History's epic failures

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

There's been a lot of alt-history stories done on WWII, but I've always been more interested in the what-if of Germany winning WWI. Would they have been as vengful as Britain and France with the Treaty of Versailles? Would a facist movement popped up in France then? Or would WWII have been avoided completely with nothing driving the Germans towards facism?

Chances are though the level of victory by Germany over someone like Britain would have been different if it did happen.


Back then, when you won a war you imposed conditions that in theory would make sure that your enemy would never rise again.


I believe that WW2 would have happened no matter what. I mean Japan was a Facist state with Imperial aspirations long before the German's did.



With the Depression, the dying of imperialism, the disenfranchisement of the younger generations, Facism was in the rise in Europe anyways, it wasn't a new invention. France and Britain both have not insignificant Facist movements.

[Tsawwassen]

Another ship disaster with far less fatalities, the MS Express Samina

"On 26 September 2000, waves push the MS Express Samina off course, causing it to hit a group of rocks off Paros and sink, killing 80 people. Subsequent investigation showed that the ferry was on autopilot, with the crew not monitoring the ship's course. They were instead watching an association football match. The ship sank because nine of its eleven watertight compartment doors were open."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Express_Samina




Aviation disaster, Aeroflot Flight 593

"Cockpit voice and flight data recorders revealed the presence of the relief pilot's 12-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son on the flight deck. While seated at the controls, the pilot's son had unknowingly disengaged the A310's autopilot control of the aircraft's ailerons."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

[sketchyt]

Gerald Ratner is one of my favorite PR/business blunders:


Ratners jewellery chain has admitted for the first time that its business was decisively wounded when former chairman Gerald Ratner described one of its products as “total crap”. Mr Ratner’s ill-judged comments accelerated a spiral of decline for Britain’s biggest jewellery group which plunged £122.3m into the red in the year to February and is to close 330 shops in Britain and the US.

[FlamesAddiction]

The events leading up to WWI were like a perfect storm of screw ups, miscommunications, misjudgments and ironies.

In one of the bitter ironies, Austria's waffling for 3 weeks before the war probably ensured that a global war was inevitable. Most leaders and public opinion at the time saw Austria as the victim and they had a lot of goodwill built up that they pissed away over 3 weeks of trying to negotiate. The peace process practically ensured that a global war would happen.

The Kaiser went on vacation in the middle of the July Crisis leaving Austria hanging. Had he been working, there is a good chance that Austria would have either moved faster, convinced Russia to stay out, or that Serbia would have given in to the complete ultimatum.

But nope, he just had to go on his Norwegian cruise in the middle of everything.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Tsawwassen

Another ship disaster with far less fatalities, the MS Express Samina

"On 26 September 2000, waves push the MS Express Samina off course, causing it to hit a group of rocks off Paros and sink, killing 80 people. Subsequent investigation showed that the ferry was on autopilot, with the crew not monitoring the ship's course. They were instead watching an association football match. The ship sank because nine of its eleven watertight compartment doors were open."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Express_Samina




Aviation disaster, Aeroflot Flight 593

"Cockpit voice and flight data recorders revealed the presence of the relief pilot's 12-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son on the flight deck. While seated at the controls, the pilot's son had unknowingly disengaged the A310's autopilot control of the aircraft's ailerons."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

I cant remember the name but there was a grim sinking in the north sea of a car ferry that left its bow doors open to blow the fumes from the cars out after loading, and was swamped and sank in heavy seas almost immedeatly it left the harbour with a massive loss of life, it was reported several English guys formed a human chain passing women and kids out of the windows of the main seating area until they themselves were drowned, we Brits love a good sinking in the realm of the Birkenhead drill and the band on the Titanic, it is part of the national psyche

[FireGilbert]

Here are a few more, trying to stay away from wars:

Plague of Justinian: The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I did such a poor job managing a pandemic that they named it after him. This quote sums it up: Justinian showed no mercy towards the ruined freeholders. Even then, he did not refrain from demanding the annual tax, not only the amount at which he assessed each individual, but also the amount for which his deceased neighbors were liable

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_of_Justinian

1912 Republican National Convention: Taft and Roosevelt could not put their differences aside leading to a walkout from Roosevelt who formed the Progressives. The resulting split vote in the election allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to become President with only 42% of the vote. Domesiticaly this halted an American drift towards progressivism and improved race relations. Internationaly Wilson's post war world view and 14 points failed miserably.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1912_R...nal_Convention

Leaded Gasoline: What seemed like an easy solution to prevent engine knocking issues at the time ended up spreading a toxic substance in high concnetrations around the globe. There was so much lead in the atmosphere during the mid 20th century that future achaeologist will be able to identify skeletons from this time by measuring lead in their bones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead

Partition of India: A short sighted action which caused death and chaos at the time and still has major impacts today. The original plan was to take 16 months for a transition but it was done in 6.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India

[CaptainCrunch]

How about the US banking crisis and the toxic asset crisis.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

Here are a few more, trying to stay away from wars:

Plague of Justinian: The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I did such a poor job managing a pandemic that they named it after him. This quote sums it up: Justinian showed no mercy towards the ruined freeholders. Even then, he did not refrain from demanding the annual tax, not only the amount at which he assessed each individual, but also the amount for which his deceased neighbors were liable

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_of_Justinian

1912 Republican National Convention: Taft and Roosevelt could not put their differences aside leading to a walkout from Roosevelt who formed the Progressives. The resulting split vote in the election allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to become President with only 42% of the vote. Domesiticaly this halted an American drift towards progressivism and improved race relations. Internationaly Wilson's post war world view and 14 points failed miserably.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1912_R...nal_Convention

Leaded Gasoline: What seemed like an easy solution to prevent engine knocking issues at the time ended up spreading a toxic substance in high concnetrations around the globe. There was so much lead in the atmosphere during the mid 20th century that future achaeologist will be able to identify skeletons from this time by measuring lead in their bones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead

Partition of India: A short sighted action which caused death and chaos at the time and still has major impacts today. The original plan was to take 16 months for a transition but it was done in 6.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India

There is a theory in Criminology that the drop in violent crime in most of the world (well the western world) is due to the background levels of lead dropping below the level to cause mild brain damage leading to violence in the population.

[afc wimbledon]

I would argue the British in India were broke and utterly exhausted after the war and so didn't have the ability to do much anything else, the only way to avoid what happened was for India itself to police itself and the political and religious forces in play would never allow that to happen.

[FlamesAddiction]

Probably one of the best examples that highlights the difference between cause and causation, and how jumping to conclusions can be catastrophic.

During one of the Black Plague epidemics in England, people noticed that cats were thriving and associated them with bringing the plague.

Of course, it wasn't the cats that were bringing the plague, but the fleas carried by rats. That allowed the rat population to get out of control, which only made the plague worst.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

There is a theory in Criminology that the drop in violent crime in most of the world (well the western world) is due to the background levels of lead dropping below the level to cause mild brain damage leading to violence in the population.

That and access to abortion show the two highest correlations.

[Magnum PEI]

-French attempt to build Panama Canal
-first Tay Bridge
-Emu War
-1695 Mughal voyage to Mecca
-Scottish colonies

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

-French attempt to build Panama Canal
-first Tay Bridge
-Emu War
-1695 Mughal voyage to Mecca
-Scottish colonies

I would have gone with the introduction of the rabbit

[afc wimbledon]

It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

hahah, 1..2.. 4,000,000

what’s the difference?....

3,999,998

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

I cant remember the name but there was a grim sinking in the north sea of a car ferry that left its bow doors open to blow the fumes from the cars out after loading, and was swamped and sank in heavy seas almost immedeatly it left the harbour with a massive loss of life, it was reported several English guys formed a human chain passing women and kids out of the windows of the main seating area until they themselves were drowned, we Brits love a good sinking in the realm of the Birkenhead drill and the band on the Titanic, it is part of the national psyche

Yikes, that was a grim sinking with 193 people dying! The ship capsized in 90 seconds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

There's been a lot of alt-history stories done on WWII, but I've always been more interested in the what-if of Germany winning WWI. Would they have been as vengful as Britain and France with the Treaty of Versailles?

In the early days of WWI, Germany had intentions of becoming the undisputed power in Europe after victory, with enough territory, people and resources to challenge the US in the future.

The general aim of the war is security for the German Reich in west and east for all imaginable time. For this purpose France must be so weakened as to make her revival as a great power impossible for all time. Russia must be thrust back as far as possible from Germany's eastern frontier and her domination over the non-Russian vassal peoples broken.

https://wwnorton.com/college/history...k/ralprs34.htm

They followed through on that in the East with the harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending the war between Bolshevik Russia and the Central powers. So I'd expect they would do the same in the West if they could have knocked out France.

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

Beautiful silvery Tay,
With your landscapes, so lovely and gay,
Along each side of your waters, to Perth all the way;
No other river in the world has got scenery more fine,
Only I am told the beautiful Rhine,
Near to Wormit Bay, it seems very fine,
Where the Railway Bridge is towering above its waters sublime,
And the beautiful ship Mars,
With her Juvenile Tars,
Both lively and gay,
Does carelessly lie
By night and by day,
In the beautiful Bay
Of the silvery Tay.




It sure was silvery, that Tay.

[troutman]

Epic Failures in the world of entertainment:

Jar Jar Binks
Fyre Festival
Dallas - "it was all a dream"
Queen - "Hot Space"
Wheel of Fortune - contestants miss easy solutions

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by troutman

Epic Failures in the world of entertainment:

Jar Jar Binks
Fyre Festival
Dallas - "it was all a dream"
Queen - "Hot Space"
Wheel of Fortune - contestants miss easy solutions

Happy Days - Do I need to say which episode?