October 26, 1985

...25 years ago...


...in Back to the Future, Dr. Emmett Brown's dog, Einstein, became the world's first time traveler.

Of course, since Doc's experiment proved to be successful, the moment Einstein traveled ahead one minute in the parking lot of the Twin Pines Lone Pine Mall, it instantaneously set a course of events that made Einstein's journey the seventh instance — at least — of time travel. Doc's experiment paved the way for these earlier instances of time travel, which include:


September 7, 1885 — Near the Shonash Clayton Eastwood Ravine, Marty McFly was sent to 1985 in the end of BTTF3.


November 12, 1955 — An elderly Biff Tannen returned to 2015 after giving his younger self the sports almanac. We don't actually see this occur, but it happens in BTTF2, which makes way for the alternate 1985.


November 12, 1955 — At Courthouse Square, Marty used the lightning that hits the clock tower to get sent to 1985 in the end of BTTF.


November 12, 1955 — Near the future site of the Lyon Estates development, lightning struck the DeLorean and accidentally sent Doc to January 1, 1885 at the end of BTTF2.


November 16, 1955 — At the Pohatchee Drive-In Theatre, Marty went to September 2, 1885 at the beginning of BTTF3 to save Doc from being killed from Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen.

Those are five earlier instances. At the end of BTTF3, we learn that at some point, Doc left 1885 with his family on their flying train, so that's six. Plus how ever many times the Brown Family flying time traveling train gets used before 1985.


For a guy who preaches not learning too much about one's future and not disturbing the past, Doc gets pretty willy nilly with the time machine.

Also, the Journey song Faithfully tells us "that the road ain't no place to start a family." The Browns take going city-to-city a step further, pack up their lives and going time-to-time. That's got to warp their kids' upbringing a bit.

I guess since they have the technology, then why not use it. Plus, they're white, so they have the luxury of being able to travel through time freely.

Louis C.K. — Being White

Any idea why Doc feels the need to get the time machine airborne, gain speed, turn around and then reach the speed necessary for time travel? I realize in the movie world, it's more dramatic if the time machine flies towards the audience before it disappears to where ever it was headed — though it's significantly less dramatic if the movie isn't being viewed in 3-D. However, if you don't need roads, then you don't really need to turn around either. Just get in the air, punch it, hit 88 miles per hour and be on your way.