The Greatest Blunders...Ever!: History's Dumbest Mistakes and the People Who Made Them

The Greatest Blunders…Ever! leaves no stone unturned in its exploration of the darker, often ridiculous sides of history. Religions claim to be based on love and forgiveness, yet over the past two millennia, religious disputes have triggered countless riots, wars, and genocides. Politics is another fruitful field for major mishaps, showcasing examples of oustandingly bad judgment—“Now that Caligula, he seems like an okay guy.” Bringing up the rear are cultural decisions that can change the fate of a country or civilization, such as Ming China’s decision to turn inward in the fifteenth century and Japan’s environmental blunder to build a nuclear reactor on its coastline.