Tinnitus and Alternate History

[aot]

Recently, I picked up a copy of The Guns of The South, by Harry Turtledove. In it, time traveling racists go back and time and equip Robert E Lee and The Confederacy with AK-47s, allowing them to win The American Civil War.

Alternate History has always been a neat genre. What if things turned out different? What if JFK had never been shot (Stephen King's 11/22/63)? What if Germany won WW2 (The Man in The High Castle)? What if Super Heroes became a real life subculture (Watchmen)?

Tinnitus has been around since humans have been around. What if some of the most influential figures in History got hit with tinnitus? What would change?

Here's a fun idea for a thread: Propose an Alternate History scenario, kickstarted by someone getting severe, unmaskable tinnitus. (Whether or not it fades, I'll leave up to your discretion.)

Say your figure and moment in history, we'll discuss how History changes, and then move on to the next historical figure.

(Let's try to be as respectful as possible in terms to each other's politics, please. No flame wars.)

I'll start.

On the morning of 11/22/63, JFK wakes up with loud, annoying ringing in both of his ears. He cannot mask it, he cannot escape it. He's so distressed by this, he is unable to make it to Dallas, and is thus not shot by Lee Harvey Oswald.

How does History change?

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Bowie, and the rest of the Alamo fighters, what if when they looked over the wall at the oncoming troops and said "holy shit, I didn't think we were pouring that much concrete today."