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Sure most have heard of the Tunguska event, on the morning of 30 June 1908 the explosion over the sparsely populated Eastern Siberian Taiga flattened an estimated 80 million trees over an area of 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) of forest. Very fortunate for them it happened in as desolate a place as possible, but say it hit the heart of Moscow instead, even though WWI was 6 years away wouldn't the Russians still be reeling from it and possibly not gotten involved, possibly leading to WWI not happening, at least as it did with Russia being involved? And overall how high do you think the death toll would have been?
Sure most have heard of the Tunguska event, on the morning of 30 June 1908 the explosion over the sparsely populated Eastern Siberian Taiga flattened an estimated 80 million trees over an area of 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) of forest. Very fortunate for them it happened in as desolate a place as possible, but say it hit the heart of Moscow instead, even though WWI was 6 years away wouldn't the Russians still be reeling from it and possibly not gotten involved, possibly leading to WWI not happening, at least as it did with Russia being involved? And overall how high do you think the death toll would have been?
1) Don't be deceived. You're not just nudging the impact a little - Moscow is over 2000 miles from the location of the Tunguska air-burst. Russia is a big place.
2) Moscow would cease to exist. It would be leveled and all ~1.5 million inhabitants of Moscow proper, and most of the population of the surrounding urban area, would cease to exist.
3) By the way, in 1908 St. Petersburg and not Moscow was the seat of government of Imperial Russia. So dropping an meteoroid/comet/whatever on it won't decapitate the Tsarist regime (unless the royal family all happened to be in Moscow on 30 June).
4) Frankly, six years post-impact, I think you could make this scenario go pretty much any way you want. It's yours, so why don't you explain how it changes things?
This is one of those "what if" questions that give the history forum a bad name.
What if it hit Berlin? What if it hit Washington? Why even limit your question to Russia. Loss of life would be terrible if it hit a populated area, but the earth is 2/3 ocean. I see no connection to this event and the war at all. As has been indicated, Moscow was not the capital of Czarist Russia in 1908.
3) By the way, in 1908 St. Petersburg and not Moscow was the seat of government of Imperial Russia. So dropping an meteoroid/comet/whatever on it won't decapitate the Tsarist regime (unless the royal family all happened to be in Moscow on 30 June).
This. Also, OP, how could the Russians NOT get involved in WWII? Hitler had decided to make Russia Germany's colony, as a source of cheap (or free, forced) labor and natural resources. (He didn't regard Russians as fully human, but as a specie of "primitive" quasi-Asiatics, due to his misinterpretation of pre-history on the Eurasian steppes.) What do you mean, "would Russia have not got involved"? lol. Reality check.
This. Also, OP, how could the Russians NOT get involved in WWII? Hitler had decided to make Russia Germany's colony, as a source of cheap (or free, forced) labor and natural resources. (He didn't regard Russians as fully human, but as a specie of "primitive" quasi-Asiatics, due to his misinterpretation of pre-history on the Eurasian steppes.) What do you mean, "would Russia have not got involved"? lol. Reality check.
Sure most have heard of the Tunguska event, on the morning of 30 June 1908 the explosion over the sparsely populated Eastern Siberian Taiga flattened an estimated 80 million trees over an area of 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) of forest. Very fortunate for them it happened in as desolate a place as possible, but say it hit the heart of Moscow instead, even though WWI was 6 years away wouldn't the Russians still be reeling from it and possibly not gotten involved, possibly leading to WWI not happening, at least as it did with Russia being involved? And overall how high do you think the death toll would have been?
No, I do not think so, Russia was more or less passive side.
No because Central Powers will still have to fight GB, France, Italy. Russia not play that huge a role. They ineffective. Russia more effective in killing off their own people at the time.
No because Central Powers will still have to fight GB, France, Italy. Russia not play that huge a role. They ineffective. Russia more effective in killing off their own people at the time.
Germany entered the war because of the Russian mobilization. Russia was mobilizing because it had determined to come to the aid of Serbia which was being threatened by the Austria-Hungry empire. Germany was allied with Austria Hungary and thus had to react to Russia's mobilization. Germany's existing war plan, should it find itself at war with Russia and Russia's ally, France, was to strike at France first, rapidly overrun it, and then turn to face the Russians whom the Germans assumed would be slow to mobilize and advance.
So...take Russia out of the equation and you no longer have a reason for Germany to be going to war with anyone at the time.
If a Carrington event (Solar flare of 1859) occurred while the Enola Gay or Bock's Car were in transit to drop the Atomic bomb would the bombs have been triggered in route?
And what would the respective warring sides have thought occurred?
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If a Carrington event (Solar flare of 1859) occurred while the Enola Gay or Bock's Car were in transit to drop the Atomic bomb would the bombs have been triggered in route?