Explore the failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities that shaped history.From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder to the unsuccessful stint in medical school... Read More
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Explore the failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities that shaped history.
From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder to the unsuccessful stint in medical school that led to a career in naturalism for Charles Darwin, to the missile detection system malfunction that almost sparked a nuclear war, the course of human history has often been shaped by failures of all magnitudes.
In fifty bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Failures details how the world as we know it has been defined by plans gone awry, opportunities not seized, and schemes that were always fated to end in catastrophe.
Whether it’s the pharaoh Akhenaten’s misplaced attempt to found a new religion or Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia, discover a fascinating collection of outsized tales and historical snafus that created the world as we know it today.
From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder to the unsuccessful stint in medical school that led to a career in naturalism for Charles Darwin, to the missile detection system malfunction that almost sparked a nuclear war, the course of human history has often been shaped by failures of all magnitudes.
In fifty bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Failures details how the world as we know it has been defined by plans gone awry, opportunities not seized, and schemes that were always fated to end in catastrophe.
Whether it’s the pharaoh Akhenaten’s misplaced attempt to found a new religion or Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia, discover a fascinating collection of outsized tales and historical snafus that created the world as we know it today.
Details
- Price: $19.99
- Pages: 288
- Carton Quantity: 12
- Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
- Imprint: Michael O'Mara Books US
- Publication Date: 30th September 2025
- Trim Size: 5.08 x 7.01 in
- ISBN: 9781789297898
- Format: Hardcover
- BISACs:
REFERENCE / Curiosities & Wonders
HISTORY / World
EDUCATION / History
Author Bio
Table of Contents
Introduction 7
Part I: The Ancient World 11
1. Human Cousins Fail to Survive
2. Indus Valley Civilization Collapses
3. Akhenaten Founds a New Religion No One Likes
4. The Bronze Age Collapse
5. Failure to Stop Leaves Falling in Water Causes a Trade War
6. Xerxes Invades Greece and Loses Spectacularly
7. Alexander Fails to Name an Heir and Causes Civil War
8. Hannibal Misses His Chance to Destroy Rome
9. Assassins Leave Mark Antony Alive – and Suffer His Vengeance
10. The Romans Lose at the Teutoburg Forest
11. Steam Power is Used for Toys, not Industry
12. Roman Persecutions Fail to Suppress Christianity
13. Julian Invades Persia – It Goes Badly
14. The Chinese Fail to Find Immortality
Part II: The Middle Ages 89
15. The Norse Abandon North America
16. The White Ship Sinks, Leading to Civil War
17. Erfurt Latrine Disaster
18. The Crusaders Fail to Reach Jerusalem
19. Inalchuq Fails to Show Hospitality
20. A Divine Wind Sinks the Mongol Fleet – Twice
21. Mansa Musa Crashes Egypt’s Economy
22. China Turns its Back on Exploration, and Declines
23. Urban the Hungarian is not Hired by Constantinople
24. Columbus Miscalculates the World
25. Muslim Kingdoms Lose Iberia
26. Europeans Diseases Ravage the New World
27. The Catholic Church Fails to Reform
28. The Spanish Armada Gets Blown Off Course
29. The Songhai Empire Falls Because Cattle Charge The Wrong Way
30. The Wanggongchang Explosion
Part III: The Modern World 173
31. Dutch Tulip Mania Costs Millions
32. The Darien Scheme Fails
33. Britain Taxes its Colonies and Provokes War
34. The Flight to Varennes Dooms the French King
35. Napoleon Invades Russia and Destroys his Own Empire
36. Darwin Drops Out of Medical School
37. General D. H. Hill Loses Special Order 191
38. Alexander Graham Bell Makes a Mistranslation and Invents the Telephone
39. Sloppy Lab Work Leads to Sweet Discoveries
40. Russia Sells Alaska for a Pittance
41. Franz Ferdinand’s Driver Takes a Wrong Turn
42. Tsar Nicholas II Takes Control and Loses Everything
43. Soviet Collectivization Kills Millions
44. Alexander Fleming Fails to Keep his Samples Clean
45. Cane Toads are Unleashed on Australia
46. Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor and Causes a War it Cannot Win
47. Hitler’s Wonder Weapons Waste Material
48. Thomas Midgley’s Disastrous Genius
49. Stanislav Petrov Fails to Follow Protocol and Saves the World
50. Failure in Communication Brings Down the Berlin Wall
Afterword 277
Acknowledgements 279
Select Bibliography 280
Index 281
Explore the failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities that shaped history.
From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder to the unsuccessful stint in medical school that led to a career in naturalism for Charles Darwin, to the missile detection system malfunction that almost sparked a nuclear war, the course of human history has often been shaped by failures of all magnitudes.
In fifty bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Failures details how the world as we know it has been defined by plans gone awry, opportunities not seized, and schemes that were always fated to end in catastrophe.
Whether it’s the pharaoh Akhenaten’s misplaced attempt to found a new religion or Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia, discover a fascinating collection of outsized tales and historical snafus that created the world as we know it today.
From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder to the unsuccessful stint in medical school that led to a career in naturalism for Charles Darwin, to the missile detection system malfunction that almost sparked a nuclear war, the course of human history has often been shaped by failures of all magnitudes.
In fifty bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Failures details how the world as we know it has been defined by plans gone awry, opportunities not seized, and schemes that were always fated to end in catastrophe.
Whether it’s the pharaoh Akhenaten’s misplaced attempt to found a new religion or Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia, discover a fascinating collection of outsized tales and historical snafus that created the world as we know it today.
- Price: $19.99
- Pages: 288
- Carton Quantity: 12
- Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
- Imprint: Michael O'Mara Books US
- Publication Date: 30th September 2025
- Trim Size: 5.08 x 7.01 in
- ISBN: 9781789297898
- Format: Hardcover
- BISACs:
REFERENCE / Curiosities & Wonders
HISTORY / World
EDUCATION / History
Introduction 7
Part I: The Ancient World 11
1. Human Cousins Fail to Survive
2. Indus Valley Civilization Collapses
3. Akhenaten Founds a New Religion No One Likes
4. The Bronze Age Collapse
5. Failure to Stop Leaves Falling in Water Causes a Trade War
6. Xerxes Invades Greece and Loses Spectacularly
7. Alexander Fails to Name an Heir and Causes Civil War
8. Hannibal Misses His Chance to Destroy Rome
9. Assassins Leave Mark Antony Alive – and Suffer His Vengeance
10. The Romans Lose at the Teutoburg Forest
11. Steam Power is Used for Toys, not Industry
12. Roman Persecutions Fail to Suppress Christianity
13. Julian Invades Persia – It Goes Badly
14. The Chinese Fail to Find Immortality
Part II: The Middle Ages 89
15. The Norse Abandon North America
16. The White Ship Sinks, Leading to Civil War
17. Erfurt Latrine Disaster
18. The Crusaders Fail to Reach Jerusalem
19. Inalchuq Fails to Show Hospitality
20. A Divine Wind Sinks the Mongol Fleet – Twice
21. Mansa Musa Crashes Egypt’s Economy
22. China Turns its Back on Exploration, and Declines
23. Urban the Hungarian is not Hired by Constantinople
24. Columbus Miscalculates the World
25. Muslim Kingdoms Lose Iberia
26. Europeans Diseases Ravage the New World
27. The Catholic Church Fails to Reform
28. The Spanish Armada Gets Blown Off Course
29. The Songhai Empire Falls Because Cattle Charge The Wrong Way
30. The Wanggongchang Explosion
Part III: The Modern World 173
31. Dutch Tulip Mania Costs Millions
32. The Darien Scheme Fails
33. Britain Taxes its Colonies and Provokes War
34. The Flight to Varennes Dooms the French King
35. Napoleon Invades Russia and Destroys his Own Empire
36. Darwin Drops Out of Medical School
37. General D. H. Hill Loses Special Order 191
38. Alexander Graham Bell Makes a Mistranslation and Invents the Telephone
39. Sloppy Lab Work Leads to Sweet Discoveries
40. Russia Sells Alaska for a Pittance
41. Franz Ferdinand’s Driver Takes a Wrong Turn
42. Tsar Nicholas II Takes Control and Loses Everything
43. Soviet Collectivization Kills Millions
44. Alexander Fleming Fails to Keep his Samples Clean
45. Cane Toads are Unleashed on Australia
46. Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor and Causes a War it Cannot Win
47. Hitler’s Wonder Weapons Waste Material
48. Thomas Midgley’s Disastrous Genius
49. Stanislav Petrov Fails to Follow Protocol and Saves the World
50. Failure in Communication Brings Down the Berlin Wall
Afterword 277
Acknowledgements 279
Select Bibliography 280
Index 281