Guinness Book of Historical Blunders - Softcover

Former history teacher Geoffrey Regan has written four books on the subject of military incompetence throughout history, including three collections of "military blunders" for Guinness, and in this book turns his attention to a broader historical canvas. This time his collection of errors, mishaps and blunders are drawn from a wide range of fields of human activity - political, social, economic, technological, medical and many more. As in the "Guinness Book of Military Blunders", the emphasis will be firmly on stories that are amusing, extraordinary and bizarre. Unfit to rule - a selection of inept, insane and blundering rulers from ancient times to the Second World War; political blunders - foolish policies, disastrous political and diplomatic appointments, strategic blunders, ideas and theories that damaged or even wrecked civilizations; technological blunders - railway crashes, shipwrecks and fires caused by human incompetence, machines that failed, inventions that did more harm than good, fashion fiascoes, architectural blunders, medical blunders; exploration and navigation - a study of some of the less successful explorers and navigators; love, sex and marriage - "marriages made in hell", incompetent lovers and husbands.