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Past, present, paradox: writing about time travel.

Time travel in fiction can open your story to infinite possibilities. Ever wondered what it would be like if somebody taught the Romans how to make a nuclear bomb? Do you need to retcon an event in your story? Time travel!

It may seem simple for your time-traveling characters to hop in Tony’s Terrific Temporal Transport and whiz through time, but there are many hurdles to overcome when writing about time travel.

Chief among these is dealing with time travel paradoxes, so let’s look at those, discuss how you can write convincing time travel stories, and explore how some popular stories handle it.

The Problem With Time Travel

Consider an ordinary day in your life. It follows a sequence of events where one thing leads to another. This is called causality , the concept that everything that happens results from events that happened before it. The problem with time travel in fiction, especially travel to the past, is that it often breaks the rules of causality.

This can lead to time travel paradoxes and unforeseen results , including:

• Continuity paradoxes: The act of time travel renders itself impossible.
• Closed causal loop paradoxes: Traveling to the past creates a condition where an idea, object, or person has no identifiable origin and exists in a closed loop in time that repeats infinitely.
• The butterfly effect: Even the smallest action can have massive consequences.

With all that in mind, let’s embark on a journey through time and explore these further!

Grandfather Paradox

This thought experiment posits the idea of somebody traveling back in time and killing their grandfather before their parents were born. Because the grandfather never has children, the time traveler—his grandchild—cannot exist.

However, if the time traveler never existed, they couldn’t kill their grandfather, so he would go on to have children and grandchildren. One of those grandchildren is the time traveler, though, who might go back in time and kill their grandfather. If that seems confusing, it’s okay—it’s supposed to be.

The bottom line is that if somebody travels to the past and changes something that prevents them from ever traveling to the past, they have broken the timeline's continuity.

Polchinski’s Paradox

American theoretical physicist Joseph Polchinski removed human intervention from the time travel equation.

Imagine a billiard ball travels into a wormhole, tunnels through time in a closed loop, and emerges from the same wormhole just in time to knock its past self away.

Doing so prevents it from ever entering the wormhole and traveling through time, to begin with. However, if it does not travel back in time, it cannot emerge to knock itself out of the way, giving it a clear path to travel back in time.

Bootstrap Paradox

The Bootstrap Paradox is the first closed causal loop paradox we will explore. This presents a situation where an object, idea, or person traveling to the past creates the conditions for their existence, leading to it having no identifiable origin in the timeline.

Imagine sending the schematics for your time machine to your past self, from which you create a time machine. Where did the knowledge of how to create the time machine begin?

Predestination Paradox

The most nihilistic of paradoxes explores the idea that nothing we do matters, no matter what. Events are predetermined to still occur regardless of when and where you travel in time.

Suppose you time travel to the past to talk Alexander the Great out of invading Persia, but he hadn’t even considered this until you mentioned it. By traveling to the past to prevent Alexander’s conquest, you caused it.

Butterfly Effec t

Less of a paradox and more an exploration of unintended consequences, the butterfly effect explores the idea that any action can have sweeping repercussions, no matter how small.

In the 1960s, meteorologist Edward Lorenz discovered that adding tiny changes to computer-based meteorological models resulted in unpredictable changes far from the origin point. In traveling back in time, we don’t know what effect even minor changes might have on the timeline.

How to Write Convincing Time Travel Stories

Time travel can be pretty complex at the best of times, but that doesn't mean writing about it has to be a challenge. Here are a few practical tips to craft narratives that crack the temporal code.

Ask Yourself, "Why Time Travel?"

If your story has time travel, to begin with, it likely plays a pretty significant role in the narrative. Define the purpose that time travel has in your story by asking yourself questions like:

• How and why is time travel possible in your setting?
• What does it mean for your story and your characters?
• What are your characters meant to use time travel for?
• Is the actual practice of time travel different from its intent?

If you can't be clear about time travel's purpose in your story, how can you convincingly write about it? To get crafty with time, you first need to master its relevant mechanics.

Keep a Record of Everything

You're asking your reader to potentially make several mental leaps when time travel is involved in a story, so it's imperative to have all of your details sorted. Do the work of planning out dates and events ahead of time by creating a time map for yourself—like a mindmap, but for a timeline.

You'll be able to keep a birds-eye view of the narrative at all times, be more strategic about moving the order of events around, and ensure that you never miss a detail. You may even want to have multiple versions—a strictly linear timeline and a more loosely structured time map where you draw connections between events and in the order they appear in the narrative.

In Campfire, you can do both with the Timeline Module —create as many Timelines as you want by using the Page feature in the element. You can also connect your Timeline(s) to a custom calendar from the Calendar Module for extra fun with time wonkiness in your world.

If a new idea pops up while writing, don't stress! You'll have your handy time map already laid out so you can easily see if a new scene or chapter makes sense, as well as where it will best fit into the narrative.

Never Forget Causality

I mentioned this concept earlier in the article, but it should be reiterated: The most important rule of time travel is that every action results in a consequence. Remember cause and effect : an action is taken (your character time travels to the past), and causes an effect, the consequence (the timeline is forever changed).

"Consequence" doesn't have to be a negative thing, either, even though the word has that connotation. The resulting consequence of a given action could be a positive effect, too.

Regardless, seek to maintain causality so you don't confuse your readers (or yourself, for that matter). Establishing clear rules for how time travel works in your setting and sticking to them will help you keep your time logic consistent and avoid running into narrative dead ends or plot holes.

Tips & Tricks For the Time-Traveling Author

Now that we’ve examined several obstacles you can encounter when writing about time travel, let’s see how you can either avoid them or exploit them. That’s right! Even time travel paradoxes present opportunities for superb storytelling.

Focus on the Future

Fortunately, all the named paradoxes here involve the past, so the easy way to avoid them is to not go there! Thanks to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, you don’t even have to invent a clever way to travel instead to the future.

An aspect of Einstein's theory is time dilation , in which the faster an object moves through space, the slower it moves through time. With this, you need only zip around at near the speed of light for a few weeks or months, and when you come back to Earth, years or centuries will have gone by.

Create a Multiverse

A popular trope in science fiction today, and a theory gaining popularity among theoretical quantum physicists, is the multiverse concept. According to multiverse theory, whenever an event occurs, every possible outcome of the event happens simultaneously, splitting the universe into parallels that each contain differing outcomes.

Since all these realities exist, perhaps changing the past is simply a way for time travelers to travel between realities, shifting their perspective to a timeline where things occurred differently than in their original reality.

Get Creative With Consequences

Instead of avoiding paradoxes, maybe you want them to occur. Leading to some fascinating stories, this can be approached in a variety of ways. Perhaps you want to examine the unintended consequences of the butterfly effect, create a time-traveling police force that enforces the laws of time travel, or simply break time itself and revel in the chaos that ensues.

Just be sure to remember the action-consequence rule and keep your timeline handy for easy reference—especially if you're toying around with multiple timelines!

Best Time Travel Stories

What follows are what I think are some of the best time travel stories. As you will see, the first two fall victim to time travel paradoxes, while the other two do a great job of exploring various elements we’ve discussed.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The corporation Cyberdyne Systems has remnants of the Terminator from the first movie, which they use to create an artificial intelligence system called Skynet. Skynet then actually creates the terminators and sends one back in time. Thus, it gives humanity the technology to create itself in a classic example of a bootstrap paradox.

Back to the Future

In this film, Marty McFly travels to the past and inadvertently interrupts the event where his parents first meet. This causes a chain of events where Marty’s parents never get married and have children, threatening to erase Marty and his siblings from the timeline.

Some argue that the McFly offspring ceasing to exist is a great exploration of the consequences of time travel. However, they would never have been at risk had Marty not been in the past to impede their parents’ romance. And if he ceases to exist, he’ll never go back and get in the way, thus creating a grandfather paradox.

War of the Twins

In this second volume of the Dragonlance Legends trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the mage Raistlin Majere travels into the past, kills a wizard named Fistandantilus in a battle for power, and assumes his identity. Throughout the book, Raistlin unwittingly follows the historical fate of Fistandantilus, in a wonderful exploration of the predestination paradox.

It’s hard to talk about time travel in fiction these days without mentioning Loki. The show explores two suggestions from my list above: the multiverse and policing the timeline. In this series, varying outcomes of events lead to branching timelines, creating a multiverse of possibilities. However, an agency called the Time Variance Authority exists to prevent this from happening, and they set out to eliminate any branches separate from what they consider the Sacred Timeline.

Bon Voyage!

I hope this exploration of time travel leaves you prepared to tackle these obstacles and opportunities that naturally present themselves when playing around with time.

Just knowing about the complexities of time travel and the paradoxes it can bring about is the best way to avoid trouble and create innovative storytelling moments. So, dust off your DeLorean, polish your paradox-proof plot, and get ready to write your adventure through the ages!

Learn more about making a timeline with Campfire in the dedicated Timeline Module tutorial . And be sure to check out the other plotting and planning articles and videos here on Learn, for advice on how to plan your very own time travel adventures!

Summaries, Analysis & Lists

Time Travel Short Stories: Examples Online

The short stories on this page all contain some form of time travel, including time loops. Some of them contain time machines or other technologies that makes the trip possible; in other stories the jump in time doesn’t have an obvious explanation. They don’t all involve obvious trips to the past or future. Sometimes, the story simply contains an element that is out of place in time. See also:

Short Stories About Time Travel

“caveat time traveler” by gregory benford.

The narrator spots the man from the past immediately. The visitor identifies himself. He’s surprised to find he’s not the first visitor from the past. He wants to take something back to prove he made it.

“Caveat Time Travel” can be read in the preview of  The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF.

“Absolutely Inflexible” by Robert Silverberg

A time traveler in a spacesuit sits in Mahler’s office. He’s informed that he’ll be sent to the Moon, where all visitors from the past have to go. The man tries to get out of it, but Mahler explains why no exceptions are possible.

“Absolutely Inflexible” can be read in the preview of  Time and Time Again :  Sixteen Trips in Time.

“Yesterday Was Monday” by Theodore Sturgeon

When Harry Wright wakes up on Wednesday morning he realizes that yesterday was Monday. Somehow there is a gap. He notices that his environment doesn’t quite seem complete.

“Yesterday Was Monday” can be read in the preview of  The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century.

“Death Ship” by Richard Matheson

The crew of a spaceship is collecting samples from various planets to determine their suitability for human habitation. While nearing a new planet, Mason spots a metallic flash. The crew speculates that it might be a ship. Captain Ross orders a landing to check it out.

“Death Ship” can be read in the preview of  The Time Traveler’s Almanac.

“The Third Level” by Jack Finney

The narrator has been to the third level of Grand Central Station, even though everyone else believes there are only two. He’s just an ordinary guy and doesn’t know why he discovered this unknown level. He relates how it happened.

“The Third Level” can be read in the preview of  About Time: 12 Short Stories.

“A Touch of Petulance” by Ray Bradbury

Jonathan Hughes met his fate in the form of an old man while he rode the train home from work. He noticed the old man’s newspaper looked more modern than his own. There was a story on the front page about a murdered woman—his wife. His mind raced.

This story can be read in the preview of  Killer, Come Back To Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury.

“Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle is lazy at home but helpful to, and well-liked by, his neighbors. He’s out in the mountains one day to get away from things. With night approaching, he starts for home but meets up with a group of men. He has something to drink and goes to sleep, which changes everything.

This story can be read in the preview of  The Big Book of Classic Fantasy .

“Twilight” by John W. Campbell

Jim picks up a hitch-hiker, Ares, who says he’s a scientist from the year 3059. He says he traveled millions of years into the future, but came back to the wrong year. Life in 3059 is trouble free, with machines taking care of everything. Future Earth is in trouble, with all life extinct, except for humans and plants.

This is the second story in the preview of  The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Vol 1 .  (49% into preview)

“The Man Who Walked Home” by James Tiptree, Jr.

An accident at the Bonneville Particle Acceleration Facility decimated the Earth’s population and severely damaged the biosphere and surface. Decades later, a huge flat creature emerges from the crater at the explosion site and promptly disappeared. There are other sightings in the years that follow.

This story can be read in the preview of the anthology  Timegates .  (18% into preview)

“An Assassin in Time” by S. A. Asthana

Navy Seal Jessica Kravitz recovers from the effects of the time jump. She’s done it before, but there are always side-effects. She’s on a highly classified, very important, and expensive mission. Previous jumps have familiarized her with the grounds. This time, she should be able to reach her target.

This story can be read in the preview of  AT THE EDGES: Short Science Fiction, Thriller and Horror Stories .  (17% in)

“The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang

Fuwaad, a fabric merchant, appears before the Caliph to recount a remarkable story. While looking for a gift, he entered a large shop with a new owner. It had a marvelous assortment of offerings, all made by the owner or under his direction. Fuwaad is led into the back where he’s shown a small hoop that manipulates time. He also has a larger gateway that people can walk through. The owner tells Fuwaad the stories of a few who did just that.

This story is on the longer side but doesn’t feel like it. Most of “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” can be read in the Amazon preview of  Exhalation: Stories .

“Time Locker” by Harry Kuttner

Gallegher is a scientist—drunken, erratic and brilliant. He invents things but pays them little attention after. His acquaintance Vanning, an unscrupulous lawyer, has made use of some of these inventions, including a neuro-gun that he rents out. During a visit he sees a locker that is bigger inside than out. Fascinated with the item’s possibilities, he offers to purchase it.

Some of “Time Locker” can be read in the preview of  The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century.

Time Travel Short Stories, Cont’d

“All You Zombies” by Robert A. Heinlein

A young man explains to a bartender that he was born a girl. He (she) gave birth to a child and there were complications. The doctors noticed he (she) was a hermaphrodite and performed an emergency sex-change operation.

A lot of this story can be read in the preview of  “ All You Zombies—”: Five Classic Stories .

“The Hundred-Light-Year Diary” by Greg Egan

The narrator meets his future wife, Alison, for lunch exactly when he knew he would. His diary told him. Everyone alive is allotted a hundred words a day to send back to themselves.

Most of this story can be read in the preview of Axiomatic .  (Select Kindle first then Preview, 57% in)

“The Dead Past” by Isaac Asimov

Arnold Potterley, a Professor of Ancient History, wants to use the chronoscope—the ability to view a scene from the past—for his research on Carthage. The government maintains strict control over its use, and his request is denied. Frustrated, Potterley embarks on a plan to get around this restriction, which is professionally risky.

Some of this story can be read in the preview of  The Complete Stories, Vol 1 .  (6% in)

“Signal Moon” by Kate Quinn

Working with the Royal Naval Service, Lily Baines intercepts radio communications to enemy vessels for decoding. One night, everything changes when she picks up an impossible message—a plea for help from another time.

Preview of “Signal Moon”

“Journey to the Seed” by Alejo Carpentier

An old man wanders around a demolition site, muttering a string of incomprehensible phrases. The roof has been removed and, by evening, most of the house is down. When the site is deserted, the old man waves his walking stick over a pile of discarded tiles. They fly back and cover the floor. The house continues to rebuild. Inside, Don Marcial lies on his deathbed.

“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury

In the future, a company offers guided hunting safaris into the past to kill dinosaurs. Extreme care is taken to ensure nothing happens that could alter the present.

Read “A Sound of Thunder” (PDF Pg. 3)

“That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French” by Stephen King

Carol and Bill, married twenty-five years, are on their second honeymoon, driving to their destination. Carol experiences déjà vu; voices and images keep coming to her mind. Their drive comes to an end and she finds herself at an earlier point in their trip.

“The Clock That Went Backward” by Edward Page Mitchell

The narrator recounts the discovery surrounding a clock left to his cousin Harry by his Aunt Gertrude. As young boys they witnessed a strange event. Late one night Aunt Gertrude wound the clock, put her face to the dial, and then kissed and caressed it. The hands were moving backward. She fell to the floor when it stopped.

Read “The Clock That Went Backward” 

“Soldier (Soldier from Tomorrow)” by Harlan Ellison

Qarlo, a soldier, is fighting in the Great War VII. He doesn’t expect to be able to go back. The odds are against it. Qarlo anticipates the Regimenter’s order and gets warped off the battlefield. He’s not sure where he is but his instincts kick in.

“The Men Who Murdered Mohammed” by Alfred Bester

Henry Hassel comes home to find his wife in the arms of another man. He could get his revenge immediately but he has a more intellectual plan. He gets a revolver and builds a time machine. He goes into the past.

“Cosmic Corkscrew” by Michael A. Burstein

The narrator is sent back to 1938 to make a copy of a rejected story by an unnamed writer. Unknown to Dr. Scheihagen, the narrator adjusts his arrival to three days earlier. He wants to make contact with the writer.

“Time’s Arrow” by Arthur C. Clarke

Barton and Davis, geologists, are assisting Professor Fowler with an excavation. The professor receives an invitation to visit a nearby research facility. Barton and Davis are curious to know what goes on there. The professor says he will fill them in, but after his visit he says he’s been asked not to talk about it. Henderson, from the research facility, returns the visit. Something he says starts the geologists speculating about a device that could see into the past.

“The Final Days” by David Langford

Harman and Ferris, presidential candidates, are participating in a televised debate. Ferris is struggling to connect with the audience while Harman relishes the attention. The technician signals Harman that there are fourteen watchers. His confidence increases.

Read “The Final Days”

“Hwang’s Billion Brilliant Daughters” by Alice Sola Kim

When Hwang is in a time he likes he tries to stay awake. Hwang jumps ahead in time when he sleeps. It could only be a few days; it could be years.

Read “Hwang’s Billion Brilliant Daughters”

“Fish Night” by Joe R. Lansdale

Two traveling salesmen, a father and son, get broke down on a desert road. They sit by the car and talk about how hard it is to make a living. The father tells his son about an unusual experience he had on the same road years ago.

Read “Fish Night”

“The Fox and the Forest” by Ray Bradbury

William and Susan Travis have gone to Mexico in 1938. They’re enjoying a local celebration. William assures Susan that they’re safe—they have traveler’s checks to last a lifetime, and he’s confident they won’t be found. Susan notices a conspicuous man in a café looking at them. She thinks he could be a Searcher, but William says he’s nobody.

“A Statue for Father” by Isaac Asimov

The narrator tells the story of his father, a theoretical physicist who researched time travel. He’s celebrated now, but it was a difficult climb. When time travel research fell out of favor, the dean forced him out. He continued the research independently with his son. Eventually, they succeed in holding a window open long enough for the son to reach in. He brings back some dinosaur eggs.

“The Pendulum” by Ray Bradbury

Layeville has been swinging in a massive glass pendulum for a long time. The people call him The Prisoner of Time. It’s his punishment for his crime. He had constructed a time machine and invited thirty of the world’s preeminent scientists to attend the unveiling.

Read  The Pendulum

“Who’s Cribbing?” by Jack Lewis

A writer has his manuscript returned by a publisher. The story he submitted was published years before—he obviously plagiarized it. They warn him against doing this again. The writer has never heard of the author who first wrote the story and claims it’s an original work.

“Who’s Cribbing” is in  Time Machines: The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written.

I’ll keep adding short stories about time travel and time machines as I find more.

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How to Write a Time Travel Story Without Paradoxes

The concept of time travel has long been a popular theme in fiction and film. Traveling back in time to alter the course of history is an alluring idea that has enthralled not just fiction writers but scientists as well. Yet, if you've ever seen or read a time travel story, you're aware that time travel is a tricky concept to grasp. It might be challenging to stay faithful to your worldbuilding concepts while simultaneously incorporating suitable temporal paradoxes.

For this reason, we will explore different paradoxes and go through various tips to help you write a time travel story without the risk of paradoxes.

Where does the idea of time travel come from?

Traveling across time is a shared universal dream. But where did the fascination with time travel begin, and why does the concept appeal to so many people? The lure of time travel has deeper origins. Appearing in some of our oldest stories , it is woven into the very fabric of our language and imagines a world without constraints of time and space. Its roots may be traced back to ancient tales of time travel found in numerous civilizations throughout the world, giving the notion its distinct characteristics derived from different cultures.

We come across time travel stories in ancient cultures throughout the world , although we cannot claim to know where the concept originally came from and who pioneered it. However, we can observe that the genre rose to prominence in the nineteenth century. From this time period comes Charles Dickens' classic novella A Christmas Carol , in which Ebenezer Scrooge travels both ahead and backwards in time. Around the same period, H.G. Wells popularized time travel in literature with his timeless novel The Time Machine , which featured the concept of a "time machine," which featured a vehicle that could travel purposefully and selectively in time. Inspired by this emblematic icon, many beloved time-travel stories published after this have incorporated some form of the time machine. Such is the famous TARDIS in the long-running BBC classic series Doctor Who , a blue box that can transcend time and space. Doctor who interestingly explores time travel paradoxes, with time paradoxes taking a center stage for many of its episodes.

Time travel paradoxes

There are many logical contradictions when it comes to time travel. Here are some of the major paradoxes:

Bootstrap paradox

The Bootstrap Paradox is a theoretical paradox of time travel that arises when an object transported back in time becomes locked within an unending cause-effect loop. This occurs as the travel in time takes place as a response to a specific event.

Consistency paradox

Consistency Paradoxes , such as the Grandfather Paradox , or the Hitler paradox , a type of timeline mismatch that arises from the prospect of changing the past. These paradoxes change history in such a way that time travel into the past, which caused such action in the first place, is no longer possible. To simply illustrate the paradox, in the film The Time Machine , a protagonist builds a time machine to travel back in time in order to save his fiancé from death. Her rescue, on the other hand, would lead to a future in which the machine never existed since her death was the direct motivation for its creation. But then, how is it you can go back and save your fiancé if her death hasn't given you the push to create the time machine? It results in a paradox. The timeline is no longer self-consistent.

Butterfly effect

The Butterfly Effect is based on Chaos Theory , which states that seemingly minor changes may have massive cascade responses over extended periods of time and that even minor changes can fundamentally reshape history. The name "Butterfly Effect" originates from Ray Bradbury's short tale " A Sound of Thunder ," in which a character in prehistoric times walks on a butterfly, causing massive changes in the future.

How to avoid these paradoxes

The self-healing hypothesis.

Writers seeking to escape the paradoxes of time travel have devised a variety of inventive methods for presenting a more consistent picture of reality. The self-healing hypothesis is one of the most basic solutions to any time travel paradox, implying that no matter what is changed in the timeline, the principles of quantum physics will self-correct to prevent a contradiction from arising and sustain the existing flow .

Because events would adapt themselves, a paradox would not occur. So, changing the past will trigger another alternative chain reaction that will keep the present unaltered. This effectively states that the likelihood of a paradox arising in any given circumstance is zero. The self-healing hypothesis simply indicates that no matter what a traveler has done in the past, the end outcome is the same in terms of global conditions. This does not rule out the possibility of changing the past, but it does eliminate the prospect of minor changes having the power to generate massive ones. Most crucially, as an author, you are not obligated to describe the particular events that repair time. It is enough to affirm that they take place and ensure that your event sequences and their conclusion are consistent.

Time traveling monitor

Another way to avoid temporal paradox would be creating the time traveling monitor that would follow the timeline protection hypothesis , which posits that any attempt to create a paradox would fail to owe to a probability distortion. The monitor would adjust the probability in order to avert any damaging events occurring, which would also give you free rein to come up with creative scenarios. Nonetheless, to prevent an impossible event from taking place, the universe must favor an improbable event occurring.

Balancing the timeline

The paradoxes themselves are intertwined and they can as well occur simultaneously. No one knows if a real-life paradox would result in a large-scale timeline alteration, or if the closed-loop is kind of automatically self-correcting since everything works out equally in the end. Going back to the Consistency Paradox, yet another approach to avoid it is to acknowledge, regretfully, that you can't and shouldn't attempt to change the past. That is unless you can rule out any chance of a bad domino effect as a result of your activities. In this manner, you can attempt to alter the past while keeping the chronology intact. This means following up the time-change event with another change that balances out the activities and ensures that the outcome remains the same despite the intervention.

The notion of a time loop is one of the most prevalent strategies to get away with time travel in science fiction. You may travel through time here, but any changes you make are predetermined. For example, suppose you were pushed out of the way of a car one day. You return to your timeline from the future and realize that that person was in reality you.

Paradoxes are avoided with this method of time travel, but everything is predetermined. If you wish to prevent a tragic incident from occurring in your past, there's nothing you can do since even if you could, it would still happen in the time loop. Whatever you did, the key events would just re-calibrate around you. This could be the solution for the Grandfather Paradox — that would mean that the event propelling you back in time would happen regardless of your actions, providing your younger self with the incentive to go back and stop it. To put it another way, a time traveler could make adjustments, but the original conclusion would still occur — perhaps not exactly as it did in the initial timeline, but near enough.

Parallel universe

There is also another possibility: creating a parallel universe . The future or past you visit might become a parallel reality. Consider it as a huge fortress where you may construct or demolish as many castles as you like, but it has no bearing on your primal stronghold. When you travel back in time, the future is gone, it never happened, and the universe will evolve anew, even if you do nothing to influence it. It does not affect the future you experienced, but it does affect the future of the reset world. That can entail creating a scenario in which the protagonists travel to the past and discover themselves in a parallel world or multiverse, with no change to their original chronology.

Countless science fiction stories have examined the conundrum of what would happen if you could travel back in time and do something that would jeopardize the future. Please note that you are free to make your own rules for it. This is your work of fiction. The universe will be as you will design it in your story. If the paradoxes do not exist in your story, then you may make up your own rules around it. You can as well bypass the rules your worldbuilding has established if you have a valid cause for doing so and if this is what your writing demands.

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Tips and Tricks to Writing Time Travel Into Your Story

Time travel and time manipulation is a very common conflict in science fiction, fantasy, and even more action-based genres of fiction. However, despite it being so common, it is possibly one of the hardest supernatural qualities to write effectively into a story.

Time travel can be very confusing, and you can lose your readers if you are not careful about how you approach it. Not only that, but since time travel has been done so many times, authors may feel the need to be original in their works which can cause even more confusion.

However, writing time travel can be fun and easy if you know what you’re dealing with! When writing a story with any sort of time manipulation, make sure you first answer the question: what are the rules of time travel in my story? Once you’ve asked this, there are common writing tips that can help you write these rules effectively into your story.

Rules of Time Travel

Before we worry about what your characters understand, let’s focus on you, the writer. Before writing a story with time travel, we want to make sure that you understand exactly the type of time travel you are writing (there are many different kinds!).

But what exactly is a rule of time travel? Well, since you’re the one writing the story, the rules are what you make them. However, there are common types of time travel that writers tend to fall into, whether they are trying or not.

The Different Types of Time Travel:

When discussing time travel, there are four categories to choose from:

Traveling back in time

Traveling forward in time

The gift of foresight

Of course, within each of these categories, there are many subcategories and creative possibilities. But looking only at the broad strokes, every time travel story has one of these.

In choosing which type of time travel to include, it’s important to consider what you want from your story. A story of time loops, like Groundhog Day , usually focuses on the character development of the person in the loop. Meanwhile foresight and traveling forward usually deal with morality. And traveling to the past is a great way to discuss free will. It’s all about what you want.

There are so many options with time travel. The important thing is to find the type of time travel that fits your story best, create rules for it, and stick to those rules . This leads us to the first tip in writing time travel:

Consistency

These rules are just for you. You don’t necessarily need to tell your readers about them. There’s no need for some sort of exposition explanation (although if you want to, feel free). But deciding what time travel can and can’t do in your story will stop plot holes from forming. Keeping your time travel consistent is important.

For example, let’s look at Supernatural . Supernatural is great at giving us examples of what not to do.

In season 4 of Supernatural , Dean Winchester is sent back in time to when his parents were his age. Dean attempts to kill a demon that will kill his mother in the future. At the end, he fails and ultimately causes the events that will happen (classic unchangeable past time travel rules). Castiel tells him that it is impossible to change the present by traveling to the past.

We then jump to season five. Anna, a runaway angel, goes back in time to kill Sam and Dean’s parents before they can have Sam. Castiel and the brothers become worried about this. But why? If we can’t alter the past, then what’s the problem? Even if Anna doesn’t realize her goals are futile, why would Castiel be concerned?

Backstory :

This leads us to our next point. After you decide your own time travel rules, you have to consider how much each character knows about these rules . If you have decided that a seer has unchangeable visions, and they know this, then that character should never try to change their fate.

The time travel rule of Twelve Monkeys is that you cannot change the past. However, the movie only has a plot because the main character doesn’t know this. He believes he can change the past until the very end when he realizes his goal is fruitless.

However, the Prisoner of Azkaban has the same rules of time travel and Dumbledore and Hermione both know they can’t change the past. There is still conflict in the book because that is not their goal.

If a character has a backstory where they studied time travel for years, and has traveled hundreds of times before, they shouldn’t be shocked by the rules of time travel. Withholding the information from your characters can create interesting conflict, but make sure each character understands a plausible amount.

Show, Don’t Tell:

Having your characters have a long conversation about time travel can be fun to write, but it’s important to remember that the best way to ensure your audience understands time travel is to show characters traveling through time .

As long as you stick to your rules, your time travel will eventually make sense to your audience. And, when it comes to time travel, you’d be surprised just how long your readers will be okay with being in the dark.

In Avengers: Endgame , Hulk/Bruce Banner goes on a long explanation about how time travel works in this universe. They bring up Hot Tub Time Machine and Back to the Future . But in the end, did anyone in the audience completely understand what that time travel was about from the Hulk’s rant? From what I can gather, no.

About the Author: Susan Matteucci is an author, editor, and reader currently finishing up her BFA in Creative Writing at Emerson College. She has two publish short stories and hopefully has many more on the way. She has a passion for Sci-Fi, particularly time travel, and fantasy. It is her belief that straying from the realistic is the best way to comment on society.

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Home — Essay Samples — Science — Scientific Theories — Time Travel

Essays on Time Travel

What makes a captivating time travel essay topic.

When it comes to selecting a topic for your time travel essay, it's crucial to consider various factors that will set your essay apart from the rest. Here are some recommendations on how to brainstorm and choose the perfect essay topic:

- Brainstorm: Start by generating ideas related to time travel. Explore different time periods, whether fictional or real, and consider how they can be examined in your essay.

- Research: Conduct extensive research on the chosen time period or concept to gather enough information to craft a compelling essay.

- Uniqueness: Look for topics that are extraordinary and avoid those that have been overdone. Select something that will captivate readers' attention and offer a fresh perspective.

- Relevance: Evaluate the relevance of the chosen time travel topic. Does it hold significance in history, literature, or popular culture?

- Controversy: Controversial topics often ignite interest and discussion. If your time travel topic touches upon controversial themes or theories, it can make your essay more intriguing.

- Personal interest: Choose a topic that genuinely interests you. This will help you stay motivated and engaged throughout the writing process.

- Creativity: Think outside the box and explore unconventional ideas related to time travel. Don't hesitate to push boundaries and present a unique perspective.

- Impact: Consider the potential impact of your chosen topic. Can it challenge existing beliefs or open up new discussions about time travel?

A good time travel essay topic combines elements of originality, relevance, and creativity, captivating readers and making them eager to delve into the essay's content.

The Best Time Travel Essay Topics

Looking for some extraordinary time travel essay topics to get your creative juices flowing? Here are 20 unique and thought-provoking ideas:

1. The Butterfly Effect: Exploring the consequences of altering small events in history through time travel.

2. Time Loops: Analyzing the concept of being trapped in a never-ending cycle of time.

3. The Ethics of Time Travel: Examining the moral implications and dilemmas faced by time travelers.

4. Time Travel in Literature: Analyzing the portrayal of time travel in famous novels and its impact on the story.

5. Time Travel and Paradoxes: Investigating the logical paradoxes that arise when contemplating time travel.

6. Time Travel and Ancient Civilizations: Imagining the influence of time travel on shaping ancient civilizations.

7. Time Travel and Quantum Physics: Exploring the connection between time travel theories and quantum physics concepts.

8. Time Travel and Popular Culture: Analyzing the portrayal of time travel in movies, TV shows, and music.

9. Time Travel and Historical Events: Examining how pivotal historical events could have unfolded differently with time travel intervention.

10. Time Travel and Future Predictions: Speculating on how time travel could be used to predict and shape the future.

11. Time Travel and Artificial Intelligence: Investigating the intersection of time travel and AI advancements.

12. Time Travel and Multiverse Theory: Exploring the idea of multiple universes and their relation to time travel.

13. Time Travel and Evolution: Examining the impact of time travel on the evolution of species.

14. Time Travel and Alternate Realities: Imagining how time travel could lead to the existence of alternate realities.

15. Time Travel and Philosophy: Analyzing the philosophical implications and theories surrounding time travel.

16. Time Travel and Time Perception: Examining how time perception changes when traveling through time.

17. Time Travel and Ancient Mysteries: Investigating how time travel could help unravel ancient mysteries and secrets.

18. Time Travel and Cultural Exchange: Imagining the cultural exchanges that could occur through time travel between different civilizations.

19. Time Travel and Technological Advances: Speculating on how future technological advancements might enable time travel.

20. Time Travel and Personal Transformation: Exploring how time travel experiences can transform an individual's perspective on life.

These unique time travel essay topics will surely make your writing stand out and captivate your readers' imagination.

Time Travel Essay Questions

Here are ten thought-provoking essay questions to explore your chosen time travel topic in greater depth:

1. How would altering a major historical event through time travel impact the present world?

2. Can time travel paradoxes be resolved, or are they inherent in the concept?

3. What ethical concerns arise when considering the potential consequences of time travel on future generations?

4. How does time travel in literature reflect the societal context in which the works were written?

5. Is it possible to change the course of history through time travel, or is everything predestined?

6. How does time travel challenge our understanding of cause and effect?

7. If time travel were possible, would you choose to visit the past or the future? Why?

8. How does time travel intersect with our perception of reality and the nature of existence?

9. Can time travel be reconciled with the laws of physics, or does it require new scientific principles?

10. What role does time travel play in shaping our collective imagination and popular culture?

These essay questions will encourage critical thinking and prompt in-depth analysis of your time travel topic.

Time Travel Essay Prompts

Here are five creative essay prompts to spark your imagination and inspire unique perspectives on time travel:

1. Write a fictional letter from a time traveler warning humanity about a future catastrophe.

2. Imagine a world where time travel tourism is a booming industry. Explore the positive and negative implications of this phenomenon.

3. Create a short story where a time traveler accidentally alters a minor event that has significant consequences for the present.

4. Write an essay exploring the psychological and emotional challenges faced by a time traveler who is unable to return to their original timeline.

5. Imagine a society where time travel is a common occurrence. Discuss the impact of this technology on social, economic, and cultural aspects of life.

These essay prompts will encourage imaginative thinking and allow you to explore time travel from unconventional angles.

Answering Your Time Travel Essay FAQs

Q: Can I write a time travel essay without any scientific background?

A: Absolutely! While scientific knowledge can enhance your understanding of time travel concepts, it is not a prerequisite. Focus on exploring the philosophical, ethical, and cultural aspects of time travel instead.

Q: Should I choose a specific time period for my time travel essay?

A: It depends on your topic and interests. While a specific time period can provide a focused approach, broader concepts such as alternate realities or time loops may not require a specific era.

Q: Can I mix fictional and real-life elements in my time travel essay?

A: Yes, blending fictional and real-life elements can add depth and intrigue to your essay. Just ensure that the narrative remains coherent and logical.

Q: How do I ensure my time travel essay stands out from others?

A: Choose a unique topic, conduct thorough research, present fresh perspectives, and maintain a captivating writing style. Incorporate personal insights and engage readers through clear arguments and imaginative storytelling.

Q: Can I propose new time travel theories in my essay?

A: Absolutely! Time travel is a subject that invites speculation and exploration. Feel free to propose new theories, but ensure you support them with logical reasoning and evidence.

Remember, writing a time travel essay should be an enjoyable experience where you can unleash your creativity and explore intriguing concepts. Embrace the adventure of time travel and let your imagination soar!

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Essay on Time Travel

Students are often asked to write an essay on Time Travel in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Time Travel

What is time travel.

Time travel means moving back or forward in time. It’s like skipping chapters in a book. Instead of reading in order, you jump to the past or future. Imagine going back to see dinosaurs or forward to meet robots. It’s a popular idea in stories and movies.

Time Machines

In stories, people use time machines to travel in time. These machines can be anything from cars to watches. The idea is to control time as easily as turning a page in a book. But in real life, we can’t do this yet.

Why Time Travel Fascinates Us

Time travel excites us because it offers endless possibilities. We could fix mistakes or see what the future holds. It’s about exploring unknowns and asking “what if?” This curiosity makes time travel a captivating concept for all ages.

Also check:

• Paragraph on Time Travel

250 Words Essay on Time Travel

What is time travel.

Time travel is the idea of being able to move forward or backward in time. It’s a popular concept in science fiction stories, but is it actually possible?

Is time travel possible?

We don’t know for sure if time travel is possible. Some scientists believe that it might be possible, but others think that it’s impossible. There are a lot of different theories about how time travel might work, but none of them have been proven.

How would time travel work?

There are a lot of different ideas about how time travel might work. One idea is that it might be possible to travel through a wormhole. A wormhole is a kind of shortcut through space-time. If you could find a wormhole, you could use it to travel to another time.

Would time travel be dangerous?

Time travel could be very dangerous. If you traveled to the past, you could accidentally change something that would have a big impact on the future. You could also end up in a time where you don’t know anyone or anything.

Time travel is a fascinating idea, but it’s important to remember that it’s just a theory. We don’t know for sure if it’s possible, and we don’t know how it would work. Even if it is possible, it would be very dangerous.

500 Words Essay on Time Travel

Time travel is a concept that has captured the imagination of humans for centuries. It is the idea of being able to move through time, either forward or backward, to a different point in history. While time travel remains a theoretical concept, it has been a popular theme in science fiction books, movies, and TV shows.

Theories of Time Travel

There are several different theories about how time travel might be possible. Some theories suggest that it could be possible to travel through wormholes, which are hypothetical tunnels through spacetime. Other theories suggest that it might be possible to travel through time by bending spacetime, or by creating a closed timelike curve.

The Grandfather Paradox

One of the biggest challenges to the idea of time travel is the grandfather paradox. This paradox states that if someone were to travel back in time and kill their own grandfather, it would create a logical contradiction. If the grandfather is killed, then the person who traveled back in time would never have been born. However, if the person was never born, then they would not have been able to travel back in time to kill their grandfather in the first place.

The Possibility of Time Travel

Despite the challenges, some scientists believe that time travel might be possible. They argue that the laws of physics do not explicitly rule out the possibility of time travel. However, they also admit that it is very unlikely that time travel will ever be possible for humans.

The Implications of Time Travel

If time travel were ever to become possible, it would have profound implications for our understanding of history, science, and the universe. It would allow us to learn about the past in a way that is not currently possible. It would also allow us to test scientific theories in a way that is not currently possible. And it would allow us to explore the universe in a way that is not currently possible.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Time Is Gold
• Essay on Time In Life
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Time Travel: Is It Possible? Essay

Time is one of the most unique and uninvestigated phenomena in our world. Its unclear nature and peoples inability to manage it attracted our attention and created a solid basis for vigorous debates related to the interference in its structure. The brightest minds have been trying to answer this question and formulate the main regularities related to this process for years. Besides, the rapid evolution of science and technologies renewed interest in this topic and gave rise to vigorous debates around the possibility or impossibility of time travels. Nevertheless, at the moment, there is still no consensus as perspectives on the issue differ. The discovery of wormholes also preconditioned the undying interest in the topic. Thus, there are several modern theories that could be explored to prove either the possibility or impossibility of time travels.

When delving into the topic, it is crucial to understand the essence of time and its nature. One obviously knows the fact that it is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It could be defined as a continuous process of existence and numerous events that might occur in succession from the past through the present to the future. As comes from the definition, there are three states which are the past, present, and future. This subdivision contributes to the appearance of the debates related to the negotiation of the time barrier and moving in time from the past to the future and on the contrary, from the future to the past. The complexity of the problem gave rise to numerous speculations about the creation of the machine that could allow a person to move from one timeline to another.

However, the rise of spacefaring triggered the new wave of debates related to this sphere. Numerous scientists consider spaceships to be a sort of time machine that could be used to travel through time. When a person undergoes a serious acceleration, turns around, and comes back to earth, he/she might experience a time travel. In this regard, any spaceship that is able to reach a significant speed close to the light velocity could become a space machine. From this very perspective, every time machine has to travel through space. Additionally, the discovery of wormholes also provides numerous opportunities for travels through a higher-dimensional hyperspace (Tegmark 6).

In other words, we could speak about the existence of some alternative reality that might provide us with an opportunity to move in time and reach the needed destination point. This idea also correlates to the many-worlds interpretation of the universe. It means that there are numerous alternative worlds with similar histories and events that occurred during certain periods of time. If to accept this idea, we could state that a wormhole transfers us from our world to another, similar to ours but going through another timeline. Under these conditions, time travels become possible with the proviso that humanity will be able to build a spaceship that could experience a journey of this sort and understand the nature of wormholes. One realizes the fact that this task should be considered more than complex; however, the possibility to achieve this goal remains.

Additionally, the question of time travels comes close with the idea of time paradoxes that are expected to result in the collapse of the universe or some other significant problems. Besides, time paradox might appear when a time traveler interferes with the course of history and alters some events that conditioned the way the modern world looks. Moreover, this rude intervention is also suggested as one of the main reasons why time travels are impossible and time paradoxes serve as the guaranty that it will never happen.

Moreover, if to analyze the issue of time travels in terms of the single self-consistent timeline framework, it is possible to accept the possibility of the creation of a time machine that will move us to different eras. This theory states that if there is a certain event that might cause a time paradox that could change the history or the past, the probability of this event is zero and a time traveler is not able to create the time paradox. This theory becomes the key factor that preconditions the possibility of time travels and provides us with an opportunity to cogitate about the way we could explore the dimension of time. Besides, if to integrate the ideas of the multiverse and self-consistent timeline, we could obtain a solid basis for the further exploration of the given issue. For instance, in accordance with the first theory, using a spaceship and a wormhole we could move to some alternative universe where our alter-ego could be met.

However, we could easily communicate with him/her, exchange thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even give recommendations related to the future. These actions will not result in the appearance of the time paradox because of several reasons. Firsts, considering the fact that it is one of the dimensions that belong to the model of the multiverse, events that occur here are not necessarily the same as in our world and the future of this person will not alter because of our interference (Tegmark 4). Moreover, in accordance with the theory of a single self-consistent timeline, this meeting and its consequences could not be dangerous as it has already occurred. We could even kill our alter-ego, and this action will not have a significant impact on our own future. Resting on these theories, it is possible to assume the existence of at least theoretical possibility to create a time machine and travel through time. Hence, one should realize the fact that humanity does not possess technologies that might provide us with this very opportunity at the moment. The nature of wormholes remains unclear, and there is no spaceship that will be able to survive under the extreme conditions that are expected to be found in the heart of this unique phenomenon.

Altogether, the issue of time travels remains a topical question that gives rise to numerous debates. The evolution of science and significant progress in the exploration of space made this aspect especially exciting as these factors contributed to the appearance of the theoretical possibility to use a spaceship and a wormhole to move to another dimension and time. The undying interest to this question also conditioned the appearance of the many-world interpretation of our universe and the model of the multiverse that comprises all dimensions. Moreover, the single self-consistent timeline framework could also be used to support the idea of time travels and guarantee that it will not result in the appearance of numerous time paradoxes.

Works Cited

Tegmark, Max. The Multiverse Hierarchy . Edited by Bernard Carr, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). Time Travel: Is It Possible? https://ivypanda.com/essays/time-travel-is-it-possible/

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Home / Essay Samples / Science / Physics / Time Travel

Time Travel Essay Examples

Comparative analysis of films about time travel: time bandits and back to the future.

Time Bandits directed by Terry Gilliam and Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis are both 1980’s films about time travel, but that’s where the similarities stop. Time Bandits, released in 1981 tells the story of a boy named Kevin and his adventures through...

Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House and the Theory of Time Travel

Is time travel real? Mary Pope Osborne is the author of the renowned 'Magic Tree House' series. In which Mary writes about a brother (Jack) and sister (Annie) duo, who go on adventures through time to inform the youth who read light novels about that...

Time Travel Narrative and Its Features

Time travel can be viewed as a child's play. Being categorized as science fiction, the concept of this art has been universally known as the act of physically traveling to a different period and tends to involve some sort of transportation machine. Time travel was...

Discussion of Whether Time Travel is Ethical

Time travel is ethical because we can learn about the past, solve unsolved crimes, and visit lost loved ones. Time travel has shown that can be very helpful in most cases. Lacking knowledge about how the future will evolve given changes to the past is...

The Paradoxical Effects of Time Travel

The issue of travelling in time is not new because it has interested people for centuries and continues to be interesting to us today. However, in spite of people's high concern and eagerness to uncover time's mysteries, it still keeps its secrets as it did...

The Hypothesized Nature of Time Travel

Time travel is one of the best/the most interesting topic in science fiction. Time travel is usually depicted in films such as Back to the Future, and Star Trek, you will see people hopping in strange contraptions or using a device that will take them...

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Dave's Travel Corner

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

How to write a travel essay

November 22, 2023 by Josh Collins Leave a Comment

Travel essays and short notes allow you to dive deep into the memories and share your experience with readers. If written well, readers can explore new places without traveling or get inspired to explore new things. The location you have visited may contain many things to discuss: architecture, sightseeing, nature, culture, and much more. How can you tell about it in a short essay? Whether you are planning to write an essay, blog post, or another type of writing – all the tips below will help you craft an appealing paper.

Understand your goals

Before writing a travel essay: 1. Define the main idea you want to stick to in your writing. If you have a specific word limit, you may be unable to cover everything you wish to write about. 2. Check whether the professor asked you to cover specific experiences during your trip or stick to a more descriptive writing style. 3. If you are free of what to write about, make up a list of things you wish to focus on.

Understanding your goals will help you see the big picture and write the text within a limited time. If you were assigned to write an essay about your travel and can’t meet the deadline or have no ideas, you can get punctual help with essay writing from EssayShark .

Write catchy introduction How did your travel start? What were your plans? You can start with a quote about adventure or just begin your story by planning or arriving at the destination place. For example, here are some starters for travel essays: ● Who has said traveling is pricy? ● Don’t let the routine bore you; add a bit of spice with traveling to your everyday life. ● And the adventure begins!

Experiment with various approaches to engage the reader. You can put this step at the end when you finish the first draft, when the overall idea will be more transparent.

Add vivid descriptions First, think about whether you can attach images to your essay to make it more appealing to the reader and support your adventures with real photos. An additional illustration can create a unique atmosphere that will transfer the reader to the place you have visited.

Use a more relaxed writing style and understand that a travel essay is not a formal academic paper but more personal writing. Use the language you use every day, and avoid cliches and slang to sound more natural and appealing to the reader.

Focus on several ideas What if you have no solid experience in traveling? Or maybe you haven’t seen anything special to talk about. In fact, even a small town has its own spirit and local sightseeing that, you can tell in your essay. For example, you can discuss local cuisine the weather, and share specific descriptions of the places.

Tell the simple story The main aim of every travel essay is to help the reader wear your shoes and imagine what you have experienced during the trip. Describe your emotions and experience in detail to help the reader feel like they have already visited the place. Avoid listing attractions or telling the traveling process step by step. Share your thoughts, and use creative expressions to keep your natural flow.

Ensure your travel story has a standard format and contains an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Don’t interrupt your writing in the middle of an idea; wrap up everything you have said in a meaningful conclusion.

Wrapping Up In general, you can approach traveling essays from different points of view. Grab the reader’s attention with an exciting intro, add vivid details, and focus on several aspects of your journey to keep them reading. Share your experience in a storytelling manner, and your writing won’t be unnoticed.

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What does the Bible say about eclipses? Some see evidence of higher power, warnings

We're less than two weeks away from the astronomical event of the decade:  A total eclipse of the sun , which will grace the nation's skies from  Texas to Maine  on the afternoon of  Monday, April 8 .

Millions of people are expected to travel  to see the spectacle, which also will attract scientists from across the country  to study its unique effects .

On the spiritual side of things, many also are preparing to use the eclipse as a time of reflection and prayer, though many also see the celestial events as bad omens.

Eclipses have inspired fear and awe among civilizations throughout history, from the Aztecs to the ancient Hindus. They're also associated with some major religious events, including the darkness that accompanied Jesus’ crucifixion in Christianity and, in Islam, the passing of the Prophet Muhammad’s son, Ibrahim.

What time is the solar eclipse? Search your ZIP code for a viewing guide

What does the Bible say about eclipses?

Celestial darkness is mentioned in sections of the Bible depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ — Matthew 27, Mark 15 and Luke 23.

Mark 15:33 reads: "And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour."

James Willis, an assistant professor of practice for religion at the University of Indianapolis, told USAToday that such references often emphasize the power of God over the cosmos.

“What we today see as an astronomical event, people previously interpreted as having life-and-death significance," Willis said.

Other references to eclipses include the book of Joshua, which recounts a day the sun stood still, as well as the book of Revelation. End times scholars often interpret celestial phenomena like solar eclipses, lunar eclipses and meteors as signs heralding significant future events, including the Rapture.

Is there a solar eclipse Bible prophesy?

In the Old Testament, prophets often describe eclipses or celestial phenomena as illustrations of a higher power at work when prophesizing, according to the Jerusalem Post.

• Isaiah 13:10: "The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light."
• Ezekiel 32:7: "When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light."
• Isaiah 38:8: "I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz."
• In the book of Joel, a Jewish prophetic text, Joel 2:10; 2:31: "The earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine... The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the LORD." Also, Joel 3:15: "The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine."

Eclipse in Choctaw culture

Earlier this month, in the Choctaw Nation newspaper Biskinik, a recurring column  exploring Choctaw culture  noted the sun was considered to bring life and good fortune; for some communities, when solar eclipses occurred, it was as if great black squirrels in the sky were devouring the sun. In response, all were called upon to make noise in an effort to frighten them away.

Eclipses in Islam offers an occasion to pray

During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, there was a solar eclipse on the day his son Ibrahim died.

As the story goes, speculation spread among Muhammad’s followers that even the sun and moon were grieving his loss. In response, he dispelled the notion that the eclipse was due to a person's death or life, and instead called them to pray until the eclipse is clear.

While Islam’s eclipse prayer is not a mandatory one, many still take time to recite it.

Looking for free solar eclipse glasses? These OKC libraries are handing them out

A warning of God’s imminent wrath?

Perspectives on eclipses vary widely, but some see celestial happenings as a warning of God’s imminent wrath; some have even claimed they bear  political significance . In November 2022, some ultraconservative Christian pastors said the approaching blood moon lunar eclipse portended a surge of Republican midterm wins.

More recently, Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of iconic evangelist Billy Graham, has seen speculation among some that the combined paths over the United States of this year’s eclipse and the previous two solar eclipses appear to mimic the shapes of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet — in other words, the beginning and the end.

“Maybe people are reading too much into it,” she told USAToday recently. “But when you look at the world, you don’t need an eclipse to know that things are getting really dangerous. Maybe it’s telling us it’s time to get right with God and the people in our lives, so that we have no regrets.”

Contributing: Marc Ramirez, USAToday

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You’ll be cruising if you follow these tips.

A travel agent is sharing the key steps passengers should take if they fail to re-board their cruise ship before its designated departure time.

Late last week, 8 Norwegian Cruise passengers, including 6 Americans, were left stranded in Africa  after their ship left port without them because their private land tour ran overtime.

It’s commonplace for cruise ships to dock for days or hours at various ports, allowing those on board the chance to disembark and explore local areas.

And while it’s rare for a vessel to sail off again without everyone back on board, Big Apple travel agent Joanna Kuther says it can be a bureaucratic nightmare if you’re left behind.

“It’s one of those things like, it’s not a problem until it’s a problem,” she told USA Today on Tuesday.

If you return to port to find your ship sailing off in the distance, the expert advised immediately contacting the cruise line to let them know.

Kuther added that a stranded passenger should also reach out to their travel agent to help handle logistics, such as booking emergency accommodation or connecting flights.

The nearest US embassy may also be able to offer assistance, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to claim expenses on insurance, particularly if land activities were not organized by the cruise company itself.

Kuther says savvy travelers should pick shore excursions organized by the cruise or a vendor they’ve partnered with that guarantees to get passengers back before re-boarding time.

In order to avoid missing departure time, Kuther also dished some practical tips.

She urged passengers to make sure their watch is set to ship time rather than local time, which may be different

“So many people get confused with that,” she declared, adding that travelers should aim to arrive back at the boat with at least an hour to spare.

And if you’re disembarking the ship, Kuther claims there are essentials you need to take in case anything goes awry.

“You probably should have your passport with you because you’re going to need it to get on a flight to get to the next port, especially if it’s in a different country,” Kuther advised.

She added that travelers should take a credit card in case they’re forced to fork out for any unexpected expenses, including emergency accommodation.

And while the 8 passengers left stranded by Norweigan have ripped the cruise line, accusing them of neglecting its “basic duty of care,” Kurther says the vessels are on tight schedules while in port.

“If they have to leave at a certain time, they have to leave at that time,” she declared

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UConn vs. Iowa: Date, time, TV and streaming info for women's Final Four game

An instant classic pitting LSU's Angel Reese against Iowa's Caitlin Clark is now but a vivid memory. Now it's onto the next one for Clark and company, who will battle Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies for a trip to the national championship .

March Madness has been a slugfest of talent in the women's bracket, and the denouement of this tournament is following that trend.

Monday was but a snapshot of the possibilities for this semifinal game. Clark was her usual self, dropping 41 points on 13-for-29 shooting and collecting 12 assists against a tough LSU team. Bueckers owns real estate on the marquee as well and had 28 points and 10 boards in a winning effort over USC, 80-73.

Now they are on a collision course for this Friday. Here is how to watch:

Must-see Madness: Brilliant performance from Paige Bueckers sets up showdown with Caitlin Clark, again

FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.

How to watch No. 3 UConn vs. No. 1 Iowa

When:  Friday, April 5, 2024

Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Where:  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland, Ohio

Cable TV:  ESPN

Streaming:  ESPN+

Stream the game: Catch the highly anticipated LSU-Iowa rematch with an ESPN+ subscription

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New York Takes Crucial Step Toward Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to approve a new $15 toll to drive into Manhattan. The plan still faces challenges from six lawsuits before it can begin in June.

By Winnie Hu and Ana Ley

New York City completed a crucial final step on Wednesday in a decades-long effort to become the first American city to roll out a comprehensive congestion pricing program, one that aims to push motorists out of their cars and onto mass transit by charging new tolls to drive into Midtown and Lower Manhattan.

The program could start as early as mid-June after the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that will install and manage the program, voted 11-to-1 to approve the final tolling rates, which will charge most passenger cars $15 a day to enter at 60th Street and below in Manhattan. The program is expected to reduce traffic and raise $1 billion annually for public transit improvements.

It was a historic moment for New York’s leaders and transportation advocates after decades of failed attempts to advance congestion pricing even as other gridlocked cities around the world, including London, Stockholm and Singapore, proved that similar programs could reduce traffic and pollution.

While other American cities have introduced related concepts by establishing toll roads or closing streets to traffic, the plan in New York is unmatched in ambition and scale.

Congestion pricing is expected to reduce the number of vehicles that enter Lower Manhattan by about 17 percent, according to a November study by an advisory committee reporting to the M.T.A. The report also said that the total number of miles driven in 28 counties across the region would be reduced.

“This was the right thing to do,” Janno Lieber, the authority’s chairman and chief executive, said after the vote. “New York has more traffic than any place in the United States, and now we’re doing something about it.”

Congestion pricing has long been a hard sell in New York, where many people commute by car from the boroughs outside of Manhattan and the suburbs, in part because some of them do not have access to public transit.

New York State legislators finally approved congestion pricing in 2019 after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo helped push it through. A series of recent breakdowns in the city’s subway system had underscored the need for billions of dollars to update its aging infrastructure.

It has taken another five years to reach the starting line. Before the tolling program can begin, it must be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, which is expected to approve it.

Congestion pricing also faces legal challenges from six lawsuits that have been brought by elected officials and residents from across the New York region. Opponents have increasingly mobilized against the program in recent months, citing the cost of the tolls and the potential environmental effects from shifting traffic and pollution to other areas as drivers avoid the tolls.

A court hearing is scheduled for April 3 and 4 on a lawsuit brought by the State of New Jersey, which is seen as the most serious legal challenge. The mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., Mark J. Sokolich, has filed a related lawsuit.

Four more lawsuits have been brought in New York: by Ed Day, the Rockland County executive; by Vito Fossella, the Staten Island borough president, and the United Federation of Teachers; and by two separate groups of city residents.

Amid the litigation, M.T.A. officials have suspended some capital construction projects that were to be paid for by the program, and they said at a committee meeting on Monday that crucial work to modernize subway signals on the A and C lines had been delayed.

Nearly all the toll readers have been installed, and will automatically charge drivers for entering the designated congestion zone at 60th Street or below. There is no toll for leaving the zone or driving around in it. Through traffic on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the West Side Highway will not be tolled.

Under the final tolling structure, which was based on recommendations by the advisory panel, most passenger vehicles will be charged $15 a day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The toll will be $24 for small trucks and charter buses, and will rise to $36 for large trucks and tour buses. It will be $7.50 for motorcycles.

Those tolls will be discounted by 75 percent at night, dropping the cost for a passenger vehicle to $3.75.

Fares will go up by $1.25 for taxis and black car services, and by $2.50 for Uber and Lyft. Passengers will be responsible for paying the new fees, and they will be added to every ride that begins, ends or occurs within the congestion zone. There will be no nighttime discounts. (The new fees come on top of an existing congestion surcharge that was imposed on for-hire vehicles in 2019.)

The tolls will mostly be collected using the E-ZPass system. Electronic detection points have been placed at entrances and exits to the tolling zone. Drivers who do not use an E-ZPass will pay significantly higher fees — for instance, $22.50 instead of $15 during peak hours for passenger vehicles.

Emergency vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, as well as vehicles carrying people with disabilities, were exempted from the new tolls under the state’s congestion pricing legislation .

As for discounts, low-income drivers who make less than $50,000 annually can apply to receive half off the daytime toll after their first 10 trips in a calendar month. In addition, low-income residents of the congestion zone who make less than $60,000 a year can apply for a state tax credit.

All drivers entering the zone directly from four tolled tunnels — the Lincoln, Holland, Hugh L. Carey and Queens-Midtown — will receive a “crossing credit” that will be applied against the daytime toll. The credit will be $5 round-trip for passenger vehicles, $12 for small trucks and intercity and charter buses, $20 for large trucks and tour buses, and $2.50 for motorcycles. No credits will be offered at night.

Grace Ashford contributed reporting.

Winnie Hu is a Times reporter covering the people and neighborhoods of New York City. More about Winnie Hu

Ana Ley is a Times reporter covering New York City’s mass transit system and the millions of passengers who use it. More about Ana Ley