In the June/July issue of History Magazine, Gregory Peduto talks about Casimir Zeglen, the inventor of the bulletproof vest in the late 19th century. The last paragraph offers some tantalizing alt-history what-ifs:
President William McKinley purchased a Zeglen vest, but sadly the order did not arrive in time to prevent his assassination. Following the killing, Teddy Roosevelt bought a waistcoat made of the magical material. Even Archduke Franz Ferdinand purchased a jacket, which he wore on the day of his murder (the bullets struck his neck).
What if Teddy Kennedy never became President? What if World War I was not triggered until 1922?
I’m not an alt-history writer. I’ll leave it to you guys to speculate.
Sorry, no link to the article, but History Magazine isn’t Web friendly. Buy a copy and keep them solvent until such time as I overcome my laziness and send them another history piece.