# If you could travel back in time..... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518 "2010-11-13T02:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![supergalactic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@supergalactic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergalactic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/1 "2010-11-13T02:30:19Z")
Where would you go? Let’s say you could spend 1 day somewhere without getting found out. My choice: Egypt at the height of the empire. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/2 "2010-11-13T02:35:10Z")
I’d go back before their extinction to see what dinosaurs really looked like. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/3 "2010-11-13T03:58:45Z")
My first thought would be turn of the century…the last one…in a large metropolitan area like NYC. My second thought would be the 1940’s, the era of my mother. The more I think about it, Egypt sounds pretty cool, too. My default answer to this is usually right here, right now, baby. I love being a woman in this century. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/4 "2010-11-13T06:45:28Z")
Gettin’ laid! ---
**Author:** ![J.D.G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@J.D.G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.D.G)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/5 "2010-11-13T07:43:47Z")
The assassination of Caesar in 44 BCE. OR (Assuming I could survive and come back) The Big Bang. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/6 "2010-11-13T14:51:36Z")
Assuming I had some way of keeping safe, I wanna see some dinosaurs for reals! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/7 "2010-11-13T17:24:52Z")
Notebook computer + Flash Drives + portable scanner + Great Library At Alexandria = WOO!🆒 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/8 "2010-11-13T20:57:10Z")
I’d want to see the dinosaurs too. I’d also tour the various ancient civilizations (Greece, Rome, Egypt, Summer, etc) at different stages in their history. I’d really want to see Thera before the eruption. Oh, and at some point book passage on the Hindenburg (preferably not the last flight) and/or the Graf Zeppelin. Or somehow get onboard the R100 for it’s transatlantic flight. Maybe I could pose as a journalist or someone from the Air Ministry or something. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/9 "2010-11-13T21:16:38Z")
April 29, 1995. That’s the date I set for myself to go back, if possible, and tell myself about time travel. Given that I did not, in fact, receive any unusual visits or communications on that date, I know that I will not, in fact, ever develop a means of time travel capable of sending a clear message to an arbitrarily-chosen date. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/10 "2010-11-14T00:36:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > April 29, 1995. That’s the date I set for myself to go back, if possible, and tell myself about time travel. Given that I did not, in fact, receive any unusual visits or communications on that date, I know that I will not, in fact, ever develop a means of time travel capable of sending a clear message to an arbitrarily-chosen date. Or you did go back in time and tell yourself, but you’re keeping it a secret. How do we know you’re telling the truth? That seems like a mighty convenient explanation, like you planned it in the future sometime, them went back and told yourself that to throw us off. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/11 "2010-11-14T00:58:58Z")
Back when I was a kid, to see my mom and dad one more time. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/12 "2010-11-14T02:44:23Z")
Totally Rome…I loved that TV show…plus my mom is an amateur Roman scholar, so I’ve heard quite a bit about it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/13 "2010-11-14T02:49:24Z")
For me it would be strictly to visit various personages: Joan of Arc, Buddha, Yeshua of course, Plato/Socrates. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/14 "2010-11-14T15:32:14Z")
The day before the 300 Million Dollar Powerball drawing. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/15 "2010-11-14T15:41:21Z")
8 December 1980. When Mark David Chapman approached John Lennon I would pull out my gun and blow his head off. What a court case it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/16 "2010-11-14T15:52:12Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Gettin’ laid! Hmmm. Unless your past self and his/her partner are into threesomes that sounds like a recipe for frustration. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/17 "2010-11-14T16:58:29Z")
This would take more than just one day: go back to Jesus’ crucifixion, and see what happened to the body. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/18 "2010-11-14T18:29:47Z")
November 1960 - To prevent my father & mother from meeting, even if it means killing one of them. The following would be done from a safe location: April 18, 1906 - San Francisco earthquake June 30, 1908 - Tunguska event October 30, 1961 - Tsar Bomba test May 18, 1980 - eruption of Mount St. Helens ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/19 "2010-11-14T18:46:27Z")
I ask a “question of the day” to my college students, and this is a question I often ask. The most popular answer? Some point in the 1960’s when hippies were thriving and the music of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison was live in concert. Probably 30-40% of my students choose this. Having lived through the 60’s, I am always amazed at their answer, but I guess they see that era through cannabis rose colored glasses - although when I think about it, so did I. My own choice? Probably around the time Jesus was hanging around and chatting to folks - would like to see exactly how charismatic and enlightened he really was - if for no other reason than to debunk the holier-than-thous today. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518/20 "2010-11-15T00:48:59Z")
> [@Foggy](#): > > November 1960 - To prevent my father & mother from meeting, even if it means killing one of them. > > The following would be done from a safe location: > April 18, 1906 - San Francisco earthquake > June 30, 1908 - Tunguska event > October 30, 1961 - Tsar Bomba test > May 18, 1980 - eruption of Mount St. Helens Ya know, if yer doin’ #1, personal safety issues kinda become…irrelevant.:rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-travel-back-in-time/560518.md?page=2)