# Would you be a good time traveler? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976 "2010-05-19T05:31:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/41 "2010-05-19T19:14:02Z")
> [@RalfCoder](#): > > try to imagine a world with no baby boomers Gladly. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/42 "2010-05-19T19:19:26Z")
You guys who are circumcised (as many American men, even non-Jewish ones, are) may want to be careful if you go to medieval or Renaissance Europe. Getting accused of crypto-Judaism could ruin your whole trip. You might want to be careful about who you allow to see that you’re circumcised. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/43 "2010-05-19T19:22:40Z")
I’d try to negotiate with him to send me to the future instead of the past. Who wants to live in a world without computers/the Internet? Ew. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/44 "2010-05-19T19:48:53Z")
> [@](#): > > I could make do by writing fantastic fiction for The Argosy until I had a nest egg. Considering the rate the pulps were paying science fiction authors, that part of your plan might keep you busy all the way back to 2010. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/45 "2010-05-19T19:55:45Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > This makes all the difference. Even without mental preparation I’d be at some advantage in 1910. My vague concept of technological history combined with newspapers of the time would help me understand what the good investments are, but realistically I don’t remember who won what sporting contest in year X, so I wouldn’t make a gambling fortune. That said, this advantage is heavily offset by being completely out of my depth from a social point of view. How do you get your first job when you are a complete freak? > > If I had some time to prepare gambling wins become more likely. Also, some research into profitable oil, gold or other mineral strikes might lead to buying profitable land while it is still very cheap. I was thinking about buying land too, but that only does me good if the alien bat grants me a really long lifespan to eventually benefit from all that expensive land. ---
**Author:** ![peanut1200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/85f322/32.png) [@peanut1200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peanut1200)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/46 "2010-05-19T20:05:15Z")
Would anyone try to stop any of the unfortunate events of the 20th century? The Hindenburg, the Titanic, the stock market crash, the Lindbergh kidnapping - and so on and so on… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/47 "2010-05-19T20:09:12Z")
> [@](#): > > I was thinking about buying land too, but that only does me good if the alien bat grants me a really long lifespan to eventually benefit from all that expensive land. Even then it might not do you any good. Read Mark Twain’s biography – his father bought some huge amount of land and urged the family to hold it until it became valuable. It never did – at least not in their lifetimes. And Twain complained bitterly about the curse of being “prospectively rich” all his life. Unless you know for a fact that the land is going to become valuable, you’d be better off buying and saving copies of Superman #1. Or initial offerings of Xerox stock, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/48 "2010-05-19T20:18:11Z")
1910: I’d choose to go to Chicago simply because I know the area well – my concept could apply to just about any large metropolitan area. I’d find some factory work or something, and live as simply as possible while saving up my money for a few years. I should be able to have a decent nest-egg by 1920 or so… Then I’d buy real estate, as much of it as I could afford, just beyond the edges of the highest population density. I don’t know all the particulars, but I do know that the 20’s were a decade of growth and prosperity. I should be able to sell off my properties for a nice profit and convert all my assets to cash by 1929, and live out my remaining years in relative wealth and comfort. 1410: I think **CalMeacham** hit this pretty well. I don’t really have a particular technical skill or knowledge, but I’m pretty sure I would be able to see myriad ways of making everyday life easier with simple devices and concepts we take for granted today. If nothing else, this might get me accepted into some village somewhere as a very clever and innovative guy, and I could be a useful member of society. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/49 "2010-05-19T20:25:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Unless you know for a fact that the land is going to become valuable, you’d be better off buying and saving copies of Superman #1. Or initial offerings of Xerox stock, or something. The Los Angeles Aqueduct opened in 1913. I think you could make a killing buying up huge tracts of what would soon become Sherman Oaks, Reseda, and the like. The problem would be getting the capital together in time to beat people like LA Suburban Homes Company to the land. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/50 "2010-05-19T20:30:22Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I’d try to negotiate with him to send me to the future instead of the past. Who wants to live in a world without computers/the Internet? Ew. Travel into the future might not be possible (other than just by living through it) but I think that I’d prefer to go to the future, too, if it’s an option. I’ll be able to get my diabetes and other problems treated and possibly cured. And maybe they’ll have direct interface by that time. Sign me up! ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/51 "2010-05-19T20:40:42Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I was thinking about buying land too, but that only does me good if the alien bat grants me a really long lifespan to eventually benefit from all that expensive land. I was thinking more along the lines of reading about a giant unexpected gold strike at a specific location in 1915, and buying the land in 1900, only to “discover” the gold soon after purchase. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/52 "2010-05-19T20:42:13Z")
Also you would have no background history. Although both educational institutions I attended have been around for at least a hundred years so I suppose I might be able to fake it a bit. It’s not like they would telegraph a background check or anything. And my education is in civil/structural engineering and business. I’m sure I could be useful to some robber baron or something. Maybe I could invent the 2x2 matrix or something. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/53 "2010-05-20T15:47:05Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Travel into the future might not be possible (other than just by living through it) but I think that I’d prefer to go to the future, too, if it’s an option. I’ll be able to get my diabetes and other problems treated and possibly cured. And maybe they’ll have direct interface by that time. Sign me up! What if time travelers from the past are unwelcome in the future? Say something like the movie Idaho Transfer? Blending in and staying alive may be tough. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/54 "2010-05-20T18:11:23Z")
California might be a good destination for 1910. Get in on the ground floor of the movie business. Buy some radio licenses. Maybe look into getting a sports team or two. Buy real estate as investment property. Kick back and wait for the economic boom. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/55 "2010-05-20T21:02:25Z")
I think I also would be OK in 1910. With my newspaper skills, I could get by. I even know how to work an old letter press. Where? Southern California, San Francisco, Denver, Pheonix, were all possibilities. I know horses. I am familiar with the early internal combustion engine. I am not unfamiliar with an outhouse. I can dress out meat. I have a familiarity with manual tools. The earlier era…well, I speak a language of the western pacific that has not changed much, but there may still have been a bit of dining on one another on some of the islands. Still that beats the plague. I have a smattering of Latin… possibly in a monestary in a valley in the Alps until I could get the lay of the land and situation. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/56 "2010-05-20T21:55:33Z")
Surprised that no one has mentioned Leo Frankowski’s [Cross Time Engineer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Stargard). I think I’d be a little better off than most. I read a lot of technical type material for recreation and have good retention. So I could at least design a steam engine and get it built if I could team up with someone with the materials or skills to build it. I can mix up a batch of black powder. It had already been around for centuries, but I think I can remember an improved mixture. I could get the telescope and microscope out a century ahead of schedule, so maybe I could get the handwashing thing rolling earlier. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/57 "2010-05-21T04:27:47Z")
1910? Hmm I know a little bit about aircraft and might be able to sketch a few things out or give them an idea to go for. I would try not to starve to death first. I would try to get a job as a laborer saving money and start investing it in oil. 1410? I am probably dead in the streets. I would not even be able to understand them probably. I can read and that may help. I would read things for people for a small fee. I would try and survive best I can. I could make a few nice inventions with steam but getting starting capital and tools would be hard. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/58 "2010-05-21T04:33:46Z")
I would also print out a paper of this [![](https://i.imgur.com/Jt48k.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Jt48k.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/59 "2010-05-21T07:40:35Z")
A major disadvantage in any time period is I am left handed, and a 40 year old woman who has had a child. A cesarian section none the less, so any examination will make me a medical curiousity to say the least. Since most of the nursing I do is long term care nursing, I don’t need a lot of fancy technology but I sure will miss antibiotics and anti psychotics. I might be looked on as suspect in a 1910 hospital since stuff I should know, I probably don’t, like how to make a good mustard plaster. I would love to buy land around Ft McMurray, Alberta, and various gold strikes. My home town of Port Arthur ON, was a working man’s town in those days, maybe I should just hook up with some schemer and go west land speculating? Maybe also get in on the mineral discoveries up on Great Bear Lake, (Uranium, copper, iron. ) In 1510, I would probably have to find my way to an English convent and tell some story about being a widow of nobility, and hope they would take me in. I could care for the sick in a basic way, and probably would be more useful I would then try to learn Latin and improve my French to 16th century standards, or pick up Italian and get out of England in about 15-20 years before Henry VII started mucking with the monestaries and convents. I would have to move in higher circles, because I can read, and I can’t sew so I would need maids or something. Of course, I’m already old by their standards. Maybe not much else to do but be a wife, and a stepmom. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976/60 "2010-05-21T22:19:05Z")
Well, I know a reasonable amount about waterwheels, so I might be able to get something put together in 1410, but 1910? About the only really modern knowledge I have is computer stuff, and I’d be fucked there. Knowing that the stock market was going to crash (after I’d been there for quite a while, though) might come in handy, but I wouldn’t really have any capital. So I’d probably be limited to making a living doing whatever job I could get with no connections, and no training. Probably not good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-good-time-traveler/539976.md?page=2)