Some Of The Worst Decisions People Have Made Throughout History
We make mistakes from time to time, as that is the very nature of all human beings. And usually, owning up and apologizing for our mistakes is more than enough to fix whatever the fault is. But, people need to accept the fact that some mistakes cause unrepairable damages, and saying sorry can only help them feel a bit less guilty. We, humans, are proud of being able to change the whole world. But, with such great power, the consequence can be devastating if done wrong.
It's not hard to find people doing such stupid things and causing horrible messes. Below is a list of more than 20 people throughout history that made such regrettable mistakes. Well, some of those mistakes caused irreversible consequences that affected millions of lives. Worst mistakes ever made? Surely! Let's scroll down to learn about how these people messed up so badly.
The painter was Edvard Munch, and the painting would have been worth millions upon millions today, or even just a few decades later (if translated to today's money)
Seeds: he thought that planting seeds 1 meter in the ground would result in greater roots and a better harvest. He also thought that putting tons of seeds in one compact area would cause a better harvest. All the seeds died, however. Around 30 million or so died from Famine under his rule.
“Hey! Look at the other nations industrializing! Let's smelt all our metal to build better infrastructure. What? Does it create pig iron which is super unstable and impure therefore being ultimately useless? Oops!” -Mao
“Yo captain there’s this big ass wooden horse outside”
“Oh rad bring it in”
But maybe they could have got away with it. Genghis sent three ambassadors to negotiate a settlement.
This is when Muhammad II, the Shah of Khwarezm, made the really bad decision to kill one of these ambassadors and send the other two back without their beards as a sign of humiliation.
Genghis Kahn was so enraged he assembled an army and destroyed the Khwarazmian Empire. Wiped out every town they had. He even re-routed a river to wipe out the village where the Shah was born, wiping it off the map. By 1120 there wasn’t much of anything left.
After successfully invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein, the US decided that all members of the ruling Baath party should be banned from government and military positions in the new government. The result was a crop of knowledgeable bureaucrats and military leaders available to join a group of terrorists under Zarqawi to form a little group that would go on to become ISIS.
A year later, 10 million men were dead.
Xerox invented the graphical interface modern computers use. Desktop, folders, copy/paste, etc. They basically invented the modern computer in the ’70s. But the problem was, that the people in charge at the time were businessmen without any technical knowledge so they didn’t realize what they had. They did nothing with it and gave it away to universities and showed other companies. The famous story is that Steve Jobs saw this and within 5 minutes realized this was the way computers would work in the future. He copied it because Xerox didn’t patent their invention and didn’t do anything with it and the rest is history.
First, he discovered and helped popularize the use of lead in petrol/gasoline, causing unimaginable harm to the atmosphere and our brains. He contracted lead poisoning when working on the project but apparently neglected to draw any conclusions from this.
Second, he lead the team that discovered freon, the first chlorofluorocarbon, and helped popularize the use of CFCs in refrigeration and industrial applications, causing further unimaginable harm to the atmosphere. It’s suggested that he had a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single person in history.
As for the third, well: in 1940, at the age of 51, Midgley contracted poliomyelitis, which left him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to lift himself out of bed. In 1944, he became entangled in the device and died of strangulation.
As Bush’s adviser, he was the first one with a STEM background to doubt climate change. He publicly questioned the validity of James Hansen / NASA’s modeling efforts. In fact, the US was on the verge of signing a binding climate treaty with 65 other nations (in 1989!)
Prior to this point, the argument was “how do we balance emission reductions versus economic losses”, with conservative forces recognizing the danger but insisting we protect businesses from overreaching regulation. After Sununu’s public doubts, the entire debate shifted to “is climate change even real?”. It inspired the “everything’s fine” PR campaign that has been ongoing ever since. I honestly suspect treaty opponents didn’t even realize that pure denial would be a realistic strategy until Sununu called James Hansen a liar.
I guess in another 50 years we’ll see the true extent of the damage he did. Ironically all this falls not on some moron, but on a brilliant guy who decided to speak on something outside his expertise.
It's not hard to find people doing such stupid things and causing horrible messes. Below is a list of more than 20 people throughout history that made such regrettable mistakes. Well, some of those mistakes caused irreversible consequences that affected millions of lives. Worst mistakes ever made? Surely! Let's scroll down to learn about how these people messed up so badly.
#1 Allan Savory the ecologist who killed 40,000 elephants because it was believed that grazing was causing the desertification of Africa, only to find out later that elephants were essential to prevent desertification
Source: corylew
#2 Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003. There was no cause or direct threat, and it led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, trillions of dollars spent, and the creation of ISIS
Source: technicalaversion
#3 A bottle of wine over a painting
Source: Brillek
The painter was Edvard Munch, and the painting would have been worth millions upon millions today, or even just a few decades later (if translated to today's money)
#4 Single-use plastic teacup
Source: Gorctam
#5 Burning of the Library of Alexandria
Source: Russian_Spy_slav
#6 Mao Zedong
Source: s_sekowski
Seeds: he thought that planting seeds 1 meter in the ground would result in greater roots and a better harvest. He also thought that putting tons of seeds in one compact area would cause a better harvest. All the seeds died, however. Around 30 million or so died from Famine under his rule.
“Hey! Look at the other nations industrializing! Let's smelt all our metal to build better infrastructure. What? Does it create pig iron which is super unstable and impure therefore being ultimately useless? Oops!” -Mao
#7 Training 20,000 slaves only to be overthrown later on
Source: TheRealSumRndmGuy
#8 The Trojan Horse
Source: Mr_Boi_
“Yo captain there’s this big ass wooden horse outside”
“Oh rad bring it in”
#9 Eastman Kodak deciding not to go forward with their own newly invented digital cameras and instead of sticking with film because it made them so much money at the time
Source: starshame
#10 Inalchuq attacking Genghis Khan’s trade caravan
Source: Horacecrumplewart
But maybe they could have got away with it. Genghis sent three ambassadors to negotiate a settlement.
This is when Muhammad II, the Shah of Khwarezm, made the really bad decision to kill one of these ambassadors and send the other two back without their beards as a sign of humiliation.
Genghis Kahn was so enraged he assembled an army and destroyed the Khwarazmian Empire. Wiped out every town they had. He even re-routed a river to wipe out the village where the Shah was born, wiping it off the map. By 1120 there wasn’t much of anything left.
#11 Invading Russia. Always invading Russia
Source: warriorwoman96
#12 Banning all members of the ruling Baath party
Source: JayArlington
After successfully invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein, the US decided that all members of the ruling Baath party should be banned from government and military positions in the new government. The result was a crop of knowledgeable bureaucrats and military leaders available to join a group of terrorists under Zarqawi to form a little group that would go on to become ISIS.
#13 Gavrillo Princip shooting Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Source: Dickcheese_McDoogles
A year later, 10 million men were dead.
#14 Xerox and their Alto computer
Source: cheesyvoetjes
Xerox invented the graphical interface modern computers use. Desktop, folders, copy/paste, etc. They basically invented the modern computer in the ’70s. But the problem was, that the people in charge at the time were businessmen without any technical knowledge so they didn’t realize what they had. They did nothing with it and gave it away to universities and showed other companies. The famous story is that Steve Jobs saw this and within 5 minutes realized this was the way computers would work in the future. He copied it because Xerox didn’t patent their invention and didn’t do anything with it and the rest is history.
#15 Thomas Midgley Jr
Source: JamesCDiamond
First, he discovered and helped popularize the use of lead in petrol/gasoline, causing unimaginable harm to the atmosphere and our brains. He contracted lead poisoning when working on the project but apparently neglected to draw any conclusions from this.
Second, he lead the team that discovered freon, the first chlorofluorocarbon, and helped popularize the use of CFCs in refrigeration and industrial applications, causing further unimaginable harm to the atmosphere. It’s suggested that he had a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single person in history.
As for the third, well: in 1940, at the age of 51, Midgley contracted poliomyelitis, which left him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to lift himself out of bed. In 1944, he became entangled in the device and died of strangulation.
#16 The guy who rejected Hitler’s art academy application?
Source: Nondramatic
#17 John H. Sununu
Source: Ut_Prosim
As Bush’s adviser, he was the first one with a STEM background to doubt climate change. He publicly questioned the validity of James Hansen / NASA’s modeling efforts. In fact, the US was on the verge of signing a binding climate treaty with 65 other nations (in 1989!)
Prior to this point, the argument was “how do we balance emission reductions versus economic losses”, with conservative forces recognizing the danger but insisting we protect businesses from overreaching regulation. After Sununu’s public doubts, the entire debate shifted to “is climate change even real?”. It inspired the “everything’s fine” PR campaign that has been ongoing ever since. I honestly suspect treaty opponents didn’t even realize that pure denial would be a realistic strategy until Sununu called James Hansen a liar.
I guess in another 50 years we’ll see the true extent of the damage he did. Ironically all this falls not on some moron, but on a brilliant guy who decided to speak on something outside his expertise.
#18 The decision by the Scottish to invade England during Black Death must be up there
Source: jtswtf
#19 Nintendo and Sony
Source: YoungDiscord
#20 Blockbuster not buying Netflix
Source: powerlesshero111
#21 Radcliff Line
Source: earliestowl
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