Next Ice Age

The PODs:

In A.D. 1893, a powerful meteor rocked the world. Earthquakes destroyed everything in their path. But two years later, everything returned to normal. Or so it seemed.
The earth (especially the equator) was cooled down to an intensely low temperature.
The meteor that hit the world, was a small chunk of a larger meteor. Smaller chunks hit in 1898, 1903 and 1909. The last strike, turned large portions of Antarctica into a molten crater.
The Earth was on a slow, but steady course away from the sun (due to the powerful impact of the meteors) and in 1910, it reached where it currently is today.
In 1910, the temperature rapidly dropped way below what it had ever been before. Mountains, and surprisingly, deserts were among the most affected. Vast glaciers formed that would be physically impossible in our world. Many former nations collapsed, and the world population was under 250 million. Now, however, a century later, things have slightly improved - but still problems remain, and this world is nowhere near as advanced as our own ...

Politics[]

Because large areas of the globe are completely covered in glaciers, all nations are (at least in part) somewhat isolated. Many colonies did not gain independence as in our world because of the prevailing view that such new nations would not be able to support themselves. One important exception is India, which is now one of the global superpowers. Also, it is important to note that since all nations in the western hemisphere had gained independence (except Canada) prior to the meteor strike, European involvement was much less. This lead to our current situation where the British are the only ones who regularly cross the Atlantic ocean. As you might expect, contact between the two hemispheres is very limited.

Culture[]

Culture has been somewhat suppressed over the last hundred years because of the need for a more practical world. Nationalism nearly died out but is coming back in strong waves as colonies finally want independence. Culture is coming back along with nationalism, as people are proud of their heritage. Large steam pumping factories still decorate many landscapes. Art and history are usually the favorite subjects of school children. The League of Nations and the United Nations have never been created.

Technology[]

Technology is mostly used for military purposes. Military technology is far more advanced than our own. Giant Robotic Armies swarm into foreign lands launching missiles. However, personal technology used for entertainment is non-existent. Most people are farmers or work in large factories. The race to be the first nation to heat the world back up is on. Many nations are employing their best workers to discover the best way to heat up the world. Cars have fallen completely out of use. TVs were never invented.The only personal technology commonly used is radio.

Religion[]

Religion is very much the same in this world, except that many cults about 'Heat Gods Versus Cold Gods' have sprung up in large numbers. The only places where these have large numbers of followers are in anarchic regions.