15 Historical Heroes Who Were Really Just Lucky
History likes to pretend it runs on courage and strategy, but a surprising amount of it comes down to someone being in the right place while blinking very slowly. Entire legends were built on decisions that looked bold in textbooks and looked accidental everywhere else.
Plenty of celebrated figures pulled off triumphs that started with a wrong turn, a lucky breeze, or a problem conveniently ignored. Their victories feel less like destiny and more like someone nudging reality with a broom handle.
Heroism quietly stepped aside, and luck took the wheel. Time to meet the historical icons who basically tripped into greatness.
Miltiades – “Battle of Marathon”, 490 BCE
Persian cavalry delayed boarding, leaving infantry exposed and letting Athens seize victory by a hair.
Francis Drake – “Defeating the Spanish Armada”, 1588
Storms scattered Spanish ships, turning a naval showdown into luckier-than-skills victory for Drake.
Ulysses S. Grant – “Battle of Shiloh”, 1862
Nightfall halted Confederate attacks, giving Grant crucial hours for reinforcements to arrive and save the day.
James Cook – “Discovery of Australia”, 1770
Crew survived scurvy thanks to hygiene and diet while Cook mapped the east coast with lucky timing.
Joan of Arc – “Lifting the Siege of Orléans”, 1429
Her arrival coincided with French reinforcements, boosting morale and turning a potential disaster into a historic victory.
Harold Godwinson – “Battle of Stamford Bridge”, 1066
Caught Vikings off-guard with light armor, securing a win thanks entirely to timing and enemy mistakes.
Robert Falcon Scott – “South Pole Expedition”, 1912
Fuel evaporated from corked containers, dooming the team while luck barely favored them before disaster.
Napoleon Bonaparte – “Siege of Toulon”, 1793
Napoleon assumed command after his superior was wounded, launching a meteoric rise by accident.
Eisenhower – “D-Day Landings”, 1944
Allied forces struck on beaches Germans ignored due to forecasted storms, catching commanders completely off guard.
Charles Martel – “Battle of Tours”, 732
Facing looting enemies distracted by treasure, Martel’s Franks lucked into stopping the Muslim advance.
Alexander the Great – “The Gordian Knot”, 333 BCE
Alexander sliced the legendary knot instead of untying it, turning boldness into instant fame.
George Washington – “Evacuation at Long Island”, 1776
After a crushing defeat, a dense nighttime fog let his army slip past the British unnoticed.
Julius Caesar – “Defeating Pompey”, 48 BCE
Pompey fled to Egypt, got assassinated, and Caesar inherited victory without swinging a sword.
Cortés – “Conquering the Aztec Empire”, 1519
Spanish forces arrived just as smallpox devastated Tenochtitlán, clearing resistance and making conquest easier.
Columbus – “Discovering America”, 1492
Sailed west from Spain, accidentally hitting a continent, saving his crew from starvation by pure luck.