An exploration of hypothetical turns in history from Ancient Greece to September 11. What if history, as we know it, had taken a different path? Touching on alternative histories of the past and the future, or uchronic stories, A Past of Possibilities encourages deeper thinking about critical moments in the course of history. Covering a wide range of topics, it examines the Boxer Rebellion in China, the 1848 revolution in France, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, and incorporates fictional literature, history, the methodology of history, sociology, anthropology, and film. Exploring the genre of literature and history that deals with hypotheticals concerning the main points of history, Quentin Deluermoz and Pierre Singaravélou go beyond merely reenvisioning history, investigating the boundaries and possibilities of potential pasts. From the strangest imagination to serious scientific assumptions, they provide a review of the use of counterfactual histories, methodological issues for the possible in social sciences, and practical suggestions for the use of alternative histories in research and the broader public.