If You Had a Time Machine, Where Would You Go?
You can travel to three historical events, but with a catch: they must be from before you were born, and you cannot change the course of history.
"If I had a time machine, I would go see the Live Aid show in 1985," I told Biko as we watched the concert on YouTube one Sunday afternoon. "Where would you go?"
My question turned into a game, and we added a few rules. In the hypothetical case of being able to time travel, the first rule was that we could witness three historical events. The second rule was to choose a moment in history from before we were born, a chance to see what we missed out on by not being born earlier. The final rule was that we could only observe, be just one more person in the crowd, without changing anything that might alter the course of history.
My first trip would be to Wembley Stadium in London to see Queen perform live at Live Aid, an event that coordinated two simultaneous concerts in London, UK, and Philadelphia, USA, raising millions of dollars to fight famine in Ethiopia. Queen wasn't the only band playing on July 13, 1985. In London, great artists like U2, Elton John, and David Bowie also performed. In Philadelphia, there were Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Wonder among many amazing musicians. Freddie Mercury, the king of rock, gave an unforgettable concert for the Wembley audience, which included Princess Diana and Prince Charles.
Since imagination game allows, my time machine ticket includes a concert pass with access to the royal box. I want to enjoy the music while chatting with Diana. I want to tell her she looks radiant in her light blue dress and remind her that the world admires her because, despite being a normal woman with problems and worries like everyone else, she has the strength to inspire the entire planet. I am not on the royal’s bandwagon, but she was one of the most influential women of the last two decades of the twentieth century who knew how to use her public figure to improve the lives of others. She raised awareness about global issues, such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), and publicly discussed topics that were not talked about at that time, like women's mental health and eating disorders. She also visited hospitals and advocated for people suffering from AIDS when, in the early 1990s, the lack of information about the disease led to rejection and stigmatization of patients.
What I want most is to save her life and tell her not to go to Paris in 1997, where she will have a fatal car accident, but the rules of the game do not allow it, so I settle for being near her for a few hours, listening to the greats of rock and roll, surrounded by people who dreamed of a better world.
The second trip is to see The Beatles' last concert at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in August 1963. By that time, the band was established, Brian Epstein was already the band's manager, and they had recorded their first album, Please Please Me. I was lucky enough to visit the Cavern Club with my mom in 2013, but the original place was closed for a decade between 1973 and 1984, and, although the current club is on the same address on Mathew Street, it is not the exact club where the Beatles used to play. Without a doubt, one of my three time travel opportunities is to listen to the magic of John, Paul, Ringo, and George without the mediation of recording studios or TV cameras.
The third trip is to the Azteca Stadium in Mexico on June 22, 1986. On that sunny Sunday, Argentina beat England 2–1 in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. Diego Armando Maradona scored both of Argentina's goals in the second half of the game, and both are memorable. The first, called the "Hand of God," was the controversial goal scored with his hand that gave Argentina the lead; the second, called the "Goal of the Century," secured the victory after Maradona dodged five English players to score.
Of course, watching Maradona play, especially in that match that marked my country's history, is amazing. But I think what moves me the most is adding my voice to the cheers of the fans and celebrating the victory while hugging strangers in the stands who share the immense joy of witnessing your country win a historic football match that future generations will remember for decades.
For now, the time machine to experience those moments firsthand does not exist, but YouTube lets us glimpse what they were like and imagine what those who were there must have felt. I’m sharing some videos in case you also want to travel back in time:
This is the Live Aid YouTube channel.
Here’s Queen performing Bohemian Rhapsody.
Here’s Princess Diana’s arrival at Wembley Stadium.
Here’s the interview Diana gave for the TV show Panorama in 1995, where she said he doubted she would be queen and instead wanted to be "queen of people’s hearts."
Here’s The Beatles first album, Please Please Me.
Here’s Argentina vs England full game in 1986.
Here’s Maradona’s first goal.
Here’s Maradona’s second goal.
What about you? Where would you go?
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Until next time!
Maria Pia