Stillness of a Quiet Pool

The title of this timeline is taken from a quotation by John DeFrain: "The death of a baby is like a stone cast

into the stillness of a quiet pool; the concentric ripples of despair sweep out in all directions, affecting many, many people."

According to some historians, when Adolf Hitler was at the age of four, he nearly drowned to death in an icy river in the German city of Passau. However, his life was saved thanks to the actions of a priest named Johann Kuehberger. Kuehberger would tell his successor that the child he saved was Adolf Hitler, and the citizens of Passau would back his story. Hitler himself had admitted that he would play Cowboys and Indians on the bank of the river.

Hitler would grow up to live a life of infamy after this incident. In 1933, he would take total control of Germany and rule it as a fascist dictator. Hitler would lead Germany into the deadliest war in human history, and he was responsible for one of the worst genocides in recorded history, the Holocaust.

What would have happened if Kuehberger never saved the life of Adolf Hitler? How would this have changed the world we know today?

Point of Divergence
In the winter of 1894, a young child plays on the banks of a river in Passau, Germany. The child accidentally slips and falls into the river, drowning to his death in the icy waters. A young priest named Johann Kuehberger discovers the child and dives into the water, attempting to save the child. His attempt failed and the child was declared dead not long after. This child, a four year old boy named Adolf Hitler, was buried within four days. His family grieved terribly, Adolf's mother Klara would commit suicide not long after his death and the Hitler family would fall apart.

The people of Passau sent their condolences to the Hitler family and flowers quickly piled up on his grave and that of his mother. As time would pass, the city of Passau would move on and forget about little Adolf, especially in a time of turmoil. Since the Franco-Prussian War, Germany and France have been tense enemies. The French wanted revenge for the German annexation of the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine. Young Adolf would be saved from a world that would soon tear itself apart.