The past is one of the most emotionally charged "elsewheres" of science fiction and human imagination. Some of the earliest and most common stories people tell have to do with the things that happened in the long-ago .

Science fiction allows the opportunity to see just what happened in that long-ago, transporting characters (and readers) into the past. The juxtaposition, giving the time-traveller the perspective of our present, and bringing that perspective into contact with the reality of the past, is what contains the emotional charge and the interest.

The idea that we are what we were, that some elements of what we are today are based in our past, and the possibility of understanding and effecting that past, lead to even more power. There are historical and personal moments that we would all like to visit.

Important moments and people in history are lost to us, but not the imagination. SF stories often allow a contrast between an imagined ideal, and a reality. What if Lincoln was a louse ? What if Attila was an artist? What if Columbus was a coward? When, in science fiction, we encounter history, we can speculate about mistakes we may make in our own portrayal of the past. As we saw in other Modules, when we write about the past, we're really writing about our own time. SF stories of time travel can make that very clear, as writers imagine a "reality" different from what we learned in history class.

What images do you have about the past? Think of historical characters or events that you've learned about. Try to pick some that are somehow important to you. Go to the discussion board and explain the choice you made. Then do some web research. Find a link to some information about your chosen character or event. Imagine traveling to see that time or person. What does your imagination reveal about you?