Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sphinx.UChicago.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!shor
From: shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore)
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.books
Subject: Re: BACK TO THE FUTURE (actually book title request)
Message-ID: <837@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 23:38:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: sphinx.837
Posted: Tue Jul 16 23:38:09 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 06:12:41 EDT
References: <790@vax2.fluke.UUCP> <768@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center
Lines: 18
Xref: watmath net.movies:7063 net.books:2038

> From: tw8023@pyuxii.UUCP (T Wheeler)
> It was a short story in a collection
> by Heinlen(I think).  The hero of the story left his time with
> everything running smoothly and everyone happy.  When he returns,
> everything is in a mess - war, pestilence, etc..  All because he
> stepped on that butterfly.  

It could have been by Heinlein, but methinks it was actually by
Bradbury.  At any rate, the time travellers return from their jaunt to
the age of the dinosaurs , and one (the guide, I believe) notices that
some words on a sign are spelled archaically.  He looks at the other
time traveller, sees a butterfly stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and
shoots him.  We're left with the sense that the oddly spelled sign is
the tip of the iceberg, and that history might be a fragile thing.  I
don't remember war *or* pestilence appearing explicitly.
-- 
Melinda Shore                               ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!shor
University of Chicago Computation Center    Staff.Melinda%chip@UChicago.Bitnet