# Counter-factuals game from The Big Bang Theory **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 8, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535 "2010-10-08T21:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrAroganto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f05b48/32.png) [@DrAroganto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrAroganto)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535/21 "2010-11-20T01:43:39Z")
If King Henry V survived to take the French throne, how would Americans be healthier? Awnser/defense: The british empire, due to the bigger land has much more manpower and resources for ships and soldiers and defeates the us in the war of independence resulting in british culture staying present overseas and with it the salted butter, british style. but since nobody not born under the dusty bridge of london where due to ocean powered waves EVERYTHING is salty, is able to actually eat that, people overseas dont eat any butter resulting in a far better colesteral level… ---
**Author:** ![kidincredible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ba0ec/32.png) [@kidincredible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidincredible)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535/22 "2012-02-16T14:52:44Z")
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I’d take a stab at the hard one. In a world, where a piano is a weapon, not a musical instrument, on what does Scott Joplin play, “The Maple Leaf Rag”? [spoiler] First, we assume pianos as warfare weaponry would take two forms. 1) Replacing explosives as the ordinance dropped by carpet bombing aircraft or 2) As anti-personnel suppression accomplished by down-tuning the pianos and simultaneously pounding all the keys on multiple pianos creating a concussive pressure wave to deter enemies from advancing. “The Maple Leaf Rag” was copyrighted 18 September 1899; well before the World Wars. We must therefore assume there were no aerial bombardments in any wars before its composition. That leaves the second assumption of warfare. In the American Civil War, advancement of battle lines is stymied by the amazingly effective anti-personnel properties of the War Piano. Thus, the Civil War takes an appearance much closer to that of World War I in which the North and South devolve into heavily fortified trench warfare (since the concussive wave from the pianos would be relatively ineffective against soldiers in trenches). Since trench warfare is an inherently long and grueling form of war, and assuming that most line charges would be immediately stopped by the war pianos (and thus discouraging many more attempts), soldiers have an inordinate amount of downtime in which to be bored and wanting a feel of home. Since the war pianos are off-limits except to defend from attacks (and are mis-tuned anyway), soldiers turn to their equipment for a replacement. Muskets can still be fired across the lines, so the only equipment that is entirely irrelevant is the soldiers’ bayonets. They therefore discover a way to tune them and play their favorite songs from home. Regardless of the war’s outcome, since the War Piano is inherently non-lethal, relatively more soldiers return from the battle, bringing the tuned bayonets back with them. Their popularity proliferates amongst the civilian population, leading Scott Joplin to compose The Maple Leaf Rag" on tuned bayonets. [/spoiler] How’d I do? ---
**Author:** ![Thatguy72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Thatguy72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thatguy72)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535/23 "2015-06-23T04:58:32Z")
> [@Reloy3](#): > > I posted this in the thread about the episode itself. > Wouldn’t a world lead by beavers who inspire massive dam building (trapping large amounts of water in lands above sea level) actually decrease sea levels, ensuring the creation of the cheese dainish? Yes, but then if a dam breaks in a specific spot, it gets flooded…:dubious :dubious: :eek: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535/24 "2015-06-24T17:55:46Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > If glass wasn’t transparent, what city would have the Statue of Liberty? Venice. As gothic cathedrals are not created less demand is put on Venice glassmakers to produce large stained glass windows. Inspired by the four Horses of St. Mark, a copper sculpture industry grows eventually leading the the creation of their version of the Colossus of Rhodes ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535/25 "2015-08-05T05:53:33Z")
> [@kidincredible](#): > > I know this is an old thread, but I thought I’d take a stab at the hard one. > > In a world, where a piano is a weapon, not a musical instrument, on what does Scott Joplin play, “The Maple Leaf Rag”? > > [spoiler] First, we assume pianos as warfare weaponry would take two forms. 1) Replacing explosives as the ordinance dropped by carpet bombing aircraft or 2) As anti-personnel suppression accomplished by down-tuning the pianos and simultaneously pounding all the keys on multiple pianos creating a concussive pressure wave to deter enemies from advancing. > > “The Maple Leaf Rag” was copyrighted 18 September 1899; well before the World Wars. We must therefore assume there were no aerial bombardments in any wars before its composition. That leaves the second assumption of warfare. > > In the American Civil War, advancement of battle lines is stymied by the amazingly effective anti-personnel properties of the War Piano. Thus, the Civil War takes an appearance much closer to that of World War I in which the North and South devolve into heavily fortified trench warfare (since the concussive wave from the pianos would be relatively ineffective against soldiers in trenches). > > Since trench warfare is an inherently long and grueling form of war, and assuming that most line charges would be immediately stopped by the war pianos (and thus discouraging many more attempts), soldiers have an inordinate amount of downtime in which to be bored and wanting a feel of home. Since the war pianos are off-limits except to defend from attacks (and are mis-tuned anyway), soldiers turn to their equipment for a replacement. > > Muskets can still be fired across the lines, so the only equipment that is entirely irrelevant is the soldiers’ bayonets. They therefore discover a way to tune them and play their favorite songs from home. > > Regardless of the war’s outcome, since the War Piano is inherently non-lethal, relatively more soldiers return from the battle, bringing the tuned bayonets back with them. Their popularity proliferates amongst the civilian population, leading Scott Joplin to compose The Maple Leaf Rag" on tuned bayonets. > > [/spoiler] > How’d I do? That was incredible! It went unrecognized once. It shouldn’t again. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535/26 "2015-08-05T16:10:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > If Hitler died of syphillis as a starving young artist in Vienna, what actress doesn’t get her Oscar? > > Hitler would not have risen to power in Germany, the Holocaust would not have occurred, Anne Frank would not have written her heartbreaking diary, and Shelly Winters would not have won her 1960 Oscar in _The Diary of Anne Frank_. Nitpick! Meryl Streep won an Oscar for Sophie’s Choice, another Holocaust-based film, and therefore also a correct answer. [QUOTE=jackdavinci] Assuming an OP is equally relevant to all of the rooms, what is the priority of each room? [/Quote] General Questions is the foundation of SDMB and the most dependent on facts alone, therefore it takes priority over all other categories. Great Debates also relies on facts to reinforce an argument and takes priority over the opinion-laden IMHO, MPSIMS, Cafe Society and Game Room. Although also opinion-based, the Pit ranks lower, unless the OP contains the word “fuck” several times. Marketplace ranks lowest because if the OP hasn’t been judged worthy in any other forum, it obviously will fail in the Marketplace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counter-factuals-game-from-the-big-bang-theory/556535.md?page=1)