# What's the dumbest moment in history? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2001, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779 "2001-03-13T07:05:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/61 "2001-03-24T18:20:16Z")
I am not sure about the past, but the dumbest moment in the future will inevitably involve George W. Bush in some capacity. I cringe each time he speaks to other world rulers because he is representing me as an American. How incredibly embarrassing. ---
**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 24, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/62 "2001-03-24T18:50:56Z")
Didn’t Papa Bush once try to give the peace/v-for-victory sign to Australia, only it didn’t mean peace over there? Papa Bush puking on the Japanese official. (No, I feel fine, just a little nervous stomach…) ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/63 "2001-03-24T19:41:23Z")
My vote: Island of San Lorenzo. The new president allows the frozen body of the former president to fall into the sea, thus freezing all water on the face of the planet into Ice-9 and effectively bringing an end to all life. …or was that a book? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2001, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/64 "2001-03-24T20:45:05Z")
And let’s not forget Jimmy Carter and the Torpedo Rabbit. Or, for that matter, the marathon. Jeez, how can someone be so cool as an ex-President and yet screw the pooch so bad when he was in there? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/65 "2001-03-25T03:09:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > > Sorry, but this simply never happened. Xerox knew that their early GUI _had_ practical and long-term uses; that’s what their Palo Alto R&D faciliy was supposed to do, after all. They certainly were able to recognize its value enough to charge Apple Computer $1 million in stock options to see the prototype GUI and to allow Apple to enhance upon it. > \*\* Do you have a cite for this? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/66 "2001-03-25T03:28:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins!’ > > Please, please tell this cursed heathen that this is an accurate quote. If not, you should be God, **Lumpy**. \*\* The King James says: “… My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.” I presume it’s an idiom. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/67 "2001-03-25T04:27:53Z")
Wow. So many great moments in here. But how about Princess Di not buckling up? Gotta at least be worthy of a runner-up. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/68 "2001-03-25T15:41:49Z")
May not be _the_ dumbest, but it’s a pretty good one: Gerald Ford believing that the Soviet Union did not have satellite countries in Eastern Europe. And then of course there’s George W. Bush. He’s a good man, but his grasp of the English language is not up to par, if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2001, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/69 "2001-03-25T17:46:57Z")
Don’t forget Walter Mondale’s promise to raise taxes if elected. ---
**Author:** ![Philosophocles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Philosophocles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philosophocles)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/70 "2001-03-26T01:17:50Z")
The 1990 WWF Survivor Series–for several months, a giant egg had been on prominent display at WWF events. Viewers were promised that at the Survivor Series, the surprising contents of this mysterious egg would be revealed. Would it be some cool new wrestler? Would the egg explode in someone’s face during the main event? When the egg finally hatched on the PPV show, some man dressed in a bad turkey suit emerged. It was like a very poor imitation of the San Diego Chicken. The crowd gasped in disbelief, then booed heartily throughout the ensuing segment. Announcer Mean Gene Okerlund dubbed this montrosity the “Gobbledy Gooker” and tried his best to salvage the segment by square dancing with the giant turkey man in the wrestling ring. Meanwhile, the ringside announcers struggled their best to convince PPV viewers that the crowd actually loved the Gobbledy Gooker. What were they thinking? Did they expect people in the crowd to turn around and high five each other while yelling, “Yeah baby, a man in a bad turkey suit!!! YIPPEE!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Bboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@Bboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bboy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/71 "2001-03-26T01:52:44Z")
My nomination: **Noah** …didn’t kill the two cockroaches. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2001, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/72 "2001-03-26T12:07:15Z")
Leaving Dave Stapleton on the bench. ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/73 "2001-03-31T10:22:26Z")
“Barrabus, Barrabus, give us Barrabus” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/74 "2001-04-01T21:08:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JosephFinn \* > Quadaffi’s Qaddafi. > [@](#): > > Libya invading a civil-war torn Chad, and managing to so flub their dealings with the three sides that they end up uniting Chad, resulting in the Chadians forcing Libya out with Toyota trucks with machine guns and missile launchers mounted on the back (against Soviet-supplied tanks). The best quote from one of the Chad military commanders, when asked how they could have done against a modern army: “Well, we weren’t fighting a modern army, now were we?” You leave out substantial French assistance against the Libyans, both covert and overt. Above all air power. The quote does not sound very authentic. > [@](#): > > This story, by the way, from James Dunnigans wonderful little book: “Dirty Little Secrets - Military Information You’re Not Supposed to Know.” If Dunnigan fails to mention the French role, then he’s not described the situation. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/75 "2001-04-02T01:54:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bnorton \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by rjung \* > > Xerox knew that their early GUI had practical and long-term uses; that’s what their Palo Alto R&D faciliy was supposed to do, after all. They certainly were able to recognize its value enough to charge Apple Computer $1 million in stock options to see the prototype GUI and to allow Apple to enhance upon it._\* > > Do you have a cite for this? Thanks. > \*\* Sorry for not replying sooner. You can check “The Mac Bathroom Reader” if you want a book reference, or use the URL for a web reference– [http://www.MacKiDo.com/Interface/ui\_history.html](http://www.MacKiDo.com/Interface/ui_history.html) ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2001, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/76 "2001-04-02T07:24:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Collounsbury \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by JosephFinn \* > > Quadaffi’s > > Qaddafi. There is no standard spelling of this guy’s name. In fact, Cecil has written an entire column on this topic. [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_264b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_264b.html) On the actual topic, I was reading parts of this thread to the boyfriend, and his vote for dumbest moment in history was Hitler’s decision to terror bomb London. His take on it (paraphrased): “Well, the goal previously to that had been for the Germans to selectively target fighter command fields and radar stations and the like, with the idea that they would keep the skies clear so they could manage the invasion by air. But then a couple of British planes dropped like four bombs on Berlin, and because Hitler had promised the Germans that Berlin would never be bombed, he felt he had to flatten London in retaliation, and screw winning the war. Of course this is just off the top of my head – hey, are you posting this?” ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2001, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/77 "2001-04-02T07:56:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MsWhatsit \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Collounsbury \* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by JosephFinn \* > > > Quadaffi’s > > > > Qaddafi. > > There is no standard spelling of this guy’s name. In fact, Cecil has written an entire column on this topic. > > [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_264b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_264b.html) I know, I speak Arabic. However Quadaffi is wrong, there is no “u” in it. Actually “Kh” is also wrong as it doesn’t come anywhere near the actual sound. K or Q or G. (To get closest to actual Libyan pronounciation, Gaddafi is best, formal Arabic Qathafi) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_The\_Younger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d9b06d/32.png) [@Paul\_The\_Younger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_The_Younger)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/78 "2001-06-06T14:02:55Z")
Personally, I liked SNL’s list of possible spellings. My favorite was “Qadaffi Duck”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![quigley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c67d28/32.png) [@quigley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quigley)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/79 "2001-06-06T15:07:32Z")
Several of the minor Russian conflicts qualify as folly, particularly of the wretched variety. F’rinstance, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 ended abruptly when the Russian fleet, after sailing some eight long months with coal stops every three to five days, was sunk nearly to a ship by the Japanese in twenty-four hours. When fighting the Finns in the winter of 1939-40, the Russians lost a quarter million to Finland’s 50,000, an embarrassingly lopsided defeat considering Russia’s population of 171 million to dinky Finland’s 3.5. When Peter III decided to invade Denmark in 1762 with a sick navy [ordered to heal as fast as possible by the Czar], disgruntled wife Catherine the Great declared herself empress in his absence and prevented his ship from landing. It is alleged he later died of a “hemorroidal cholic” in prison, which is French for “poisoned”. This doesn’t even begin to address Peter III’s unusual affinity for the Prussians, or his grandfather Peter the Great’s wild partying practices [think dwarfs and all-nude octogenarian marriages]. There’s no end to it. Oh, and the Children’s Crusade is mostly apocryphal. [http://www.historyhouse.com/stories/childrens\_crusade.asp](http://www.historyhouse.com/stories/childrens_crusade.asp) Cheers, Q ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779/80 "2001-06-06T16:21:13Z")
Hannibal at Cannae: "Yahoo! We just kicked Roman butt! Now all we have to do is take Rome and the war is over. . . _We don’t have any siege engines? You’re joking, right???"_ The Nika rebellion; not so much dumb as bizarre. Several thousand Byzantines decide to depose Emperor Justinian, apparently for no better reason than because he doesn’t root for their sports team. Finally Belisarius locks both sides in the Hippodrome and massacres umpteen thousand of them. Like a bloody Monty Python movie. The knights of the Fourth Crusade decide to besiege Christian-held Constantinople instead of Muslim-held Jerusalem. The great papal schism of the 14th-15th century where everybody in Europe got excommunicated at least twice. Mao’s Great Leap Over The Cliff, which dragged half the able-bodied agricultural workers in China off their farms to melt down pots and pans. Maurice Gamelin in 1940. “Where’s the reserve?” “There is none.” “But this means the destruction of the French army?” “Yes, it means the destruction of the French army.” Oops. The Maginot Line itself, of course. Let’s just build it on our frontier with Germany; there’s no way those bloody Boches would come through the Low Countries _again._ Didn’t they learn the first time that the Ardennes are impassable? Dumb: The South Sea Company offers to buy out England’s national debt in company stock. Dumber: Parliament accepts. It’s 1849. The Austrians have just barely managed to put down a massive Hungarian uprising because the Czechs and Slovaks stayed loyal. Emperor Franz-Josef then offers the Hungarians effective autonomy, and gives the Czechs and Slovaks the back of his hand. Lesson: Revolt, and you get what you want. Stay loyal, and you get more oppression. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-moment-in-history/57779.md?page=5)