Description

Book Synopsis

Explore the failures, mistakes and missed opportunities that shaped history in this new entry in the bestselling series.

From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder, to the unsuccessful stint in medical school which led to a career in naturalism for Charles Darwin, to the missile detection system malfunction that almost sparked a nuclear war, the course of human history has so often been shaped by failures of all magnitudes.

In fifty bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Failures details how the world as we know it has been defined by plans gone awry, opportunities not seized upon and schemes that were always fated to end in catastrophe.

Whether it’s the pharaoh Akhenaten’s misplaced attempt to found a new religion or Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia, discover a fascinating collection of outsized tales and historical snafus

A Short History of the World in 50 Failures

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    A Hardback by Ben Gazur

    £11.69

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    RRP £12.99 – you save £1.30 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 14 Sep 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
      Published 1 May 2024
      ISBN-13 9781789296938
      978-1789296938
      ISBN-10 1789296935
      Also in:
      Non Fiction History General and world history

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Explore the failures, mistakes and missed opportunities that shaped history in this new entry in the bestselling series.

      From the botched attempt to create a life-extending elixir that produced gunpowder, to the unsuccessful stint in medical school which led to a career in naturalism for Charles Darwin, to the missile detection system malfunction that almost sparked a nuclear war, the course of human history has so often been shaped by failures of all magnitudes.

      In fifty bite-sized chapters spanning thousands of years, A Short History of the World in 50 Failures details how the world as we know it has been defined by plans gone awry, opportunities not seized upon and schemes that were always fated to end in catastrophe.

      Whether it’s the pharaoh Akhenaten’s misplaced attempt to found a new religion or Napoleon’s doomed invasion of Russia, discover a fascinating collection of outsized tales and historical snafus

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