but a century of aging makes it delightful.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

You're thinking of Hindenberg's Uncertainty Principle.

It came up on rasfw, and I think rysmiel named it.

[redbird]

Thank you--that's exactly what I was thinking.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Rysmiel named it, and may have come up with the world-splitting aspect, but I think the idea of airships being a sign of alternate history came from Mike Ford. http://nielsenhayden.com/electrolite/archives/006256.html

[redbird]

Mike's comment there was in response to me asking whethether the idea had first been mentioned there or on Making Light (back before Patrick and Teresa combined their weblogs), and noting the crucial distinction between blimps and zeppelins.

Maybe this time I will remember asking, and not post the question somewhere else in 2011.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

add an airships tag to this post. should we all still be on lj at that point, that will help.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Maybe this time I will remember asking, and not post the question somewhere else in 2011.


I had the same epiphany about a Joe Haldeman novel twice, once in October of 2005 and once in March of 2007. The reason I can be specific is that I noted it on my LJ both times.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Since your questions have been answered, let me offer a cool airship pendant (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9497168).