A very happy Thanksgiving to all our American sisters and brothers who are today giving thanks that they were once subjects of the British Crown and lamenting the seditious activities of 1776.

In all seriousness, were there no American rebellion in 1776, then there is no British settlement of Australia in 1788, which means the French expedition of Comte de La Pérouse likely claims and then colonises the Australian continent, and we are all speaking French ....

No American rebellion in 1776, no British settlement of Australia in 1788, no French war indebtedness leading to 1789, thus the French Crown under Comte de La Pérouse settles Australia .... thus Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI are Terre Le Australie's monarchs.

Given the French come from a Roman Law tradition, a much better result for indigenous peoples who would likely have had some Treaty or Agreement ab initio with the French Crown and suffered no appalling 'terra nullius' doctrine for two centuries. Truly a fascinating "what if?"