This, without the Mars Attacks spin. I want to witness this event, and the subsequent story of the person who tries to fuck an alien species and how that plays out.
I wanna watch OJ do it. In the future, I want to be there when they give us reactionless drive. That will be fun times. That, or when we finally triumphantly defeat the robots. The horrible, horrible robots.
Past: creation of the universe. I'm not entirely sure how the logistics would work, but if I could comprehend even 1/1000,000 of what was happening I would not only be able to drastically increase the sum of all human knowledge, I'd be able to answer some niggling questions in my own mind. This one's a lock. Present: Hayden Panettiere's favourite threesome. What? We can't all be ascetics. Future: the rise of the genus after sapiens. I think this would be incredibly bittersweet; you'd get to see everything that we as a recognizable species accomplished, and the negative traits we couldn't overcome, followed by the hope that our successors could do better.
Past: A toss-up between the Goths' first sack of Rome OR Cortez's entrance into Tenochtitlan. Both epic events, both involving now-gone but once-glorious civilizations, both instances of "worlds colliding" in extremis. Future: The moment the first AI becomes self-aware. HAL may enslave or destroy us all immediately afterward, but to see that (metaphoric) light go on, not gradually and over time as an infant develops, but all at once, would be a treat. Or, for the really cynical out there, when said AI first learns to lie.
Past: Dinosaurs, esp. of the Cretaceous period. In fact, if I had several chances just on past, I'd use them all zipping around various locations and times of the Cretaceous and the Jurassic (don't really give a rat's about the Triassic period, them fuckers back then were weird). Present: This one's difficult, since I'm not sure what period of time the 'present' would represent? Today? This year? In my lifetime? I'll probably never get to see Radiohead in concert (not at this rate, anywho), so that'd be nice, but it does kinda feel like aiming low. I'd love to be on the set of Tarantino or James Cameron movie. Probably that I guess. Future: If we never find intelligent life away from earth, then I'd like to see what the conclusion of Western Civilisation is like. What's the cause? Is there something after? Worse or better? -or- Next Friday, find out what Thursday night's lottery numbers were, come back here and rake in the millions.
The apocalypse. Whether it's the biblical kind, an asteroid destroying the Earth, or machines wiping out mankind, I want to be there when it happens. I want to go out in a blaze of glory with the whole planet.
Past: It's a tie between D-Day and the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Present: Nothing really comes to mind immediately. Future: The first manned mission to a planet outside of our own solar system. Doesn't matter if there is life or not, just experiencing a completely different world than our own would be pretty crazy.
You do, of course, understand that the bolded section above is the part that led to a whole host of dogma/religious thought that directly and indirectly affected the entire world. So yes, I would want to see the main event that forms the very basis of Christian thought did actually occur. The focus made it clear that you can't change anything, which is fine. But given the fact that the world is largely the way it is today, over 2000 years later, based on this one event, then yes, I'd like to see if it actually happened the way people say it happened.
Musically, I've always thought that seeing Queen at Wembley would have been as good as it could get. I've never really considered other categories relating to past events. Watching a Gladiator battle in the Colosseum in Rome would have been mental.
Hmm. People are asked what historical events they'd like to see and almost all the answers have to do with watching lots of people die, or watching one person die a gruesome death. Not even the sightest indication that we need to ask ourselves some serious questions here. Nope, not at all.
I think it's difficult because who cares what the signers of the Declaration said (or whatever the Canuck equivalent is). I appreciate Fleming's pennicilin, but him going, "This might be useful," isn't going to do it. So unless you want to watch speeches, there aren't a lot of momentous events you can really pick from that provide a visceral experience. That said: Past: V-E Day, London because they actually fought all six years and had their city bombed. Present: Meh. Future: First manned space outpost on another planet.
Along that note but with less boobies, there would be something fascinating about seeing the first guy to discover that he could make fire. He probably was scared out of his mind.
It's almost like you're implying that the human species is innately wired for violence. Shocker. Violence: getting shit done since 230,000 BC.
Past: Thermopylae. The idea that Western Civilization as we know it hinged upon 300 men not backing down would have been a hell of a thing to see. Also, Alexander's conquest of Asia Minor, or Napoleon's battle at Austerlitz would be up there as well. Finally, a dinosaur fight. Present: I would want to see a lot of musicians. However, for me the free fall record would be the best thing to witness (or copy). I just imagine the zoom in feature of Google Earth in real life. Future: The day we leave Earth as colonists, the day aids is cured ("They're fucking everywhere!"), or the day technology reaches the point that an average guy could control VR. The ability to make and live my own movies would be tits.
Actually a lot of people care what they said. And considering one never ceases to hear Americans making up what they think (or rather, wish) the founders thought, this has much more relevance and would shed greater light on day to day life than the crucifiction of jesus. I mean, really? Crucifictions happened all the time, and let's not be so stupid as to say that the crucifiction of the virgin-born son of god is an unquestioned and well-attested historical fact.
As has been mentioned, seeing him perform one of his miracles or emerge from the tomb a few days later would be much more interesting. Or, seeing first hand if he and Mary Magdelene did the nasty or not.