What failed event would have had the greatest effect on the world?

if the library of alexandria had never been destroyed (around 5th century)

there were plans for a steam engine among other works, the industrial revolution would have happened a millenia sooner...We'd be far beyond mars by now...sigh

 

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If joe smiths mum had never met joe smiths dad.

 

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The Philadelphia Experiment.

 

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The biggest what if in Latin America would have been the failure of the Spanish to take Mexico, and the Incas. A modern failure is the failure of Paraguay to enlarge her empire from the Gran Chaco to the Rio De La Plata.

 

I would have to say:

The Bible was never written and the events never recorded.

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(not reading the whole thread) But what will the world be like if the A-Bomb hadn't been dropped in those two Japanese cities or if Nuke and the H-Bomb Hadn't been made. Also what would the world be like if the all the loser in the past wars won...... ehhh?

 

Then no Joe Smith here

 

If Pontius Pilate had decided to imprison Jesus Christ for life instead of crucifying him.

 

but still didn't Jesus still had many followers before he was crucifyed

 

If Trotsky instead of Stalin usurped the dead body of Lenin as leader of the USSR.

 

Critical turning points are a fascinating study. There have been many, some accepted by most as critical, some debatable. I hope this thread contiues and there are more turning points listed.

Inventions, technology, and scientific theories seem to have a certain inevitability, given the proper cultural and technological context. They do not seem like candidates for critical turning points. For example, as soon as there was a shift toward technology based cultures, there was a motive to produce calculating and data processing devices. Computers were inevitable. Babbage designed a plausible analogue computer prior to the civil war. It was never built due to lack of sufficient technology, although somebody built one in the last 20-30 years to prove that it would have worked. The first mechanical calculators were built prior to 1900, and punched card processing devices were built for use by the census bureau early in the 20th century or late in the 19th. The steam engine, autos and the airplane arrived about as soon as technology allowed them to be built.

I would take the Kennedy assassination off the list. He just did not seem to have the potential for effecting the world possessed by men like Churchill, Washington, Jefferson, Alexander, et cetera. Those who are assassinated are often over rated. I wonder if Lincoln would have had that much effect if he had lived.

I would add the Spartan confrontation with the Persian army at Thermopylae. 300 hundred Spartans held back a huge Persian army at a narrow pass. At the time, Greece was a group of city states, none of whom had an army capable of dealing with the Persian invasion. The Spartans held the Persians back long enough for the city states to mobilize. Otherwise the Persians would probably have defeated the Greeks one city at a time. Persian control of Greece probably would have had a significant effect on the development of Western culture. I think the Spartans might have held out a few days longer if the Persians had not found a route allowing them to attack from the rear. If that route had been found the first day, the Persains might have overrun Greece.

BTW: There was at least one excellent movie based on the events at Thermopylae.

I especially agree with the defeat of the Moors at Tours in 732. Note that Charles Martel (The Hammer) always pursued defeated retreating foes, attempting to annihilate them. He so demoralized the Moors that they never again attempted to expand out of Spain. Had Martel lost, the Arab culture might have dominated Europe well into the 17th century. There influence would still be significant today, and who knows how the New World would have developed if the Islamic culture had expanded there.

BTW: I am unfamiliar with the Ottoman attempt to expand into Europe from their Turkish base. Does somebody have a link leading to the events when they advanced on Venice?

Vague issues do not belong in a list of critical turning points. For example, what if Nazi Germany had won WW2. That is just too vague without further analysis. Could they have won? Actually, the Nazis actually had a good chance of dominating Western Europe. After Dunkirk, they were in control of all of Western Europe and the United States was doing little other than supplying money, armaments, and a few pilots who flew with the RAF. If Hitler had approached England with a peace treaty, I doubt that Churchill would have been able to prevail over those opposed to the war. England had little hope for re-conquering Europe at that time, and many feared an invasion by Germany. Instead of attacking England or trying to negotiate a treaty leaving him in charge of Europe, Hitler attacked Russia. Now that decision could be classified as a critical turning point.

BTW: There were a lot of dumb Nazi Actions/policies that cost them dearly. They viewed Relativity, Quantum Theory, and nuclear physics as Jew Physics, and would only support what they considered Aryan physics. Furthermore, they actively opposed any research into Jew Physics. They might have had an atom bomb by the late 1930's or early 1940's. Also, the first German soldiers were greeted as liberators by Russian peasants, or at least not as invading enemies. If the Germans had acted more decently, the scorched earth policy would not have been successful. The Germans might have been able to beat Russia if they did not have to rely on long supply lines for food, tools, repair facilities, fuel, et cetera. A little known fact is that when Germany attacked Russia, communistic propaganda switched from extolling the party & exhorting cooperation for five year plans to saying Fight for Mother Russia. The average Russian at that time was not fond of their government. During WW2, there was little mention of the party and communist principles.

 

Seriously? No, I'm thinking he had no where as many followers as he did after the 'resurrection'. I think the 'he died for your sins' thing was the beginning of Christianity. Without the crucifiction, there would have been no resurrection, or at the very least, if he had simply languished for years in prison before finally dying it wouldn't have the same impact.

 

but didn't his 'followers' spread Christianity anyway

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But that was my point. Would his followers have had 'Christianity' to spread if he hadn't died on the crucifix and supposedly risen three days later? If he had just been arrested and wasted away in prison would that have had any impact at all? No martyrdom. No 'he died for our sins' and ascended to heaven. Fading away in a prison cell just isn't quite as powerful.

 

You know, that is a very interesting point. The religion probably wouldn't have had anywhere near as much ompact, if any as all. In all likelyhood, it would have most liely died out in a decade or so if not sooner.

 

good point about jesus-
sad that good intentions lead to bad actions, but anyways.

aside from the battles named, (good analysis i might add Dino) i believe one event would have the greatest effect on the world. u guys might attack me for saying this but it must be done.

what if the technology Tesla discovered in the early 1900's wasnt snatched by the government and kept secret? What if he could have showed the world (like he was trying to) these advanced ZPE devices?

it would have revolutionized the world INSTANTLY, far greater than any of these things mentioned on this thread, i personally believe.

we wouldnt need fossil fuels anymore, and global warming would stop INSTANTLY also.
our technology would advance FAR faster than it is now.

Oil Companies wouldnt have EVERYONE in the WORLD in CHECK anymore. This new technology that Tesla carefully analyzed and engineered would have been able to get us out and into deep space by now.

kind of similar to this:

i know you guys probably meant ancient history but i believe this event would have the greatest effect on our advancement as a human race. greatest effect on our 'world' as we know it.


woah- just saw sargeant's post

that, i have to say, beats mine. although its not really a "failed event" kind of thing.

bush not being elected, damn that one is pretty good too.

 

Always go down strong to spread your message

 

I thought it was a forgone conclusion that if Rome lost the navel battle of Actium to Cleopatras egypt' then the the balance of world power would have shifted to he near east, and the progression of the world would be Asian, andnot Roman

 

If the
roman
empire failed to win the battle of actium, then cleopatras egypt would have ruled the world ; the world today would be asian instead of european.

 

Julixia: Excellent turning point. I did a little research on the Battle of Actium in 31 BC between Marc Anthony and Octavian. It could have gone either way. If Anthony & Cleopatra had won, it would have had a big effect.

A battle that could hardly have gone the other way is not my idea of a critical turning point. A friend of mine always talks about what might have happened if Sparticus and his gladiators had beaten the Roman army. If would have had a big effect, but Sparticus never had a chance of winning. The best he could have hoped for was escaping from the Italian Pennsula.