Earth History

Perhaps it's not even necessary to know much about Earth history, but there are a few directions worth exploring which may make for interesting occasional references.

• alternate history: USSR landed men on the moon first

  • Russian communism booms instead of American capitalism
  • huge projects are undertaken leading to space elevators and new engine types
  • many consumer-oriented things like smartphones/tablets are not created
  • societal norms shape differently
    • bribery is as much or more common/mundane than tipping
    • religion is quaint and mostly forgotten
    • reliability valued more than flexibility/trendiness
  • communist society boom begins to fade after half a century or so, as has capitalism
  • factions and revolutions may play a part in why the protagonist leaves earth

• crowdfunding and crowdsourcing take over society

  • government programs, r&d projects, science labs, legal structures
  • parties and coalitions form to combine weight and attract more capital/labor
  • lots of incredibly stupid and wasteful things happen
  • lots of spectacular and inspiring things happen
  • being late and going over budget are universally normal/expected