When tiny miscommunications snowball into world‑shaking events, the results can be both absurd and terrifying. In this roundup of 10 tiny miscommunications with massive consequences, we’ll explore how a drunken slip, a mistranslated word, or a literal‑minded guard reshaped history.

10 Level Drunk Ends The Cold War

Berlin served as the thermostat of the Cold War—if you wanted to gauge how close humanity was to self‑destruction, just glance at the divided city. By 1989, the communist regime was on its last legs. A legal loophole let hordes of East Germans escape via Hungary to West Germany, prompting the East German government to issue temporary permits through the so‑called Anti‑Fascist Wall (yes, that was its official name) to placate would‑be defectors. These permits were meant as stop‑gap visas for an unspecified future date, essentially a political Band‑Aid.

Unfortunately, the officials forgot to brief the man chosen to announce the policy on live TV. Gunter Schabowski, a low‑ranking politburo member with a notorious drinking habit, was thrust into the spotlight on November 9, 1989. Chosen for his anonymity, he arrived either sleep‑deprived, hungover, or both, delivering a speech Tom Brokaw later called “boring.” When an Italian journalist asked when the new visas would take effect, Schabowski, sweating and stammering, blurted out “immediately.” The room erupted, and he compounded the chaos by adding that anyone already holding a passport qualified without further paperwork.

Masses surged toward the Berlin Wall, guards were baffled by contradictory orders, and the barriers toppled amid the pandemonium. The Cold War dissolved, all because a low‑level drunk wasn’t properly briefed.

9 Fat Man And Little Boy

After the Allies celebrated victory in Europe, the Potsdam Conference gathered leaders—Truman, Churchill, Stalin, and Chiang Kai‑Shek—to demand Japan’s unconditional surrender. The goal: avoid a bloody land invasion of the Japanese home islands. The Japanese cabinet remained silent while deliberating, until reporters pressed Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki for an answer. He responded with a single word: mokusatsu.

The term mokusatsu carries several meanings, but in this context Suzuki intended “no comment.” The Allies, however, misread it as “not worthy of comment; held in silent contempt.” Already weary of Japan’s kamikaze zeal, the United States took the mistranslation as a snub and a refusal to surrender. The resulting decision paved the way for the atomic bombings, a tragic illustration of how a single misunderstood word can alter the course of history.

8 The Charge Of The Light Brigade

The infamous Charge of the Light Brigade showcases a cascade of blunders rooted in aristocratic folly. In the Crimean War, officer commissions were bought, meaning many commanders had no battlefield experience. Lord Raglan, leading British forces, sent an order that read: “Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, follow the enemy, and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns. Troop horse artillery may accompany. French cavalry is on your left. Immediate.”

Raglan’s intention was to stop the Russians from hauling captured artillery away. However, the Light Brigade couldn’t see the guns Raglan referenced. When the cavalry commander, Lord Lucan, asked messenger Captain Nolan for clarification, Nolan swept his arm dramatically—perhaps indicating the futility of the request. Lucan misinterpreted the gesture as a directive to charge straight at the main body of Russian guns in a nearby valley.

Complicating matters, Lucan and the brigade commander, Lord Cardigan, were bitter rivals and refused to communicate. Following the vague orders, Cardigan led his men into a suicidal assault, resulting in massive casualties. Nolan was among the first to fall, killed by artillery while trying to halt the charge. The disaster was immortalized in Tennyson’s poem, a haunting reminder of how miscommunication can lead to needless slaughter.

7 The Tragedy At Wounded Knee

By 1890, numerous Native American tribes had been forced onto reservations, surviving on often‑delayed government handouts. In Nevada, a Paiute prophet named Wovoka envisioned a world where Europeans vanished, buffalo returned, and ancestral spirits roamed the earth. He promised that merely living righteously and performing the Ghost Dance would bring this paradise. As the movement spread across the Midwest, the U.S. government, fearing the peaceful ceremony signaled rebellion, grew paranoid. In early December, Sitting Bull was shot dead by police on the Standing Rock Reservation.

Two weeks later, a tragic miscommunication unfolded at Wounded Knee Creek. Major Samuel M. Whitside’s troops intercepted a Lakota band attempting to reach the Pine Ridge Reservation. The soldiers demanded that the tribe surrender their weapons. Most complied, but Black Coyote, who was deaf, missed the order. When a trooper tried to confiscate his rifle, Coyote lifted the gun in protest, claiming it was costly.

A scuffle erupted, and an unknown shot rang out. The soldiers, assuming the gunfire signaled an attack, opened fire on the now‑unarmed Lakota. Some warriors seized weapons and returned fire, but field artillery rained down, cutting down both sides. Over 250 Lakota and 25 U.S. soldiers perished. In a grim twist, the army awarded 20 Medals of Honor for “bravery” in what became one of the bloodiest massacres in American history.

6 The Battle Of Trenton

In 1776, the American Revolution teetered on the brink of collapse. General George Washington’s army had lost nearly 4,000 men in a disastrous Hudson Valley campaign, leaving his troops cold, hungry, and demoralized. Recognizing that only a bold maneuver could reverse fortunes, Washington plotted a daring crossing of the Delaware River to strike the Hessian garrison at Trenton, commanded by Johann Rall.

Unbeknownst to Washington, a loyalist farmer spotted the American march and rushed to warn the Hessians. He found most of the garrison asleep and discovered that Rall, engrossed in a game of cards (or perhaps checkers), had issued orders not to be disturbed. The farmer scrawled a warning on a note, which the guards agreed to deliver to Rall. However, Rall, like many of his troops, could not understand English. Rather than summon a translator, he tucked the note inside his coat and continued his pastime.

The American forces descended on Trenton, catching the Hessians off‑guard and securing a decisive victory. The warning note was later found on Rall’s corpse, a testament to how a simple language barrier can alter the fate of a nation.

5 Dean Acheson Speaks Off The Cuff, Facilitates The Korean War

In 1949, the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb, ending America’s nuclear monopoly and intensifying the Cold War. Both superpowers scrambled to expand influence, especially across Asia. In January 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson delivered an informal, off‑the‑cuff speech at the National Press Club. Without notes, he outlined a global line that the United States would defend with all its might—but he inadvertently omitted Korea from that protective boundary.

The Korean communists interpreted Acheson’s omission as a green light to invade the South, believing the United States would not intervene. Emboldened, they launched their assault shortly thereafter. Of course, the United States soon clarified its commitment to defend South Korea, sparking a three‑year conflict that claimed millions of lives. A single off‑the‑cuff remark thus helped ignite the Korean War.

4 A Single Verb Causes A War Between Italy And Ethiopia

When Italy and Ethiopia signed the Treaty of Wuchale in 1889, European powers had already been carving Africa into colonies for decades. The Amharic version of the treaty contained a permissive clause allowing the Ethiopian emperor to use the Italian embassy for foreign affairs. The Italian translation, however, transformed that optional verb into a mandatory one, implying the emperor “must” conduct all diplomacy through Italy.

The Italians rejoiced, believing the treaty granted them a foothold to colonize Ethiopia. The Ethiopians, interpreting the original Amharic text, maintained they remained fully sovereign. When the discrepancy surfaced, it ignited a war. Confident of a swift victory, Italy underestimated the Ethiopian forces, which fielded around 120,000 soldiers, half equipped with modern rifles, plus 50 Russian mountain guns that out‑rangened Italian artillery. The ensuing conflict saw the would‑be colonizers suffer a humiliating defeat.

3 The King’s Guard Is A Little Too Literal

In 1162, Thomas Becket ascended to the Archbishopric of Canterbury, the most prestigious ecclesiastical post in England. Once a close confidant and Royal Chancellor to King Henry II, Becket underwent a dramatic shift, championing the Church’s autonomy against royal interference. His newfound zeal made him a thorn in the king’s side.

Incensed, Henry II had Becket arrested on trumped‑up charges, only for the archbishop to escape into exile. After years of tension, the two reached a tentative compromise in 1170, and Becket returned to England. Almost immediately, he excommunicated a bishop loyal to the king, inflaming Henry’s fury. The monarch vented his frustration by lamenting, “What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low‑born cleric.”

A group of knights, taking Henry’s outburst literally as a command, rode to Canterbury and brutally murdered Becket in broad daylight inside the cathedral. The act nearly sparked a civil war, all because a royal rant was misinterpreted as an order.

2 Battle Of Karansebes

The Austrian Empire’s linguistic patchwork proved disastrous during the Battle of Karansebes. In September 1788, Austrian forces clashed with the Ottoman Turks. A detachment of hussars, tasked with scouting for Ottoman troops near the Timiș River in present‑day Serbia, stumbled upon a group of gypsies selling alcohol. Not one to miss a free drink, the hussars bought a barrel of schnapps and promptly became intoxicated.

Foot soldiers, hearing the raucous revelry, crossed a nearby bridge to join the party, but the drunken hussars refused to share. A heated argument erupted, culminating in a shot being fired. The foot soldiers shouted “Turchi! Turchi!”—the Romanian word for “Turks!” The inebriated hussars, fearing a Turkish attack, fled in panic, as did other soldiers who mistook the shout for a genuine threat.

The colonel, attempting to restore order, shouted “Halt! Halt!” in German, a language his troops could not understand. The confused soldiers interpreted the command as “Allah! Allah!” Chaos spread, the camp dissolved, and the Austrians abandoned the field. Two days later, the actual Turkish forces arrived to find a deserted battlefield strewn with corpses.

1 George Washington Pretends He Can Speak French, Starts A World War

The skirmish at Jumonville Glen reads like a Tarantino‑style comedy of errors. A young George Washington, then a militia officer serving the British Crown, led a surprise attack on a French‑Canadian outpost near present‑day Pittsburgh. The French commander, Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville, was killed under mysterious circumstances—whether by an ordered volley, a stray shot, or a native warrior’s tomahawk remains debated.

After the clash, the French forces, now led by Jumonville’s brother, demanded Washington’s surrender. Washington, cornered and desperate, agreed to terms. The surrender document, however, was drafted in French—a language Washington could not read. Eager to avoid further bloodshed, he pretended to understand the text and signed it.Unbeknownst to him, the French side had inserted a clause accusing the British troops of “assassinating” a French ambassador—a grave insult. The misinterpretation inflamed French anger, contributing to a broader escalation that spiraled into the Seven Years’ War, a global conflict that reshaped empires.

When you think of the world’s most massive spectacles—whether it’s a glittering opening ceremony, a pilgrimage of millions, or a high‑stakes political summit—you’re really looking at the result of 10 logistical secrets that keep everything humming behind the scenes. From military‑grade security drills to satellite‑linked crowd‑control, these hidden strategies turn chaos into choreography.

10 Logistical Secrets That Make Mega‑Events Possible

10 The Olympics Are Rehearsed With Fake Crowds And Emergency Scenarios

Olympic host cities typically start mapping out logistics almost a decade before the torch even ignites, and the final months are a blur of full‑scale rehearsals that the public never sees. These mock‑events enlist hundreds to thousands of volunteers who act out the roles of fans, athletes, journalists, and even agitators. Security teams stage everything from simulated chemical attacks to rogue drone incursions, while transport planners dispatch “ghost” buses along the official routes to fine‑tune traffic timing down to the second.

In the lead‑up to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games, Japanese officials practiced evacuating stadiums in the midst of a simulated earthquake, sanitising venues in a matter of minutes, and isolating athletes who tested positive for COVID‑19. Beijing’s 2008 Olympics featured paid actors posing as protestors and rogue journalists, and Chinese planners ran timed subway evacuation drills to verify that 100,000 people could vacate the Olympic Park in under 25 minutes.

9 The Hajj Uses a Real‑Time Crowd Monitoring System From Space

The annual Hajj pilgrimage draws more than two million worshippers into a tightly confined area, a logistical nightmare that has, in the past, resulted in deadly stampedes. Today, Saudi Arabia relies on a surveillance network rivaling military installations: aerial imaging, GPS‑derived heatmaps, and AI‑driven motion tracking all work in concert to keep the flow smooth.

During peak days, crowd density is analysed second‑by‑second. Drones equipped with thermal sensors spot sudden bottlenecks or medical emergencies, while pilgrims wear electronic ID bracelets that log visa origin, group affiliation, and health status. Inside the Grand Mosque, engineers direct movement with colour‑coded signage, multilingual audio cues, and temporary barriers that can be re‑configured hourly. In 2023, the system rerouted thousands of pilgrims in real time when a corridor threatened to exceed capacity.

8 Eurovision Uses a Backup Country In Case Of Power Failure

The Eurovision Song Contest stitches together dozens of live satellite feeds, real‑time voting, and a global audience of millions. Few realise that the host broadcaster must also coordinate with a “shadow” nation ready to seize the live feed instantly should a technical glitch, cyber‑attack, or power outage strike.

When Sweden hosted the 2016 edition, the BBC in London ran a mirrored production line in parallel—complete with live camera cuts, graphics, and backup announcers reciting cue cards in sync with the Swedish hosts. The televoting infrastructure is triple‑redundant, blending fiber‑optic, satellite, and internet pathways, while each country’s votes are cached on regional servers to thwart sabotage. A hard‑wired delay system also lets officials mute or censor any breach of broadcasting standards mid‑performance.

7 Royal Funerals Are Planned Decades In Advance With Codenames

European royal households maintain entire departments devoted to rehearsing monarchic deaths, known internally as “Bridge” operations—London Bridge for the late Queen, Forth Bridge for Prince Philip, Menai Bridge for King Charles. These plans drill down to the minute, covering coffin transport, flower colour, and the sequencing of gun salutes.

When Queen Elizabeth II passed in 2022, pre‑written obituaries went live within 90 seconds, and pre‑cleared mourners received secure alerts. Traffic lights turned to a blinking yellow, TV channels cleared scheduled programming, and military units rehearsed marching routes in real time. BBC anchors swapped to black suits stored in studio drawers, while Commonwealth nations like Canada and Australia held simultaneous ceremonies using encrypted scripts coordinated with Buckingham Palace.

6 The World Cup Includes a Team Whose Only Job Is Watching The Weather

The FIFA World Cup commands billions in sponsorship, a tightly packed broadcast schedule, and the safety of hundreds of thousands of fans—all vulnerable to Mother Nature. That’s why every host nation fields a specialised sports‑climatology unit staffed by meteorologists, data analysts, and environmental engineers who monitor each venue hour‑by‑hour.

In Qatar 2022, the unit fed live forecasts into stadium cooling systems, tweaking vent strength and misting output according to sun angle and wind speed. During Brazil 2014, real‑time radar forced a 10‑minute kickoff delay in Manaus after lightning was detected within five miles of the pitch. These decisions flow through direct lines to FIFA’s central command, which also tracks potential flooding, dust storms, and sand infiltration risks that could damage camera gear.

5 The Super Bowl Has A No‑Fly Zone And EMP Backup Plan

Every Super Bowl turns its host city into a temporary national‑security bubble, complete with a 30‑nautical‑mile no‑fly radius enforced by F‑16 fighters and Black Hawk helicopters. The FAA issues Temporary Flight Restrictions, while NORAD stations aerial radar teams to sniff out unauthorized drones, aircraft, or high‑altitude balloons. In 2020, a private pilot inadvertently breached Miami airspace, prompting an immediate military response and emergency landing.

Behind the scenes, the game runs on mobile power stations, hardened satellite uplinks, and EMP‑shielded communications hubs. The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and NSA each embed agents in a multi‑agency command centre, running drills for mass‑shooter scenarios, chemical attacks, and cyber‑disruption of the live feed. Every vendor—from halftime dancers to hot‑dog sellers—undergoes weeks‑long security vetting, while stadium exits are programmed with real‑time counter‑flow algorithms for rapid evacuation if needed.

4 Burning Man Builds A Temporary City With Postal Codes And Emergency Services

Black Rock City materialises each year in the Nevada desert within three weeks, sheltering over 70,000 participants in a fully engineered grid. The layout follows a clock‑face model, with radial “streets” labelled by time (e.g., “6:30 & G”) and concentric rings named after that year’s theme. Emergency crews reference locations using a military‑style grid, and dispatch is coordinated by the city’s own 9‑1‑1‑equivalent, running on VHF radios and solar‑powered repeaters.

The settlement hosts four fully staffed medical clinics, a volunteer‑run mental‑health crisis tent, and a ranger patrol that handles everything from missing persons to fire containment. Infrastructure includes sanitation vaults trucked in from Reno, portable Wi‑Fi nodes dubbed “PlayaNet,” and ice logistics managed by a group called Arctica, which distributes frozen supplies from three central depots. All structures must be fire‑rated and removable; after the festival, crews stay for three weeks to erase every trace, with MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) patrols scanning every square meter for stray debris.

3 The Tour de France Is Shadowed By A Mobile Mini‑City

Each stage of the Tour de France demands overnight construction of finish‑line infrastructure: timing gates, medical tents, TV studios, hospitality zones, and press areas. A travelling convoy of roughly 4,500 staff shuttles these assets across 21 stages and more than 2,000 miles, delivering everything from portable showers to backup podiums.

Satellite trucks beam live video from remote mountain peaks via microwave relays mounted on helicopters, while logistics teams pre‑map pop‑up control rooms, spectator fencing, and restroom locations. Towns along the route often see their populations double overnight, prompting locals to act as traffic marshals, security liaisons, or translators. Food‑supply trucks leapfrog each other to provide 3,000 meals daily, and bicycle mechanics operate from rolling garages equipped with laser‑alignment rigs and spare carbon frames.

2 The Oscars Have A Secret Script For Every On‑Stage Crisis

The Oscars broadcast is choreographed down to the second, yet a behind‑the‑scenes control team works off a crisis playbook that spells out page‑by‑page emergency responses. From misread envelopes to medical incidents, the Academy rehearses scenarios with stand‑in winners and alternate stage managers. After the 2017 La La Land/Moonlight mix‑up, a redundant envelope‑checking system was installed, and each PwC accountant received a dedicated security liaison to prevent distractions.

When the 2022 Will Smith/Chris Rock altercation erupted, the Academy overhauled its contingency plan, adding real‑time incident triage with LAPD, private security, and producers. Special code words are whispered over earpieces to flag on‑stage crises, technical glitches, or venue evacuation needs, with designated hosts in the wings trained to take over. Even spontaneous “surprises” like proposals or stunts must be pre‑cleared under false labels in the teleprompter script to dodge network violations or FCC fines.

1 The G20 Summit Can Involve 100+ Decoy Motorcades

When a G20 or comparable summit convenes, dozens of world leaders arrive in overlapping, secretive windows, each escorted by custom‑built motorcades, armored limousines, and elite security teams. To mask the true movements of high‑risk targets, host nations deploy a swarm of fake convoys—sometimes over 120 dummy vehicles—using identical cars with mirrored tint, cloned license plates, and GPS spoofing to bewilder surveillance.

During Hamburg 2017, these decoys roamed the city while the real leaders slipped through service tunnels and rooftop helipads. Hotel floors were booked months ahead under aliases, then swept for listening devices and wrapped in Faraday shielding. All digital communications ran through portable satellite encryptors, with isolated networks for translation, press, and emergency command. Local hospitals were assigned secret “VIP casualty rooms,” airspace was locked down, and mobile anti‑drone jammers were hidden in disguised telecom trucks.

In an age of seemingly endless wars where nations can no longer even know when they’ve achieved objectives, let alone savor satisfying victories, it’s tempting for military students to look to the past. The pursuit of the 10 massive lesser conquests offers a vivid reminder of how empires rose, fell, and reshaped the world. Historians have drawn us neat, definitive maps and provided clear start‑and‑end dates, but the real allure lies in the vicarious sense of power and accomplishment that comes from walking in the footsteps of the victors.

Why These 10 Massive Lesser Conquests Matter

10 The Rise Of The Parthians

 We all know the name Alexander the Great, and as a result, his conquest of the Persian Empire and invasion of the Indian Empire are common knowledge. Much less well‑known is what happened to Alexander’s immense Greco‑Persian Empire after he died in 323 BC without a named heir. Consequently, civil wars broke out which would endure for decades on and off. The most successful of any claimants to the empire was Seleucus I Nicator. By 300 BC, his armies had taken most of modern Turkey through modern Pakistan. Unlike Alexander’s empire, the Seleucid Empire endured for centuries, spreading a religiously tolerant and financially vibrant trade hub. Yet by 247 BC, a kingdom known as the Parthian Empire emerged with its capital in Nisa which over roughly the next 160 years conquered most of the Seleucid Empire. Afterward, the Parthian Empire would become the most prominent force in the Middle East for centuries, eventually falling in 223 AD. 

The real enduring relevance of the Parthian Empire was its role as a rival to the Roman Empire. After Parthian armies demonstrated they could annihilate far larger Roman forces at Carrhae in 44 BC, the Parthian Empire took the initiative for eastward expansion away from Rome and spent the next few centuries bleeding Rome white, leaving it vulnerable to such invaders as the Germanic tribes. Although the Roman Empire outlasted it by centuries, the Parthians did as much to bring about Rome’s downfall as any barbarian army. 

9 Ashoka The Great

Ashoka took the throne of the Mauryan Empire in 268 BC. He inherited a realm that stretched from the Hindu Kush through much of modern Northern India along the Ganges River to the Subarnarekha River. By the end of Ashoka’s reign in 232 BC, it stretched down all but the tip of the Deccan Peninsula and from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. The human toll of this conquest was vast, even by the standards of the time. At the Battle of Kalinga alone, Ashoka’s army was said to have killed 100,000 people while also suffering tremendous losses themselves due to the valor of the Kalingas allowing them to nearly win the day. With those losses in mind, it’s not so surprising that the Mauryans were willing to force a reported 150,000 women and child prisoners into slavery. 

Today Ashoka is at least as celebrated for his alleged attempt at redemption after his conquests left such flows of blood in their wake. He greatly improved the infrastructure of the Mauryan Empire (particularly regarding roads). He not only promoted religious tolerance but helped legitize Buddhism. Most important of all, he was credited with laws abolishing slavery during his reign.  

8 The Swedish Empire

After staying neutral for World Wars I and II, Sweden isn’t thought of as a military powerhouse. But in the 1600s, Sweden was one of the most prominent powers in Central Europe. Beginning in 1560, Sweden fought several wars with Denmark for dominance of the Baltic Sea and came out massively ahead. By 1618 when Ferdinand II of Bohemia attempted to reinstitute absolute Catholic rule in Central and Eastern Europe, the Swedish military had been honed into a disciplined, well‑compensated, and well‑equipped modern force. It would defeat Poland over a four‑year war from 1625 to 1629, defeat Denmark again, and then win over Germany to reject the authority of the Catholic League. By its height in 1658, Sweden had gained control of most of modern Finland, middle Norway, Estonia, and lucrative territory in modern Northern Germany such as Bremen‑Verden.

Sweden had the good luck of being ruled by a couple of military geniuses. First, there was Gustavus Adolphus, who in addition to his numerous battlefield victories reformed Swedish trade and industry to allow a flow of foreign capital and trade so that Swedish weaponry became the envy of much of Europe. His greatest single victory was at the battle of Breitenfeld in 1631, where his mobile infantry and artillery ruined the previously undefeatable Catholic League army under Count Tilly. It was only his death at his second greatest victory in 1632 at Luetzen that stopped him from creating a pre‑eminent unified German nation centuries early and forming a league with Sweden that could dominate Europe. 

After Adolphus came Charles XI. He reformed the entire Swedish government into a combination of absolute monarchy and parliament, which held the economy together and with it Sweden’s many territorial acquisitions, though even Charles XI needed to put down rebellion after rebellion. He also overhauled the Swedish Navy so that it became one of the finest in the world.  

7 The Conquest Of The Aztecs And Beyond

Hernán Cortés first arrived in Hispaniola (modern Cuba) in 1504. After rising through the ranks by taking part in the conquest of that island, in 1519 he disobeyed orders from Governor Velázquez and sailed with 500 men and eleven ships to the Mexican mainland. Over the next two years, he forged local alliances through feats of arms among roughly 200 anti‑Aztec communities called the Tlaxcala. With them at his back, in 1519 Cortés’s men entered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan under initially cordial terms, only to be forced to seek refuge after the Aztecs soured on the Spanish and attempted to kill them. In 1520 the Tlaxcala sided with Cortés as he confronted rival Conquistador Narváez, who had been sent by Velázquez to displace him. Instead, the Cortés‑Tlaxcala alliance defeated and absorbed the new army, then marched on the Aztec capital again, sacking it in 1521. 

This is a well‑covered piece of history, but far less known is what happened next. In 1527, viceroys sent by the Spanish crown to help administer New Spain accused Cortés of poisoning them, forcing him to return to Spain to defend himself. Although acquitted, while he was away he was stripped of his governorship. This was a real pity for the Spanish Empire, as Cortés’s men had been enthusiastically moving through modern Mexico and beginning to settle in Alta California, modern California. However, the initiative for northern expansion was slowed greatly, allowing American settlers to out‑settle and eventually overwhelm Spanish settlers in the 19th Century. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be a maverick conqueror.     

6 The Forging Of The Russian Empire

Today Russia is not only the largest nation in the world, at 6.6 million square miles it’s nearly twice the size of Canada, the second largest. This is a nation that in 1462 when it was known as Muscovy was scarcely larger than modern Germany. How did that happen? 

The story of Russia first swelling into a giant power begins with two Ivans. The first was Ivan III who took the throne in 1462 and by the end of his reign had more than tripled the size of the nation by annexing several small principalities and in 1478 annexing the Republic of Novgorod. In 1480, the Mongolian Golden Horde came to confront the rising power and was sent packing. 

What’s particularly notable about Ivan III’s successes was how bloodless many of them were. For example, in seizing Novgorod he mostly exploited internal rivalries to win the territory without a major battle. When confronting the Mongols, the Horde’s military was sent retreating without a fight at all. One of his greatest conquests wasn’t another principality; it was the Princess Sofia Paleologue of the Byzantine Empire, offering tremendous wealth and legitimacy to the rising Eastern European power. 

Then there was the 1547 ascension of Ivan IV, better known as “the Terrible” for his purges and draconian treatment of rebels. His military career was decidedly mixed, such as the 24‑year‑long Livonian War to conquer modern Estonia and Lithuania, which ended with at best a stalemate and was marked by Moscow being burned. Still, he was successful with major territorial gains such as the major cities across the Volga River (while driving the Mongols away from Astrakhan without a fight) and the first conquests outside of the Slavic areas.  

The single largest conquest that expanded the size of Russia began in 1581 when Cossack cavalry under the command of Yermak invaded Siberia. The invasion was retaliation to raids by Mongols under Kuchum as part of an effort to reinstate a great Khanate. Instead of uniting a new empire, Kuchum’s communities fell into infighting, which greatly aided the Russians in the short term as they established forts throughout Siberia, and also left Siberians more amenable to rule from Moscow to end the constant raids on each other. The Russian government immediately incorporated Siberian leaders into the Russian administration instead of treating them as semi‑independent colonies, as European powers often did in the Americas. It also helped that, as with many colonizations, the Russians brought deadly diseases with them. By 1742, the last of the rebel indigenous groups, the Chukchi, was put down. It seems more than the French Empire under Napoleon, the rise of the Russian Empire was characterized by dividing and conquering.      

5 Japanese Empire

By 1905, the expansionist ambitions of Japan received massive validation when it destroyed the Russian Navy at the Battle of Tsushima Straits. By 1910, it had added Korea to its holdings. For the next couple of decades there was a lull in new conquests as the Meiji Dynasty dealt with internal matters such as quashing a socialist movement, surviving massive earthquakes, and reorganizing a largely agrarian economy into a more industrial one. 

The conquests restarted dramatically in 1931 when, under the pretext that the Chinese military attempted to bomb a civilian train, Japan invaded and annexed the Manchurian Province, a move carried out without approval from the Japanese civilian government. A similarly flimsy pretext—the disappearance of two Japanese soldiers on the border to China—was used in 1937 to justify another Sino‑Japanese War, during which most of the Kiangsu and Inner Mongolian provinces were seized, placing significant cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the capital Nanking under Japanese control. By 1942, the empire’s high‑water mark included Burma, Thailand, most of Malaysia and Indonesia, and the Philippines. In less than half a century an island nation of fewer than 150,000 people swelled to 2.68 million square miles.     

The Japanese Empire was particularly aggressive in cultural erasure. For example in Korea, not only did 100,000 Japanese people move there while many Koreans were taken to Japan, but Korean historical documents were destroyed en masse. Even forests of native Korean trees were clear‑cut so they could be replaced by Japanese trees. Even today, Japan has many descendants of slaves from its imperial age who attempt to conceal their heritage. 

4 The Rashidun And Umayyad Caliphates

It can hardly be overstated how much the arrival of Islam energized the Middle East. After the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 AD, the Rashidun Caliphate began when Abu Bakr was elected his successor and finished the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula that the prophet started. He completed the conquest but died in 634. His successor Umar waged war on modern Iran; although assassinated in 644, they conquered Iran by 651 under his successor Uthman, who also took Armenia. Uthman was assassinated in 656, and his successor Ali brought Egypt, Libya, and part of modern Turkey into the fold. This was achieved by a military force that never numbered more than 100,000 troops.    

As indicated by the rapid succession of rulers who died shortly after taking power, trouble was brewing from the start. Not only did the Sunni‑Shia split emerge during this period, but Ali was ousted in 661 and replaced by the Umayyad Caliphate. The change in management did nothing to slow expansion. By 700, the Caliphate had conquered modern Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco in the West. In the East, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan were absorbed and India itself was invaded. By 711, the Iberian Peninsula fell, with Portugal and most of Spain under control. It wasn’t until the 732 Battle of Poitiers, a deep raid into France, that the tide began to turn. At its height the Caliphate spanned 5.79 million square miles, approaching a third of the world’s population at the time. 

3 Timur The Lame / Tamerlane

It is surprising how little discussed Tamerlane is today despite being a colorful and successful figure in military history. Born in 1336 into a minor noble family in modern‑day Uzbekistan, he collaborated with the Mongols and by 1364 had distinguished himself both as a mercenary and in helping the Mongols conquer Transoxiana. He then joined forces with his brother‑in‑law Amir Husayn and seized Transoxiana for himself by 1366. During this period he received an infected arrow wound that left him unable to use his right arm and leg properly, earning him the nickname “lame.”

Despite betraying a Mongol leader being key to his rise, Tamerlane styled himself as a fusion of Mongol power and Islam, marrying his sister‑in‑law Saray Mulk Khanum, a purported descendant of Genghis Khan. He emulated Mongol reliance on cavalry and treated resisting cities brutally, destroying landmarks in places like Herat while sparing cities such as Tehran. By 1405, his empire encompassed modern Afghanistan, half of modern Pakistan, Turkmenistan, all of Iran, most of Iraq including Baghdad, the Caucasus, and much of western Turkey—demonstrating a working, if ruthless, strategy. 

2 The Mongol Empire

TopTenz has devoted lists to the Mongol Empire before, but it’s time for a fresh rundown of their conquests. In 1206, Temujin united the steppe peoples of central Asia, and by 1209 they had conquered Xi Xia, a kingdom on the northern border of China. War with China followed, and by 1215 they had taken the capital Beijing. In 1219 Genghis Khan’s wrath moved west when the Khwarezm Empire (modern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran) insulted the Khanate by attacking a protected caravan and murdering the Mongol emissary. Genghis died in 1227, four years before the Mongols completed crushing Khwarezm. He was still alive when the Mongols entered modern Russian territory in 1223, launching a remarkably successful campaign even by Mongol standards. 

By 1240 the Mongols added most of modern Russia and Ukraine, most notably sacking Kyiv. In 1242 they invaded modern Eastern Europe, including Poland and Bulgaria. A conveniently timed death of Khan Ogedei spared much of central Europe from Mongol domination. By 1258 they turned their sights to the Middle East, conquering Baghdad in a particularly horrific manner. In 1260 they were thoroughly repulsed in Egypt for the first time, and subsequent defeats in Vietnam and Japan turned the tide against them. At its height the empire spanned 12 million square miles, unquestionably the largest contiguous empire in world history. 

1 The “Sun Never Sets” Empires

The United Kingdom was not the first empire to claim that the sun never set on its territories. The Portuguese Empire reached that milestone first, with colonies in Africa, India, and the Portuguese East Indies thanks to Vasco da Gama’s 1497 voyage and the 1500 founding of Brazil. It was later eclipsed by the rise of the Spanish Empire under the notoriously incestuous Philip II, which, after conquering the Aztecs, controlled vast swaths of North and South America, Equatorial Guinea in Africa, the Philippines, the Canary, Mariana, and Caroline Islands, and even portions of Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands. Unfortunately for Spain, Philip II’s disastrous 1588 launch of the Spanish Armada into the English Channel resulted in a catastrophic defeat that cost half the 130‑ship fleet, swinging initiative massively to Britain’s favor. 

Control of India began in the 1600s, with the acquisition of major trading centers Madras in 1639 and Bombay by 1661. In 1763 the Treaty of Paris at the end of the French‑Indian War yielded control of Canada and gave the kingdom massive holdings in North America even after the American colonies left in 1783. Around that time in 1788, 736 convicts were landed in Australia. In Africa, colonization started in 1787 when 300 freed slaves loyal to Britain during the American Revolution and 70 white prostitutes were landed in Sierra Leone. From that awkward beginning, control expanded to include lands from South Africa in 1820 to Egypt by 1899. By 1841 Britain had acquired the lucrative islands of Hong Kong and Taiwan. By the time Britain reached its greatest size in 1920, with territorial concessions from Germany and the Ottoman Empire, it spanned 13.71 million miles, and 412 million people—a quarter of the world’s population—lived within its borders. Let’s hope we never see another nation try to top that. 

When you think about the planet’s most jaw‑dropping oddities, the top 10 crazy list is the perfect way to line‑up nature’s most mind‑bending spectacles. From lakes that turn pink overnight to earthquakes that behave like a boomerang, this roundup showcases the bizarre events that make Earth feel like a sci‑fi set.

Top 10 Crazy Natural Wonders

10 A Crater Turned Pink Overnight

Lonar Lake in India looks like any ordinary, round water body—until June 2020, when its waters went from a muted hue to a vivid flamingo pink in just a single day. The lake, formed by a meteorite impact roughly 50,000 years ago, surprised scientists and tourists alike with this sudden colour shift.

Researchers say the pink surge resulted from a perfect storm of factors: a dip in lake level made the water saltier, scorching daytime temperatures heated the surface, and together they sparked a massive bloom of red‑pigmented algae. This algae overgrowth turned the whole lake a striking shade of pink, creating a scene that looks more like a painted masterpiece than a natural lake.

9 Waterfalls Flowing In Reverse

In a wild 2020 episode, several Australian waterfalls appeared to flow backward. While they weren’t literally rewinding like a video, strong gale‑force winds pushed misty spray up and over the cliff edges, creating the illusion of water climbing upward.

Just days before the spectacle, Sydney and its surrounds were battered by a severe storm. Winds roaring at about 70 km/h (45 mph) flooded rivers and forced evacuations, but the same gusts also forced the waterfalls to defy gravity temporarily. Once the storm passed, the cascades resumed their normal downhill plunge.

8 The Red Sea Is A Natural Air Killer

Sandwiched between Africa and Arabia, the Red Sea is a bustling shipping corridor thanks to the Suez Canal. While human activity already burdens the region’s air, scientists uncovered a far more alarming source of pollution in 2017.

Measurements revealed that the northern Red Sea emitted ethane and propane at concentrations 40 times higher than what human activity alone could explain. The only plausible explanation: massive natural releases from underwater reservoirs. These gases bubble up to the surface, turning the Red Sea into a surprisingly potent, natural contributor to atmospheric pollution.

7 The Godzilla Dust Plume

Every year, the Sahara spews a massive cloud of sand across the Atlantic, known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL). In 2020, this plume grew so enormous that scientists nicknamed it “Godzilla.”

The Godzilla plume carried roughly 70 % more sand than typical SAL events and traveled an astounding 8,000 km (5,000 mi), eventually reaching the United States. Its sheer size and weight made it the most extensive dust cloud recorded in the past two decades.

6 This Lightning Bolt Was Ridiculously Long

On a stormy Halloween night over Brazil, a single lightning flash stretched an unprecedented 700 km (440 mi) from the Atlantic coast all the way into Argentina. Satellite data confirmed this as the longest recorded bolt, dwarfing the previous record of 320 km set in Oklahoma in 2007.

Even more astonishing, a separate flash over northern Argentina in 2019 lingered for 17 seconds, earning the title of the longest‑lasting lightning strike ever documented.

These mega‑flashes illustrate just how electrifying our planet can become when the right atmospheric conditions line up.

5 Australia’s Coast Is Surrounded By Rivers

Australia may be famous for its outback, but 2020 revealed a hidden aquatic marvel: a network of underwater rivers hugging the continent’s coastline for over 10,000 km (6,200 mi). These subsurface rivers flow because their water is denser—heavier and saltier—than the surrounding ocean.

The rivers are seasonal. In summer they weaken, while winter’s colder temperatures increase water density, causing the currents to sink and surge more forcefully along the seafloor. Their sheer scale makes them one of the most significant oceanographic discoveries of the decade.

4 Volcano F’s Stupendously Huge Rafts

The seemingly innocuous name “Volcano F” belies its spectacular output. This submarine volcano near Tonga erupts roughly every few years, spewing massive amounts of pumice—a lightweight volcanic rock that floats.

During the 2019 eruption, the pumice formed a floating raft the size of 20,000 football fields. The raft drifted across the Pacific for nearly a year, eventually washing ashore along 1,300 km (807 mi) of Australia’s coastline from Queensland to New South Wales.

Along its journey, the pumice collected barnacles, corals, and algae, effectively ferrying reef‑building organisms to the Great Barrier Reef. Volcano F repeats this boon roughly every five years, delivering a natural boost to marine ecosystems.

3 This Blip Is The Bane Of NASA

Earth’s magnetic field shields us from solar particles, but a weak spot known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) lets high‑energy particles slip through. The SAA stretches over South America and the Southern Atlantic Ocean, posing a hazard to satellites and space stations.

When spacecraft pass through the anomaly, they risk data corruption and hardware damage, prompting NASA to temporarily power down vulnerable equipment until they exit the zone.

2 The Firefall Of Yosemite

Every February, Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall performs a fleeting illusion known as the “firefall.” For a brief 10‑minute window, the setting sun illuminates the waterfall, making the cascading water glow orange like molten lava.

This optical marvel occurs only when the sun aligns perfectly behind the fall, creating a spectacular, fiery display that draws crowds from around the globe before the light fades and the waterfall returns to its usual silvery sheen.

1 An Earthquake That Boomeranged

In August 2016, a deep‑sea quake struck the Romanche fracture zone near the equator. Though initially a textbook 7.1‑magnitude tremor, a 2020 analysis revealed a bizarre twist: the rupture turned back on itself, traveling in the opposite direction—effectively the world’s first confirmed boomerang earthquake.

Even more unsettling, after reversing, the rupture accelerated, racing back toward the fault’s centre at speeds up to 6 km/s (3.7 mi/s). This unprecedented behavior challenged existing seismic models and highlighted the planet’s capacity for truly unexpected dynamics.

These ten extraordinary phenomena remind us that Earth constantly writes its own wild, unedited script—one that never ceases to surprise.

Disco dominated the airwaves in the 1970s, spawning a parade of unforgettable anthems like “You Should Be Dancing,” “Rock The Boat,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “Le Freak.” Over the decades, artists from every corner of the music world have put their own spin on these timeless tracks, delivering fresh versions that still make you want to tap your foot. Below are ten (plus one bonus) foot‑tapping covers that prove the disco spirit never truly died.

11 Steps

ABBA blended Euro‑pop, rock, and disco to create a global phenomenon, and their catalog has been re‑imagined countless times. “Dancing Queen,” the Swedish group’s sole U.S. number‑one hit, first dazzled listeners in 1976 with its shimmering blend of disco‑era sparkle and pop‑catchiness. In 1999, the British pop outfit S Club 7 took a nostalgic 1990s spin on the classic, delivering a version that, while not flawless, certainly gets any dance floor moving.

The original track remains a staple at parties worldwide, and this playful rendition adds a dash of ’90s flair that keeps the groove alive for a new generation of listeners.

10 Foo Fighters

The Bee Gees earned the moniker “Disco Kings,” penning hits such as “Night Fever,” “Stayin’ Alive,” and “Tragedy.” Released in 1979, “Tragedy” vaulted to the top of the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, even displacing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” from the American summit. Remarkably, the song’s lyrics were crafted in a single afternoon, alongside the companion piece “Too Much Heaven.”

Fast forward to 2021, when rock veterans Foo Fighters launched a disco‑infused side project called the Dee Gees. Their album “Hail Satin” features a bold cover of “Tragedy,” with frontman Dave Grohl soaring in falsetto, paying homage to the original while injecting a modern rock energy.

10 Foot Tapping Energy

9 Blondie

Donna Summer, hailed as the “Queen of Disco,” amassed 42 Billboard Hot 100 hits, sold over 100 million records, and collected five Grammy Awards during her illustrious career. One of her most iconic tracks, “I Feel Love,” is credited with laying the groundwork for electronic dance music and is frequently cited as one of the most influential recordings ever made. Its futuristic synth‑driven sound inspired acts ranging from the Human League to David Bowie and, of course, Blondie.

Blondie, famous for the 1979 smash “Heart of Glass,” followed up that success by delivering a live rendition of “I Feel Love” at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in 1990. The performance later appeared on the re‑issued single “Union City Blue” in 1995, cementing the band’s ability to reinterpret disco classics through a new‑wave lens.

The cover showcases Debbie Harry’s unmistakable vocals over a sleek, synth‑laden arrangement, proving that the song’s hypnotic pulse transcends genre boundaries.

8 Kirk Franklin

Maurice White and Allee Willis penned “September” for Earth, Wind & Fire in just one month, creating a timeless hit that cracked the top ten across multiple charts. A 1999 remix, “September 99,” revived the groove for a new wave of club‑goers.

In 2007, gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin re‑imagined the track, delivering a foot‑stomping rendition that landed on both the Billboard Adult R&B Songs and Hot Gospel Songs charts. Franklin rewrote the lyrics to reflect his Christian faith and included the version on the tribute compilation “Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire.”

7 CAKE

Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” remains a definitive 1970s disco anthem, preserved in the National Recording Registry and honored with a Grammy for Best Disco Recording in 1980. The track topped the list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs in 2000, cementing its place in musical history.

Countless artists have tackled the classic, from Diana Ross to Demi Lovato. In 1996, alternative rock outfit CAKE recorded a sardonic version for their “Fashion Nugget” album, after years of performing it live. Gaynor later expressed that she disliked CAKE’s take, citing the added profanity as a point of contention.

6 Alex Chilton

K C and the Sunshine Band delivered “Boogie Shoes” in 1975, a catchy anthem that surged to fame after appearing on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. The track also popped up in movies such as “Boogie Nights,” “The Wedding Date,” “No Escape,” and “Mallrats.”

Alex Chilton, known for his work with the Box Tops and Big Star, earned a reputation as an influential figure for alternative bands like the Posies and R E M. In 1979, he released the limited‑edition album “Like Flies on Sherbert,” which featured an eclectic mix of covers—including a distinctive rendition of “Boogie Shoes.”

5 Tina Turner

The Trammps only broke into mainstream consciousness when “Disco Inferno” landed on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, propelling the song to number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.

Tina Turner began incorporating the track into her live sets early on and eventually laid down a studio version for her 1993 soundtrack album “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Turner’s take stands alongside Cyndi Lauper’s 1998 version as one of the most notable covers of the fiery anthem.

4 Hideki Saijo

Village People’s 1978 smash “Y.M.C.A.” remains one of the most instantly recognizable disco songs, a staple at sporting events across Europe and America, and a Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. Its ubiquitous chorus still fuels karaoke nights worldwide.

Japanese pop sensation Hideki Saijo seized the moment, releasing a localized version titled “Young Man (Y.M.C.A.)” in 1979. The single dominated Japan’s Oricon chart for five weeks and secured a spot among the year’s top‑ten best‑selling singles.

3 RuPaul

Donna Summer was originally offered “It’s Raining Men” in 1979 but declined, citing concerns over the lyrical content. Songwriters Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer then pitched the tune to Diana Ross, Cher, and Barbra Streisand, all of whom passed. In 1982, the duo convinced The Two Tons (later the Weather Girls) to record it, and the track exploded onto U.S. dance‑club playlists, eventually earning a Grammy nomination in 1983.

The Weather Girls’ Martha Wash teamed up with drag icon RuPaul in 1998 to release “It’s Raining Men, The Sequel,” which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard chart, adding a fresh, flamboyant twist to the classic anthem.

2 Pseudo Echo

Lipps Inc.’s 1980 hit “Funkytown” topped charts worldwide, cementing its status as a disco staple and finding its way onto numerous film and TV soundtracks.

Australian synth‑pop outfit Pseudo Echo covered the track in the mid‑80s, propelling it to number one in Australia, number six in the United States, and number one in Canada. Though the single marked their biggest international success, replicating that level of fame proved elusive for both Lipps Inc. and Pseudo Echo.

1 Gloria Trevi

Laura Branigan’s 1982 rendition of “Gloria” dominated the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, peaking at No. 2. The original Italian love song, crafted by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi in 1979, was later translated into English by Jonathan King.

Mexican pop powerhouse Gloria Trevi, dubbed “The Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop,” recorded a vibrant Spanish version for her 2012 “Gloria Live” album, delivering a lively performance that captivated fans worldwide.

Trevi’s spirited take on “Gloria” showcases her dynamic vocal style and reaffirmed her status as an international pop icon.

Death, the great equalizer, is an inevitable fate cast upon the human race as we are brought into this world. Every breath may well be our last. At times, death comes quicker than others, ravaging large populations swiftly and without mercy. In modern times we’ve seen the horrors of a deadly disease tear apart our culture, families, and societal norms.

Devastating at first, we are now seeing the changes this earth-shattering virus produced. More people are working from home and are connected more than ever via the internet. Also, who doesn’t love food delivered right to their doorstep? While seemingly novel in modern times, it is not the first time the loss of millions of lives carved out a path of progress.

So here are 10 ways massive death tolls have affected human society.

10 Mosquitoes, the Louisiana Purchase, and a Free Haiti

After attempting to quell the first successful slave revolt in the world on the island of Haiti, Napoleon Bonaparte signed off the Louisiana Territory to Thomas Jefferson and the United States, while Haiti became the first independent black nation in the western world.

St. Domingue, as it was called then, had a massive amount of mosquitoes. Many fatalities were caused during the 1791 Haitian Revolution due to diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. General Charles Leclerc, Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother-in-law and commander of the French forces on the island, estimated that 100-200 men were dying a day due to yellow fever.

On November 2, 1802, Leclerc would die of the disease. In addition, over 24,000 colonialists died—out of the 40,000 there—due to the brave efforts of Haitian freedom fighters and the effects of yellow fever. The island had an overwhelming population of 500,000 slaves at the time, and 100,000 of them would die fighting for their independence. Many of them were immune to the disease, instead dying during the brutal fighting. Napoleon cut his losses before their independence in 1804, selling the 828,000-square-mile (2.14-million-square-kilometer) colony of Louisiana to America for $15 million in December of 1803. It still stands as one of the cheapest land deals in world history.^[1]

9 The Black Plague Brings Economic Power to Lower Classes

The Black Plague, Yersinia pestis, spread from the shabby, worn-down docks of Italy to the frost-bitten plains of Russia between 1347 and 1351. Fleas carried the disease from rodents to humans, and in its wake, nearly 20 million people died. Some estimates hike that number even further up to 28 million. While this catastrophe laid waste to a vibrant yet conflicted, flourishing society, it paved the way for an even more prosperous social structure to emerge.

Before the Black Plague, nine out of ten common folk made their living as farmers. Crops were generally of poor quality due to the high demand of the aristocracy. Over-fallowing of the soil led to poor conditions and crops. After the plague, nearly three-fourths of the European population was decimated, including the landowning class. Yet the land prospered. It became healthier as grain stocks now overflowed and fallowing was needed less.

A smaller population also meant higher wages for those who survived, and in turn, many peasants demanded greater economic satisfaction. Cash crops such as olives, grapes, apples, pears, and hops became more common as farmers started attending to their own profits. A mercantile class emerged, forging the early elements of the middle class. This new class of peasants greatly enjoyed their newfound freedoms, and once unheard of in medieval Europe, rebellions began to emerge.^[2]

8 The Black Plague Ushered in Higher Education

Many nuns and holy men passed away due to the Black Plague. Since medicine and general knowledge were lacking at the time, the Catholic Church sent these holy servants to heal the sick with the power of God in hospitals and infirmaries. This, however, only decimated their numbers as they were not immune to the disease, despite their faith in the Lord.

In order for the Church to recoup its losses and train more clergymen quickly, many universities were founded for the first time. In addition, many educators passed due to the bubonic plague, and education standards plummeted. Civic-minded members of the upper class often founded centers of higher education to tackle both issues. For example, Trinity Hall of Cambridge University was founded in 1350 by the Bishop of Norwich, William Bateman.^[3]

7 The American Civil War and U.S. Industrialization

With over 600,000 casualties, the American Civil War represents the largest loss of American life on United States soil. The agricultural and primarily slave-based economy of the southern states fell apart, and the industrial north took control of the once-divided nation. Due to industrial progress and the laissez-faire attitude of American economics, railroad lines quickly sprang up across the country.

The post-war economy boomed as many southern workers moved north for work, and the cloistered wartime economy came to an end. Soon the United States was outproducing many western European nations. Coupled with continuous waves of immigration and a larger workforce, this led to large amounts of exports to other nations via foodstuffs, raw materials, textiles, and crafted goods. While the legacy of the Civil War did not end racial tensions in the United States, and industrialization led the world to the effects of climate change we see today, it did power progress. And this created many of the modern amenities we often take for granted.^[4]

6 The Ambulance Emerged from the American Civil War

In 1864, the United States Congress created the Union Army Ambulance Corps to swiftly whisk wounded soldiers away from the battlefield to safety. While not the first ambulance service to be used in world history, the first civilian ambulance service being created in London in 1832, it was the beginning of the modern ambulance that continues to save countless lives today.

The first hospital civilian ambulance service was offered by a hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1865. In 1869, a former Union Surgeon, Edward B. Dalton, started a service out of Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Due to the economic boom and industrialization following the Civil War, American ambulance services quickly grew and set the bar for hospital transportation to this day.^[5]

5 The Vietnam War Ended the World Economy’s Dependency on Gold

Before 1944, the world economy was based on the price of gold. After WW2, the United States held the highest amount of gold reserves in the world, roughly three-fourths of the world supply. When the International Monetary Fund was founded in July of 1944, it was formed to help war-torn European nations recover from the devastation of WW2 and counteract hyperinflation that emerged due to wartime costs. Countries could redeem U.S. dollars for gold at $35 an ounce, stabilizing a formerly shaky economic system.

Due to the high cost of the Vietnam War—$141 billion in 14 years supporting both American troops and the South Vietnamese army—a devalued dollar, and a competitive market, there was an influx of U.S. dollars within the world system. By 1971, American President Richard Nixon had imposed wage/price controls and ended the world’s reliance on the U.S. dollar, essentially ending the gold standard.

Currencies of the world floated against each other as they still do today. Two million Vietnamese lives were lost during the war, along with 58,000 American casualties. The war is largely seen as the first American military loss in world history. It permanently changed the world’s economy and marked the downfall of America’s most prosperous period.^[6]

4 From World War II Nazis to the Moon

On June 20, 1945, Dr. Wernher Von Braun was brought to the United States to assist American scientists in developing intercontinental ballistic missiles. Van Braun, however, was a former Nazi officer, a part of the Nazi party since the 1930s, and an SS officer. The Nazis devastated the population of Europe, killing an estimated 17 million people in their efforts to “cleanse” human society during and leading up to WW2. However, Von Braun was deemed valuable to the U.S. government for inventing the V2 rocket, the first sub-orbital cruiser missile in world history.

Charges against his war crimes were diminished in an effort to further American prowess across the globe. He was one of many scientists brought into the U.S. scientific community in a secret maneuver by the CIA known as Operation Paperclip. Over 500 scientists were brought to the United States to combat Soviet technology following the war. Eventually, this would lead to the founding of NASA and the implementation of the V2 rocket in the Apollo 11 spacecraft. On July 16, 1969, man landed on the moon for the first time—thanks to this notorious war criminal.^[7]

3 The Atomic Bomb Helped Create Toyota and Hitachi

Before World War II and the horrors of the atomic bomb, Japan’s economy was controlled by ten major companies known as “Zaibatsu.” They had been in existence since 1868, when 70% of Japan’s population was agricultural, using large tax revenues to fund their enterprises.

When Japan accepted the terms of the Postdam Agreement and an unconditional surrender on August 10, 1945, over 200,000 people had died due to the release of two atomic bombs on the island nation. During the American reconstruction of Japan, the Zaibatsu was disintegrated, and free-market capitalism flourished. Companies such as Toyota and Hitachi emerged and brought us the technological wonders we continue to enjoy today.^[8]

2 WWI Solidified Women’s Right to Vote in America

World War I acted as the final straw for women across the globe during the start of the 20th century. Men were away at war, and women took their place across factories and workplaces around the world. It added fire to an already growing movement. Women in various countries demanded equality for their efforts and the right to vote.

In the years following the deadliest war in world history, with somewhere between nine and ten million wartime casualties, women in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, Austria, and the Netherlands gained this right and much more.^[9]

1 Volcanic Eruption of Pompeii and Western Art & Culture

The destruction of Pompeii claimed over 16,000 lives in total, encasing over 2,000 villagers of the small Italian town eternally in ash. Abandoned until 1748, the rediscovery of the ruins in Pompeii uncovered the beautiful classical buildings of the city. This led to an explosion in Neoclassical, Greek, and Italianate architecture around the world.

Stucco, a distinct discovery within the ruins of Pompeii, became more commonly used among Western buildings. Most noted as being used by Scottish architect Robert Adam, it is still used to this day in many Western homes. This and other archaeological excavations helped to spur the Greek revival cultural movement that many western countries lived by throughout the 1800s.^[10]