10 American Mistakes That Changed History Forever

10 American Mistakes That Changed History Forever


Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re breaking down the actions that unintentionally set the wheels of American history into motion.

Prohibition

Looking back on it now, it’s impossible to comprehend how the U.S. government thought that a ban on alcohol would be met with no resistance. The Eighteenth Amendment, ratified in January 1919, was proposed as a way to “cure” societal ills and somehow stimulate the economy. The amendment thus outlawed the production, transport, and sale of “intoxicating” liquors such as wine and beer. Almost immediately, an alcohol black market was established, and those willing to bootleg the stuff not only profited, but essentially became folk heroes in the process. Eventually, in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made good on his promise to end prohibition, and restore the desperately-needed tax dollars from alcohol sales as a means of combating the Great Depression.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The relatively short-lived Mexican-American War belied its length to generate important ripple effects over U.S. history. The war stemmed from tensions over the 1845 American annexation of Texas, and President James K. Polk’s failed attempt to buy the desired territory. The 1848 signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo saw Mexico ceding California, Nevada, Utah, and more to the United States, for which Mexico was paid $15 million. While this all sounds diplomatic enough, unforeseen consequences most prominently included political infighting over whether the new territory would be “slave” states or “free” states. These debates contributed to growing tensions between the American North and South — and played a major role in the onset of the American Civil War.

The Great Depression

The tragedy of World War I was quickly offset by the indulgence of the Roaring Twenties. During this prosperous period, the United States became the world’s richest country. Its wartime economy was bolstered by victorious soldiers’ rejoining the workforce and a consumer goods boom, among other factors. Of course, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. While the Depression’s exact causes are still hotly debated by historians and economists, the 1963 book “A Monetary History of the United States” argues that the Federal Reserve’s iron grip on the money supply and subsequent refusal to lend brought the Roaring Twenties to a screeching halt — there just simply wasn’t enough money to go around.

My Lai Massacre

It probably goes without saying that the Vietnam War remains one of the most historically unpopular war efforts of all time. Beginning as a Cold War proxy between Soviet-supported North Vietnam and the American-supported South, the U.S. put soldiers’ boots on the ground from 1965 until a humiliating 1973 withdrawal. In those eight years, it’s inarguable that the U.S.’ most shameful moment was the March 1968 My Lai massacre, in which American forces brutally murdered as many as 504 civilians — mostly women, children, and the elderly. Despite an attempted cover-up by the U.S. Army, news of the senseless killings reached the public in November 1969, resulting in massive backlash against U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

George Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River

Some of the entries in our video today have been revealed as mistakes in a historical context. However, in the case of the Founding Father’s surprise military operation, the attack was only possible because of a Hessian mistake. Hessians were German soldiers who worked on behalf of the British Army, and Johann Rall was a colonel stationed in Trenton, New Jersey. The overconfident Rall failed to heed the word of a British spy who had foreknowledge of Washington’s planned attack, dismissing the Americans’ wartime capabilities. Ultimately, Washington’s troops emerged victorious in the Battle of Trenton, and Rall soon died of injuries sustained during the fight.

Trail of Tears

Whether you categorize the forced displacement of the quote-unquote “Five Civilized Tribes” as a Native American genocide or an example of ethnic cleansing, it’s impossible to deny that the Trail of Tears stands as one of the United States’ most shameful chapters. Taking place over the course of two decades in the first half of the 19th century, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole nations were systematically removed from their ancestral homelands in favor of government-approved “Indian Territory.” Passed as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, approved by President Andrew Jackson, the displacement saw 60,000 people uprooted, with as many as nearly 17,000 dying of disease and starvation along the way.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A defining moment of John F. Kennedy’s all-too-short presidency, this now-legendary blunder set the stage for relations between Cuba, the U.S., and the future Russia for decades to come. Following the Cuban Revolution as led by the revolutionary Fidel Castro, the Bay of Pigs Invasion was an effort by the U.S. government to remove Castro from power, as well as his socialist government. Once the invasion was discovered by the greater international community, the faltering military operation was swiftly defeated by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. The painfully public fallout from the Bay of Pigs incident predictably soured relations between the U.S. and Cuba, and drove the latter into the arms of the Soviet Union.

Watergate Scandal

Richard Nixon openly aspired to the presidency for years after serving as vice president, even weighing early retirement following humiliating losses in the 1960 U.S. presidential election and 1962 California gubernatorial election. However, his second term in office was cut short in 1974, following the explosive revelations of the damaging Watergate scandal. The work of Washington Post journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward determined that Nixon had authorized the planting of illegal wiretaps at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. The unveiling of the vast conspiracy led Nixon to become the only U.S. president to resign from his post.

Ignoring Pearl Harbor Warning Signs

While most historians caution against falling too deeply into a Pearl Harbor conspiracy theory rabbit hole, there is evidence to suggest that the U.S. government could have taken possible threats more seriously. Yugoslavian businessman Duško Popov worked as a double agent for the XX Committee of MI5 — and for the German Abwehr. The latter sent Popov on an American work trip with a questionnaire about Hawaiian military facilities — with specific questions about Pearl Harbor. FBI head J. Edgar Hoover dismissed Popov’s claims, and it should be noted that the questions did not specifically allude to the possibility of such an air attack. However, it seems fair to say that Hoover could have taken Popov’s warning more seriously.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Like perhaps no other moment in American history, the August 1945 atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the world to stand back in stunned silence and take notice. The only ever usage of nuclear weapons in combat, the strikes almost immediately resulted in Japanese surrender and ended World War II in just under a month. Altogether, up to nearly 250,000 were killed, almost all of them civilians, from radiation poisoning and other effects brought on by the detonations. While some have declared that the bombings were necessary to end the war, detractors have argued that the war was already on track for an Allied victory, and that they were overkill.

Are there any historical blunders we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!