The Time Machine…people I’d like to meet

Have you ever read H.G. Welles’ 1895 book, “The Time Machine” or seen any of the movies made about it? What a great concept. A guy invents a machine that he can sit in and dial up any year or time he’d like to visit and poof! He’s there. He can then interact with the people and situations he encounters.

I think most of us have had fantasies of some sort of time travel, visiting other times and places. I sure have.

So, where would I like to go and who would I like to meet and talk to? I would be immune from any harm while there. If bullets were flying, none could hit me. But by the same token, I could not intervene and change history in any way. This is just a fact-finding journey.

The first historical figure I’d like to meet and chat with would be Moses. I’m not exactly sure what year to dial in my Time Machine’s computer but probably around 1500 BC in Egypt. Hopefully, the AI and GPS onboard will fill in the details.

I’d want to ask Moses primarily about the Ten Commandments. Was there really a burning bush? Did lightning bolts actually carve the Commandments in the rock? In other words, did Cecile B. DeMille and Charlton Heston get it right in their 1956 spectacular movie? I’d ask him about the exodus and parting of the Red Sea, as well. Try that in today’s world.

It just dawned on me. What would I wear on my journeys? Would I try to obtain period clothing so I’d fit in more easily or could I just wear slacks, a polo shirt and Sketchers. That might complicate things. Oh, well.

My next encounter would, of course, be Jesus of Nazareth. I’d like to confirm from the original source whether all the stories about him in the centuries since are true.

Ooops. Just thought of something else. How would we communicate? What language would we use? Jesus, we assume, spoke Aramaic, not exactly my native tongue. He probably never heard of English. More details to work out.

Next, I’d dial in Philadelphia, 1776. I’d like to sit in with Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and the other delegates to the Continental Congress. What was it like debating independence knowing what the consequences would be if they failed.

Depending on how well my time machine worked, there are others I’d like to meet. Aristotle, Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci, for example. Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison would also be worth a visit.

I’m obviously not in the same “league” as any of these historical figures so I don’t know how much time they’d give me. But man, I sure think I could learn a lot. And, of course, I’d share it all with you in my column.

Probably the most important time and place I’d like to visit would be the late 1950’s in Almont, Michigan, my hometown. I’d give anything to talk to my grandfather again. In my youth I heard dozens of stories from him but, as a kid, the stories didn’t mean that much. In one ear and out the other.

But I’d like to learn more about his coming to America and our family history. I loved being with him. He and our family were part of the “E Pluribus Unum” in America’s motto.

Where would you take your time machine? Who would you visit? Shakespeare told us, “The past is prologue,” suggesting that the past provides context and can help us understand and potentially predict future events or actions. Yes, indeed.

Contact Rick at tct@pageone-inc.com