[gusopol3]

John Jacob Astor had a plan to straighten the axis of the earth (eliminate the tilt) . That would have pretty much taken care of things. Of course, the cost would be prohibitive now.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Was that John Jacob Astor IV? There were at least six.

The rotational rate of the earth slows down by about 0.002 seconds per day per century, due to tidally induced transfer from earth's rotational angular momentum to the moon's orbit. The rate of energy transfer is about one gigawatt.

The amount of energy (and mass) required to "eliminate the tilt" is staggering. It is probably not possible to do at any cost. (We might as well eliminate the eccentricity of the earth's orbit while we're at it.)

The effects of eliminating seasons would be disasterous, short term. Maybe he should have concentrated on something more practical, like maritime safety.

[jagusafr]

Actually it was him and another guy, which makes it a half-Astor idea...sorry.

[bkepley]

Of course, the cost would be prohibitive now.

Thank goodness for that!