# Biggest Mistake in History?? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2002, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454 "2002-03-15T12:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/41 "2002-03-16T08:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackknifed Juggernaut \* > \*\* > > Nah. The Sox had already choked by that point by allowing the Mets to tie the game. They would’ve had very little chance even had BB made the play. \*\* I beg to differ. If the game continued, the Red Sox would have had an excellent chance to win. The Mets had used up all of their good pitchers earlier in the game. They were down to Doug Sisk. The Red Sox still would have had Bob Stanley pitching, who really didn’t do that bad of a job except for the wild pitch … and failing to cover first base. … ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/42 "2002-03-16T10:24:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*I saw a show some years ago on this subject. One of them in particular stuck out. In 1917 (I think) a British Sniper had a German corporal in his sights. He was ready to shoot but didn’t because he saw he was injured. It was Adolf Hitler in his sights. > > As a side, when Hitler came to power in 33, one of the things he did was send that sniper a thank-you and I believe some sort of friendship medal or something… \*\* I’m going to need some sort of cite for this because I really find this story doubtful at best. How did the sniper know he was aiming for Adolph Hitler? How did Adolph Hitler know that the sniper had a bead on him? How did he know who the sniper was? Marc ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/43 "2002-03-16T13:38:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\* > Actually, in all seriousness, this is a pretty good candidate for biggest mistake. I’m changing my vote. \*\* Yeah, I’m with you. All that knowledge lost. What a tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/44 "2002-03-16T20:29:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MGibson \* > \*\* > > I’m going to need some sort of cite for this because I really find this story doubtful at best. How did the sniper know he was aiming for Adolph Hitler? How did Adolph Hitler know that the sniper had a bead on him? How did he know who the sniper was? > > Marc \*\* I’ll see if I can dig anything up on the net. As I mentioned, I saw it on TV years ago, so it had to be true, right? 🙂 If I find something I’ll post it. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/45 "2002-03-17T02:28:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*I saw a show some years ago on this subject. One of them in particular stuck out. In 1917 (I think) a British Sniper had a German corporal in his sights. He was ready to shoot but didn’t because he saw he was injured. It was Adolf Hitler in his sights. > > As a side, when Hitler came to power in 33, one of the things he did was send that sniper a thank-you and I believe some sort of friendship medal or something… \*\* You must have seen an unknown episode of \* The Twilight Zone\*. Some things about snipers. They are well concealed, so very few people see them. If they don’t shoot at you, you never know it. Quite frequently if they **do** shoot at you you don’t know it either. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/46 "2002-03-17T03:11:38Z")
Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. “Yeah, I’ll put the largest political/military machine known behind a religion with MAJOR expansionist ideas…” THEN came the destruction of Alexandria… ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/47 "2002-03-17T03:12:56Z")
Clinton giving the Chinese missle orbiting technology is up there. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/48 "2002-03-17T03:18:00Z")
Capitalist dictators? Augusto Pinochet Anastacio Somoza Juan Peron Need I go on? ---
**Author:** ![Mofo\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mofo\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mofo_Rising)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/49 "2002-03-17T04:08:23Z")
All decisions that eventually led to the destruction of the space program after the moon landing. Okay, we’ve explored pretty much the whole world. Let’s take an historically expansionsist species one escape from turning destructively inwards on itself from mismanagement and lack of forsight. I see a good future ahead of us, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/50 "2002-03-17T04:50:43Z")
Um, what is generally considered to be one of the most brilliant tactical successes ever, and worst strategic blunder a nation ever committed-- that is, of course, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/51 "2002-03-17T05:00:53Z")
_Ishtar._ ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/52 "2002-03-17T05:34:57Z")
When America gradually became a ‘corporacracy’. ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/53 "2002-03-17T13:50:19Z")
For me it’s the unwillingness of the occidental europeans to help the Eastern Roman Empire. Had they done that they would have had a base, from where to defend Europe against the Turkish threat. The balkans wouldn’t be then such a mess and perhaps world war I and II could have been avoided ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/54 "2002-03-17T14:28:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by happyheathen \* > \*\*Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. > > “Yeah, I’ll put the largest political/military machine known behind a religion with MAJOR expansionist ideas…”\*\* I’ll second this, although if it hadn’t been for the advent of organized religion in general, this would be a moot point, so **Philster** has a good point too. From a strictly American point of view, I’d say the enslavement of Africans. I guess “mistake” is not exactly the right word here, but I’d say it’s easily the wrongest thing in America’s history. (Yes, “wrongest” is a word. I looked it up.) ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/55 "2002-03-17T19:25:03Z")
I would argue it was China’s mysterious withdrawl from seapower and ocean trade in the 15th century – a time when they were still ahead of Europeans and poised for world domination, had they desired. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/56 "2002-03-17T20:44:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sleestak \* > At the same time the US, as far as I know, has the longest form of government in the world. Um, did you mean this how it reads? Here in the UK, we were last invaded approximately 936 years ago. We’ve had a Monarchy since then (OK, I admit Oliver Cromwell was an interruption, but he did work through Parliament). I’m pretty sure somewhere (Iceland?) has a older Parliament than that. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/57 "2002-03-17T20:54:09Z")
As for the biggest business mistake, here are 3 good candidates. By coincidence, they all involve IBM. First, when IBM wanted to discuss making their first ever PC they needed an operating system. The first guy they visited was out surfing. So they tried another unknown bloke. He was called Bill Gates… At that meeting IBM could have offered Bill a flat fee. Instead they offered him licensing rights on every copy of the operating system. This led to Microsoft making some profits… I also understand that IBM turned down a process to copy documents. Instead it was taken up by a company called Xerox… ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/58 "2002-03-17T21:04:36Z")
Hasdrubal, brother of Hanibal, sent a message to his brother to coordinate the meeting up of their two armies. Both armies combined would have wiped the two Roman armies they faced. End of Rome, no Empire, etc. The messenger got caught less than mile from Hannibal’s lines. The two Roman armies instead joined up and wiped Hasdrubal. From then on, Hannibal could no longer threaten Rome. Beginning of the end of the 2nd Punic War. If he had only encoded the message or otherwise hid it. And what have the Romans ever given us? Besides the sanitation… and the roads … Then there’s Harald Haraade’s listening to the King of England’s idiot brother and deciding to invade England, 2 weeks _before_ William. For the US: the Virginia colonists deciding to import slaves. A bad decision for all involved. ---
**Author:** ![Mondeo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Mondeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mondeo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/59 "2002-03-17T21:20:26Z")
I’d have to agree with pearl harbor ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454/60 "2002-03-17T21:30:09Z")
**Beeblebrox** [quote] In 415 Cyril, the Patriarch of Christianity (kind of like the pope), ordered that all Jews be expelled from Alexandria. Why is this the biggest mistake of all time? The Roman prefect of Alexandria disagreed with the decision. Fighting began between the Church and State and the Library of Alexandria was destroyed in the process. It had housed the equivalent of more than 100,000 books and most of the knowledge of the ancient world. Its destruction probably delayed the development of modern western science and culture more than ten centuries. [quote] Followed by **Anthracite** agreeing. I concur to such an extent that the post is worth quoting in its entirety. For some idea of the effect of this try reading about another ancient work written by Archimedes [http://www.thewalters.org/archimedes/frame.html](http://www.thewalters.org/archimedes/frame.html) The Archimedes Palimpcest was ‘cleaned’ so that it could be overwritten by religious text and was lost soon afterwards for centuries. What is so special about this text is that it is Archimedes own account of his thinking processes, a method of logic as it were, and amongst its pages it has emerged that Archimedes was the first person ever to use the concept of infinity as a real number, and the use of an infinate number of sides(of a circle) to deduce Pi to several decimal places ie 3[sup]1[/sup]/[sub]7[/sub] This approximation is good enough for many engineering applications today. Merely the use of his method would have been very significant, let alone the contents of his work. He also used the idea of an infinate number of slices through a solid to determine its volume and also the idea that this would tend to a limit, which is familiar to any student of higher math and especially to engineers. Had this text been available to the intellectuals during the Rennaissance it is entirely likely that our civilisation would have achieved what we have done today, but a century or more sooner. This is just one book, what other marvels were lost when the library at Alexandria was destroyed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-mistake-in-history/98454.md?page=4)