I’m watching the show Outlander with my wife. Without sharing too much, one of the main characters is able to travel back in time about 200 years to 18th Century Scotland and England. As I keep watching the show, and I have had this discussion with my wife, if I could go back in time where would I go? In some cases I am picking specific events to watch and in other cases it is a general timeframe. Here’s my top five list of places and periods I would visit:

First, some honourable mentions on this list include: Watching the AVRO Arrow take flight, watching the moon landing for the first time, watching the first humans leaving the African continent, visiting Civil War Washington, DC, to meet Abraham Lincoln, stopping the Kennedy assassination, the Wild West and expansion of Manifest Destiny, Colonial North America to see what life was like for colonists and the Indigenous, and the time of Jesus Christ and the birth of Christianity. 

5. Spring of 1967

Photo: Sportsnet.ca

Ok, this is an easy one and the butt of many jokes. As someone who grew up a Maple Leafs fan, it would be neat to see their 1967 Stanley Cup victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Considering it has been over 50 years since they last won it would have been a sight to see games at the old Montreal Forum and Maple Leaf Gardens. Hopefully, it does not take another 50 years to win again!

4. French Revolution

Photo: Britannica.com

No doubt this period would be grim and extremely dangerous. But, along the lines of the story of the TV show Outlander, it would have been interesting to see the rebellion of the working class and citizens of France as they shed the monarchy and eventually install Napoleon as ruler. The introduction of Civil Code is one of the foundations of modern Western society.   

3. July 1, 1867

Photo: robkirsic.ca

We read about the struggle in, and the significant time invested in, creating the Dominion of Canada and moving away from Great Britain, but to see it come alive in person would be extraordinary. And, to be in Ottawa on July 1, 1867, to celebrate the first Dominion Day would be interesting. 

2. Renaissance Rome

Photo: robkirsic.ca

Being in the cultural centre of the world in the 15th and 16th centuries would be very cool. Listening to Da Vinci, seeing sculptors like Michelangelo work, seeing the Sistine Chapel, and visiting Florence, Venice and Rome during the Renaissance; it would be a sight to see. 

1. The Age of Dinosaurs 

Photo: Time Magazine

If Jurassic Park has taught us anything, it is that bringing dinosaurs back is a dangerous game to play for humans. But, if there was one time to go back to, it would be a lot of fun to see dinosaurs in-person. The allure of seeing what was extinct brought back to life is impossible to ignore.

Bonus: Tracking My Family Lineage 

I’m going to break the rules and add in a bonus item. This is one where I wish I could live forever and travel back in time because it would be amazing to see how my family came to be going back several, and more, generations. Living forever would also allow me to see what happens to my family. Yes, there are several risks in living forever but the allure of seeing what happens is too powerful to pass up. 

What about you? If you could go back in time, where would you go? Tell me in the comments below.