10 of the Biggest Mistakes in Human History

For the most part, history concerns itself with victories and good decisions; there’s a reason for the saying, “History is written by the victor.” But in many cases, the mistakes are just as crucial a part of a story as the right choices are, and sometimes the mistakes are an interesting story all on their own...

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Coming up:

10. George Bell (CEO of Excite) rejected the offer to buy Google — twice
9. Heinrich Schliemann finds Troy, but destroys it
8. A wrong turn put Franz Ferdinand in the right place to start WWI
7. Cost-cutting, broken radar caused the Exxon Valdez oil spill
6. Constantinople fell due to one gate left open
5. The Austrian army attacked itself and killed 10,000
4. Weak weather forecasting left the Germans wide open for D-Day
3. Mao Zedong’s agricultural mistakes led to the Great Chinese Famine
2. A few pairs of binoculars might have saved the Titanic
1. A mistranslation helped to bring about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings

Source/Further reading:

[frankvandorp]

Two major mistakes that ought to have been included:
1. Hannibal's decision after the battle of Cannae to not attack Rome, but plunder the countryside, which likely cost Carthage the war, their civilization and allowed Rome to eventually become the dominant world power.
2. The Taino indians who welcomed Columbus and his three ships with food and gifts, as opposed to trying to sink the ships, which caused the downfall of two entire continents' worth of civilizations.
Things like one guy not buying Google or one ship possibly not being sunk are really blips in history compared to those mistakes.

[MissBlueEyeliner]

I listen to so much Simon Whistler that he’s begun to narrate my dreams.

[popuptarget]

The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
-Douglas Adams

[joannivaldi]

Simon, Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer testified at the American inquiry of the Titanic disaster. It was his opinion that binoculars would not have been useful and that he would have had only one lookout on watch, not two men, and the Crowsnest was too high over the ocean to spot an iceberg in time. He said that they "had no right" going that speed in an icefield. Very insightful testimony from Shackleton based on his experience in ice conditions.

[ballinlikestalin]

The biggest mistake is one that is made multiple times, Invading russia in the winter!!

[randallpetroelje]

Hey Simon, what about the burning of the library of Alexandria?? Some scholars think that it set back the human race by at least about (give or take) 1000 years. Thanks again for your show.

[missfunkshunal]

If Excite had bought Google back then, its also possible that it would not be as big as it is today and the purchase would not have been worth it.

[ZippoX]

Next on top tenz, top 10 YouTube channels featuring Simon Whistler

[stephenlane]

Loving all your channels Simon. Fascinating subjects and well researched and well written narratives 👌

[sollosi]

Holy crap, my grandpa was a US Air Force meteorologist during WWII. I’m extra proud of him now.

RIP, Orville Eustace.

[nydra]

It's quite funny that Troy, a place that was destroyed multiple times then built back up got destroyed AGAIN.

[nerdlingeeksly]

Schliemann destroyed many Priceless artifacts to get at a single Priceless artifact.
This reminds me of the Golden Goose story when the farmer cuts open the Golden Goose to get more gold out of it he finds there is no gold and in killing the goose he gets no more gold

[chslaw]

The thing about George Bell and Google is that we really can’t be sure if Google would have become the juggernaut it is today had the sale occurred. Yahoo also could have bought Google for $1 million in 1998 and passed. Most of the companies that Yahoo has purchased over the years languished under Yahoo. Google might have lingered and died under Yahoo.

[mathieuleader]

the accidential arson of the Library of Alexandria is indeed a very great mistake

[deancollins]

Regarding D-Day invasion. My dad, according to his discharge papers, was a staff sargent in charge of classified materials for the US joint chiefs of staff. My mom, now 99 years old, has told a story a couple of times of my dad listening to the radio intently a week prior to the invasion. He new that the invasion was planned for that day, but couldn't divulge why he was so interested in the radio a week before the invasion. Apparently, unbeknownst to my dad, the invasion was postponed for a week due to poor weather.

[OG-GenX]

My second cousin Lester Wanner died on the beach in Normandy. He was my great Aunt Rosina's only son. RIP cuz ♥️🇺🇸

[sirridesalot]

Even after the two atomic bombs were used Japan was ready and willing to continue fighting. Up until Russia invaded the Japanese Kuril Islands. This happened August 9, 1945. From a Wikipedia article:
"The Soviet entry into the war was a significant factor in the Japanese government's decision to surrender unconditionally, as it made apparent that the Soviet Union was not willing to act as a third party in negotiating an end to hostilities on conditional terms."

[adamloverin]

Ooh! I found the fabled Troy of Homer’s Iliad!

Where’s that TNT?

[ppypoon]

3:14 When I heard 'explosives' my heart stopped.

[DarqueQueen]

But there is another point to consider. Emperor Hirohito had said on a radio broadcast to his people that he would "continue fighting until the world around them was destroyed". So, in the immediate aftermath of Hiroshima, the residents thought they had won the war The world was in ashes and ruin around them, they had to have won! That was why it was so devastating when Hirohito went on the radio and those few who still had functioning sets in and around Hiroshima heard him declare the war was over and he had surrendered. So...they may have needed the bomb to show Hirohito the difference between talk and deed.