21 Tiny (Yet History-Bending) Mistakes

We all make minor errors and usually don't think much of them. After all, accidentally slamming your car door into the one next to you isn't going to start World War III. Except that it might. If some historical "tiny mistakes" are considered, the smallest misstep can have far-reaching consequences. Humans have made a series of costly errors, most of which have changed the course. We mention some of history's most egregious blunders.

Is it possible for the bouncing of a butterfly's wings to end up causing a storm? Almost certainly not. Yet, if you look at history, you might very well find countless instances of small and relatively insignificant actions that had unexplainable, sometimes dire, repercussions.

With the assistance of retired Ancient Roman General AuntieMeme, we unearthed some of history's most devastating disasters caused by seemingly insignificant accidents.

If you really can learn from your deadliest experiences, you will be better prepared for your best experiences.

21 Entry by AM Smiley

A misplaced decimal point made spinach a superfood. In 1870, a German chemist calculated the amount of iron found in spinach and other vegetables. Whe

20 Entry by AM Smiley

Hannibal lost nearly half his army because of a cane. It was during Hannibal's legendary crossing of the Alps to invade Italy, in 218 BC. In order to

19 Entry by AM Smiley

The Berlin Wall came down because a bureaucrat misspoke. In 1989, East German politician Gunter Schabowski held a press conference explaining some min

18 Entry by AM Smiley

A missing key led to the sinking of the Titanic. Right before the Titanic sailed, the company that ran the cruise decided to replace the ship's second

17 Entry by AM Smiley

Constantinople was defeated because of an unlocked gate. In the Middle Ages, the city of Constantinople was the citadel to the Eastern Roman Empire. I

16 Entry by AM Smiley

We lost the Mars Climate Orbiter because the engineers worked in inches. 11 1F 789301 The Lockheed Martin team that built the jet thrusters in 1999 wo

15 Entry by AM Smiley

The Bay of Pigs invasion failed because the Pentagon forgot about time ones. The plan for the 1961 invasion of Cuba was a two-pronged attack: 3 ground

14 Entry by AM Smiley

One missed switch led to rioting in New York City. In July 1977, lightning struck the New York Con Edison facility. In order to restore power, the ope

13 Entry by AM Smiley

The Hessians lost at Trenton because they didn't read a warning note. Siu Jeavny wveld of sigat uas etprlas It was the American Revolution, and Washin

12 Entry by AM Smiley

492 people died in a fire because of door hinges. It was 1942, and the Cocoanut Grove in Boston was packed. A busboy was groping in the dark to find a

11 Entry by AM Smiley

Two airplanes disintegrated midair because they had square windows. The de Havilland Comet was a state-of-the-art 1950s jetliner. In 1954, two of them

10 Entry by AM Smiley

12 million people lost their phone service because of a 6. In 1991, customers in Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Los Angeles los

9 Entry by AM Smiley

A single sensor caused a Stealth Bomber to crash. Technicians servicing the Stealth Bombers 75 stationed in Guam in AIR PRESS. 2008 failed to notice t

8 Entry by AM Smiley

A loose bolt caused the destruction of the Soviet N1 moon rocket. It was 1969, and the Soviets were aiming for the moon with their N1 rocket. A single

7 Entry by AM Smiley

A printing error made adultery mandatory in 1631. Printers Robert Our thy father Barker and Martin may bee long vpo Lucas accidentally hy God giueth t

6 Entry by AM Smiley

A single word may have prompted Harry Truman to bomb Japan. In 1945, the Allies drafted the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan's unconditional surre

5 Entry by AM Smiley

A missing line cost NASA $80 million. It was 1962, and NASA launched America's first inter-planetary probe Mariner 1. Its destination was Venus. But a

4 Entry by AM Smiley

A late coal delivery caused the largest unintentional man-made explosion on record. In 1917, a Norwegian ship called the SS Imo had to sit and wait in

3 Entry by AM Smiley

The Martian mythos exists because of a single letter. In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli observed variations in the i terrain on Mars.

2 Entry by AM Smiley

A single isotope led to the utter irradiation of Bikini Atoll. N NNP P N In 1954, scientists figured Lithium-7 was inert, SO they packed it into their

1 Entry by AM Smiley

The Germans' loss at Normandy may have been because of a birthday party. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was in charge of defending Europe from Allied inv

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