In my experience, if the Ming kept trading openly, world history might look totally different, but that's just my two cents.
I was digging into old tech history and it struck me. Without the printing press, knowledge spread would have been so slow. I connected the dots by seeing how books shaped Europe. That might have delayed the Renaissance and science advances. What's your take on this alternative timeline?
She was offered a teaching job in New York but stayed in Texas to care for her parents. If she left, our family might have grown up in a different place with new chances. How do you figure small family duties change big historical paths?