Because I just don't have enough going on in my life, I take part in an absolutely brilliant daily trivia league, thanks to my friend Greg.

In between tournaments, there's often some great discussion on the message boards. Today the question designed to bring all work grinding to a halt was: "If you could go back in time to any date and any location to observe for 24 hours (you're invisible and you can't change the outcome, which is a whole other discussion) where and when would you choose?" (Pick five).

Cool, huh? After much "Time Tunnel"-esque headscratching, and leaving aside the last supper or the crucifixion (which would be hard to pin down geographically as well as timewise) and excepting any personal incidents (playing catch with your grandfather etc...), here's the five dates and places I came up with:


October 14, 1908. Tiger Stadium, Detroit.

November 22, 1963. 6th Floor, Texas Schoolbook Depository, Dallas.

May 9, 1974. Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge MA.

December 17, 1903. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

February 11, 1990. Victor Verster prison, near Cape Town, South Africa.


Hard to keep it to just five, isn't it?


On the subject of dates in history, this is a pretty cool thing on the BBC website. Look up what happened on your birthday. Or some random date. Whatever floats your boat...