Verbatim: If You Could Time Travel for a Year, Where Would You Go & Why?

The question of time travel was a tough one for our thoughtful responders. That did not hinder them from answering from their perspective. 

In this column, adopted from the familiar “Heard on the Street” format, we offer our responders a chance to answer the question posed in the title. These are their replies, reported verbatim. 

Way-Back Machine or Now? 

I know the 1990s might not stack up against world-shaping moments in history, but that’s the time period I’d choose. I was born in 1990 and too young to really live it, and like most millennials, I carry a lot of nostalgia for that era. It seemed like a rare balance of fun culture, exciting technology and a simpler pace of life, and I’d love the chance to experience it as an adult. 

Staci Rammel 
Woodruff Energy 
Bridgeton, New Jersey 

I thought about this question; I even looked back to a couple different eras. None made me want to go back and live there for a year. I’m a move forward girl, so here’s where I would like to live for a year: In a forward time where our culture is compassionate. Where our neighbor is our friend regardless of personal views. Where we look to find common ground in interests that we share rather than opinions we differ on. I hope that year comes soon, and I would happily stay there forever. 

Judy Taranovich 
Proctor Gas Inc. 
Proctor, Vermont 

As a fan of ‘The Great Gatsby,’ I would easily sign up to live a year in the Roaring ’20s! It was the beginning of women’s rights and prime time for bootlegging, jazz music and speakeasies! 

Tonya Crow 
GROWMARK Inc. 
Bloomington, Illinois 

I would live in the ’90s because times back then were much simpler. Cost of living was much less expensive. Nobody was constantly distracted by cellphones and social media. People got together in person for socials and actually conversed with each other in person. 

Sam Fung 
Emerson Automation Solutions 
McKinney, Texas 

Well, of course, there’s no time like the present to make a difference! I don’t see any reason to retreat to a time when there was less knowledge of ourselves and our universe (unless we could transport current knowledge back in time with us). We’re on the ‘cutting edge,’ with the outcome of issues that could affect modern civilization and our planet hanging in the balance. My tendency would be to stay in my bubble and let it all play out, but what we are faced with calls for more active participation. Will I be up to the task? 

Bruce Swiecicki 
Consulting Engineer 
Tinley Park, Illinois 

I have always thought it would be amazing to live in ancient Egypt to witness the building of the pyramids. 

Lauren Clark 
Bergquist Inc. 
Toledo, Ohio 

As someone who loves history, this is a very difficult question. It took me less than five minutes to make a 20-line list of all the time periods I wish I could experience. I even had really good reasons for every one of them. Forced to provide a single answer, I have picked the Victorian era of England. First off, I get the Crimean War (1854-1856), which I have studied extensively, and I also get medical breakthroughs, the beginning of the industrial era, the Irish potato famine (which brought my Irish relatives over to Canada), the introduction of railways, Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters, royalty and the aristocracy, and the list goes on. 

Leslie Woodward 
Fairview Fittings 
Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

This question is challenging because it is a thoughtful experience that makes you fantasize what it would have been like to live in an era in history. You can consider the 1960s, which I did experience, or ancient Egypt, the Crusades, the Medieval period, etc. I think for me it would be the 1890s, otherwise known in the U.S. as the Gilded Age. This was a time of rapid growth and expansion and innovation. The birth of the bicycle, automobile, aviation, electric lighting, plumbing, industrial jobs, world fairs, amusement parks and women’s rights were several of the positive societal gains. However, the working conditions, sanitation issues, public health concerns and outbreaks of contagious diseases, the economic disparities and limited minority opportunities all contributed to challenging daily living conditions. I would hope that in my one year that I would be able to influence positive change and help improve the quality of living! 

Jerry Schimmel 
P3 Propane Safety 
Cumberland, Rhode Island 

Easy: back to the 1980s! The music, no cellphones (like today), riding on the back of a truck, not as much of a society that whines all the time. Should I go on? I am glad to have grown up in the 1980s. I would do it again! 

Richard Strycharz Jr. 
Walter’s Propane 
Sunderland, Massachusetts 

The Rockin ’50s! Living through the economic boom and the golden age of television would be amazing to witness. I also would have loved to see Elvis Presley perform! 

Abby Thurston 
Rural Computer Consultants 
Bird Island, Minnesota 

I’m not sure what period I would want to relive unless I could do some things differently, alter things to come, not make some colossal mistakes I made in the past and most of all reprioritize some things. The mid to late ’70s would be a great time to see some original bands I missed — The Eagles, Elvis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, etc. I think about our youth today and my parents’ generation, and to be honest, I feel blessed to be living in the era I’m in. So, on second thought, I think I’ll stay put. 

Boyd H. McGathey 
EDP 
Parkville, Missouri 

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I love (love, love) The Beatles. Would that I could have been around during the 1960s! 

Jessica Johnson 
National Propane Gas Association 
Asheville, North Carolina 

Time Travel Notes 

The often-provocative responses to this column’s questions never cease to entertain me and give me more to consider. Forward and backward time travel are either scientifically proven in space or highly theoretical and remain largely hypothetical. For the near future, time travel seems to remain in the realm of science fiction and in this column.