Alternate Timeline (also: "Alternate Timeline") in the Alternative History genre refers to the historical events occurring after a point of divergence (POD), which, from that point onward, differ in some way from events as they unfolded as we knew them to occur in Our Timeline (OTL). While most Alternate Timelines start at some point in the past and end in the present, some start in the past and continue on to some point in the future. April 15, 1865 - A gunshot narrowly misses President Lincoln. He and his party are rushed back to the White House under heavy guard.