You Did What?: Mad Plans and Great Historical Disasters - Softcover

Fawcett, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060532505 ISBN 13: 9780060532505

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2004

Synopsis

History has never been more fun than it is in this fact-filled compendium of historical fiascoes and embarrassingly bad ideas.

Throughout history, the rich and powerful, and even just the dim-witted, have made horrifically bad decisions that have had resounding effects on our world. From kings to corporate leaders, from captains to presidents, no one is immune to bad decisions and their lasting legacy. The fiascoes that litter our history are innumerable . . . and fascinating in their foolishness. This witty collection of historical mayhem chronicles unwise decisions from ancient Greece to modern-day Hollywood and everything in between. Learn such lessons as:

• Never trust Greeks bearing gifts of large wooden horses.
• Avoid building elementary schools on toxic waste dumps, even those with sweet monikers like Love Canal.
• Rabbits multiply like rabbits Down Under.
• Even if you use brightly colored paint on the boats, it's quite easy to misplace an entire country's navy.

With more than forty-five chapters of mind-boggling flubs and follies, fans of history, trivia, and those who just want a good laugh will adore this intriguing and fun read.

About this title

About the Author:

Bill Fawcett is the author and editor of more than a dozen books, including You Did What?, It Seemed Like a Good Idea . . . , How to Lose a Battle, and You Said What? He lives in Illinois.

From Publishers Weekly:

Okay, it’s not exactly news that Napoleon miscalculated in trying to invade Russia in the dead of winter or that David Caruso hurt his career by leaving NYPD Blue after a mere season and a half. And the authors, publishing veterans, are a bit blithe in describing the battle between Henry VIII and Thomas More as merely a bad personnel decision. (Similarly, poor Anne of Cleves might have felt differently about their saying Henry can’t be faulted for their failed marriage.) Complex historical episodes, such as the rise and fall of Robespierre, are reduced to a quick sketch of blunder, and major historical goof-ups are mixed in with more trivial pop-culture tales of woe, such as Garth Brooks’s worst-selling album and other actors who, like Caruso, bailed out of a TV ship that, far from sinking, was moving full steam ahead. There’s an odd mix here, definitely history very-lite, but perhaps readers who savor schadenfreude will find some satisfaction in it.
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About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0060532505
• ISBN 13: 9780060532505
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 287