# Famous missed opportunities in history, or, hindsight is 20/20

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 24, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827 "2005-04-24T02:33:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827/61 "2005-04-27T18:27:33Z")

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> [@OtakuLoki](#):
>
> I would have liked to see the Phillipines…incorporated as States in the union after the end of the Spanish American War.

On the downside, that would have resulted in a worldwide women’s shoe some 67 years later.

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**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827/62 "2005-04-27T18:46:07Z")

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If only the Science Council had listened to Jor-El…

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827/63 "2005-04-27T20:33:30Z")

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(from General Sir Douglas Haig, Supreme commander of the British Army in France, WWI): “machine guns are a much-overrated weapon, and one or two per battalion is more than sufficient”!  
General Haig went on to lead the Britsh army in 4 years of slaughter on the Western front. He retired with full honors and a100,000 pound bonus!!-no dount the undertakers and coffin makers of GB were grateful as well. :smack:

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**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827/64 "2005-04-27T20:45:03Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Before choosing DOS as its PC operating system, IBM was interested in using CP/M. But before negotiating, they asked Digital Research (the owner of CP/M) to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Digital Research declined. IBM then went to Microsoft and DOS.

And sleepy little Pacific Grove, CA would be the hub of the software world, while Washington state would just be that rainy place where Boeing used to be.

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**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-missed-opportunities-in-history-or-hindsight-is-20-20/300827/65 "2005-04-28T07:31:50Z")

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Starting a war over WMD that never existed.

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