We are supposed to learn from our small mistakes but who knew the silly ones could also change the course of human history? Take a look.
1. World War I began because someone took a wrong turn
We all know that World War I started with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie.
Although the aristocratic couple managed to deflect an assassination attempt earlier in the day, their chauffeur drove them into the jaws of death this time. While on their way to visit a hospital full of victims of a targeted bomb blast, their car took a wrong turn where one of the assassins happened to be. While the car was reversing, he took his chance and succeeded.
2. Failure to buy new rifles prolonged the American Civil War
The Union States (the North) could have won the American Civil War in a shorter period of time had they procured newer rifles. The man responsible was James Wolfe Ripley, the Chief Ordnance, who constantly blocked the move to buy new guns.
An aide suggested they buy cheaper Enfield rifles from the British but he refused to turn to his old enemies for help. Sadly, the Confederacy (the south) procured these cheap British rifles and sent the Union on the losing side for the first few battles of the War.
Ripley was ousted soon after and the Union succeeded in winning the War.
3. It wasn't icebergs that made the Titanic sink, but a set of keys
We all know that the maiden voyage of the Titanic came to a tragic end when it hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
The man in charge of looking out for icebergs wasn't equipped with binoculars because it was locked up in a box and the keys hadn't made it aboard. Apparently the second officer on the ship was changed last minute. Charles Lightoller who was assigned as the new second officer was not given the keys in the handover, as the man he replaced had forgotten to get them out of his pocket.
4. Constantinople fell thanks to an unlocked door
The impenetrable city of Constantinople was guarded by the thick wall that kept out invading forces. However, it's fall in 1453 AD brought an end to the Middle Ages and brought about the dominance of the Ottoman Empire and the Renaissance. The Byzantine Empire fell thanks to a failure to lock one of the gates of its great wall. Once the Ottomans discovered this flaw, all hell break loose and resistance rapidly faded.
5. D-Day took place because someone took the day off
The day the Allied forces managed to occupy the coast of France from Nazi Germany during World War II is better known as D-Day. It all happened because of one man who felt that the bad weather would keep his enemies at bay. Field Marshall Rommel took the weekend of June 6 off to celebrate his wife's birthday, leaving his troops unprepared to keep off the Allies from continental Europe.
6. The Wicked Bible encouraged adultery in the 1600s
In 1631, printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas forgot to add the word 'not' to the seventh commandment of the Bible, leading it to be printed as "Thou shalt commit adultery" which made many people commit it openly in the 17th century.
When King Charles I found out, he took the business license away from the printers, fined their wages for a year and ordered all copies be burned. Today, only 11 copies of 'The Wicked Bible' remain.
7. The Berlin Wall fell because of a bureaucrat's misinformation
In 1989, as the grip of the Socialist regime in East Germany loosened and the Soviet Union came under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachov, there was a decision to ease travel restrictions between the East and West.
Gunter Schwabowski, a bureaucrat, was supposed to hold a press conference announcing the ease of travel restrictions. When asked by reporters when the new measures would come into effect, he went into a moment of doubt and muttered, "Immediately, right away."
This led to many people heading to the wall to enter West Berlin while others just decided to do away with the symbol of the oppressive regime. Today, only parts of the wall stand in the city of Berlin.
8. An error in interpretation caused the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
The Americans drafted the Potsdam declaration which demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan. Kantaro Suzuki, the Japanese premier, responded with the word, 'mokusatsu' which means to withhold from comment. However, the same word can also mean 'to contemptuously ignore' and this is where his interpreters got it wrong. It was sent across to the Americans and a week later, Hiroshima became the target of an attack that claimed many lives.
9. Marie Antoinette's failed attempt at escaping
When the French Revolution broke out, King Louis XVI planned to escape alone and mobilise his supporters to counter the revolution and save his crown. However, his wife, Marie Antoinette, demanded that she join him with the children. They chose a slow moving luxurious carriage which stood out and it soon became apparent to the people that it belonged to the royal couple.
The people of France were insulted that their monarch was trying to escape a nation embroiled in commotion. They just decided to do away with him and his cowardly kind.
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Posted by: Fereshteh Jamshidi <fayjay81@yahoo.com>
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