The 48th anniversary of the June 16 Soweto uprising allows us to contemplate its larger meaning - through the eyes of some of those who were there back then.

When we look back at an event and recognise it as a pivotal moment, an inflection point in a nation's history, beyond weighing what it has meant also raises a second question: Would things have turned out differently if the event in question had gone some other way?

For example, what would the shape of modern history have been like if 19-year-old student Gavrilo Princip had been a poor shot and failed to assassinate the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, while on a royal visit to Sarajevo?

There might never have been that grave Balkan crisis between Serbia and Austro-Hungary; quite possibly no World War 1 as nations followed each other into hostilities, and, if not that war, then most likely no World War 2.

Our world would likely have been immeasurably different with the continuation of all those European empires and their dominance around the globe - that is, unless you are one of those who believe in the implacable economic machinery of history.

Or consider American and world history if Confederate General Robert E Lee's final gamble at the Battle of Gettysburg - with...

Ed's note: This story was first published on 14 June 2021.