Top 20 Worst Decisions in History

In April 1961, the United States of America aided anti-Castro Cuban exiles in an invasion of their former country. It was a complete disaster. The Cubans knew they were coming, thanks to some loose lips by the exiles - and the CIA knew they knew, yet failed to inform President John F. Kennedy. Furthermore, the original invasion plan, which had been drafted under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, called for U.S. air and naval support, which Kennedy withheld after a certain point. The debacle only served to solidify Fidel Castro’s rule, while also showing communist leaders worldwide that the U.S. could be defeated. Oh, and it made possible the whole Cuban Missile Crisis thing.

One of the most infamous pioneering groups in American history, the Donner Party consisted of 87 settlers who set out for California in the 1840s. By the time they reached their destination, only 48 remained, thanks to a multitude of costly errors. They set out too late in the season, leading to unfavorable weather throughout the journey. They were undersupplied and accepted more members as they went, leading to further shortages. They didn’t have a guide and took a route that was untested. There was infighting and even murder within the party. And when the group was stranded by a blizzard in the Sierra Nevada mountains, some were forced to resort to cannibalizing their deceased members to survive! The Donner Party did everything wrong!

During the First World War, fighting had stalemated in Europe and Russia was engaged with the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus. Seeking to divert Central Powers forces from Europe and cut off the Ottomans, the Allies, with Winston Churchill spearheading it, decided to attack present-day Turkey. To reinforce naval forces, the Gallipoli peninsula was invaded. The campaign was a colossal failure. The Allies drastically underestimated the Ottoman forces, and used inexperienced troops and commanders, resulting in a 10-month-long engagement with over half a million men killed or wounded. The Allies were forced to retreat, with Britain’s reputation suffering heavily over the debacle and Churchill losing his job. At least Turkey, and the Allied New Zealand and Australia gained some national pride over their roles.

Also known as Custer’s Last Stand, the Battle of the Little Bighorn is one that has been romanticized in the folklore of the United States. However, General George Armstrong Custer’s numerous mistakes have left its legacy far more muddled. In 1876, Custer met his end when attacking a force of allied Plains Native Americans near the Little Bighorn River in Montana. Custer was outnumbered and had split his forces into several smaller groups, and the Natives had superior rifles. Custer had rejected not only reinforcements, but also several Gatling guns, which may have turned the tide of battle. His decision to attack before the rest of the Army arrived resulted in Custer’s death, and around half of his men.

The French can’t seem to catch a break on this list. The Little Corporal’s Grande Armée of 680,000 soldiers strolled into Russia hoping for a quick and easy defeat, only to find the Russian forces to be constantly retreating. Using what is known as a scorched earth tactic, the Russians would burn down villages so that the pursuing French army would have no supplies to feed their vast numbers. Eventually, winter came and the French forces were subject to starvation, hypothermia and eventually, defeat. It was a harsh lesson, but one that every military leader has since taken to heart - never underestimate the environmental factors when fighting on enemy soil.

Now it’s time for the Russians (or in this case, the Soviets) to take a beating, as the 1979 invasion of this middle eastern country was decidedly NOT a win for them. Wanting to protect Communist interests in the country, the Soviets sent over 100,000 soldiers after the assassination of the President of the Afghanistan Communist Party. However, due to the alien nature of the communist way of life, an Afghani and Muslim resistance rose up with monetary aid from a certain Western, Capitalist arch enemy of the Soviets. The ensuing conflict would result in the death of almost 15,000 Soviet soldiers, a Soviet withdrawal, and a continued Civil War in the country.

The summer of 1588 saw the formation of a Spanish Armada, which set sail for England in an attempt to overthrow Elizabeth I to restore Catholicism to the nation. However, the Spanish and Portuguese vessels were engaged in the English Channel by an English and Dutch armada. Although the Spanish Armada had larger ships and more men, the defenders had more ships that were more maneuverable and better armed. The Spanish were defeated, forcing a retreat. Not only did they fail to restore Catholics to power in England, but their failure arguably emboldened Protestants across Europe and led to the decline of Spain as an international power.

Pope Innocent III called for the retaking of Jerusalem by Christians. The holy city was then Muslim-controlled, and the plan was to attack the Ayyubid Sultanate in Egypt, the largest Muslim empire at the time. However, a series of blunders led to the Crusaders doing nearly the opposite of their stated goal. When not enough Crusaders embarked from Venice, the army that arrived there could not pay for passage. Furthermore, these same crusaders sacked Zara, a Catholic city, under Venice’s instruction to recoup their investment. The pope excommunicated them. Then these crusaders retook the Orthodox Christian-controlled Constantinople for Alexios IV, who promised them support in retaking Jerusalem. However, they sacked the city when he was deposed. The Fourth Crusade only served to weaken Christian-controlled Byzantium.

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster is arguably the world’s worst nuclear incident… that wasn’t intentional. On April 26th, 1986, the number 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded… during a safety test. While the disaster was partly the result of failures in Soviet safety procedures and the design of the reactor itself, operator error also played a major factor. Extreme conditions were created due to the negligence of those in charge. Additionally, the test was conducted by the less experienced night shift at the plant, instead of the day shift. The end result was an unprecedented catastrophe that, had it not been contained, could have poisoned most of Eastern Europe.

Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, also known as Montezuma, was the emperor of the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. In 1519, Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, set about invading Moctezuma’s empire. Cortés may have started with only 500 or so conquistadors, but by allying with local people discontent with Moctezuma’s rule, those numbers swelled. Eventually, however, Moctezuma invited Cortés into his capital, Tenochtitlan, after he claimed to be a royal representative. This proved unwise, however, as Cortés soon took Moctezuma captive. And by welcoming Cortés, Moctezuma had effectively spelled the beginning of the end for his empire.

Murdering millions of your own people is ALWAYS a bad idea, but that’s just what happened in China during the early-mid 20th century. In an attempt to rapidly industrialize the nation, the communist leaders tried to institute a demand for crops that the people couldn’t meet. The resulting famine caused deaths around the country. However, famine was not the only cause of death during the Great Leap - many reports of torture, beatings and suicides have surfaced throughout the years. An exact death toll is nigh impossible to nail down, but it’s been estimated anywhere between 23 and 55 million people - and no amount of progress is worth such a steep cost.

Once again we travel to the middle east, but this time it’s some devotees of Capitalism that would made the mistake. The mission was known as Ajax in the US and Operation Boot in the UK, but the principles were the same- protect Western oil interests in Iran. How? By overthrowing the democratically elected Prime Minister and installing a monarch more sympathetic to the US’ and the UK’s demands. That’s exactly what they did- the CIA even hired local mobsters to incite riots. What followed was the death and subjugation of many of the Iranian people, and a period of unrest that would eventually lead to the Iranian revolution of 1979.

The year is 1963. The U.S. is in the midst of a brutal war in Vietnam and their President has just been assassinated. In steps Lyndon B. Johnson who just two hours after the Kennedy assassination, assumes office. LBJ promptly takes the old adage “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself” and applies it to the Vietnam war, micromanaging it and regularly ignoring advice from military advisors. It wasn’t until Nixon became leader of the free world that those best suited for the job were handed the reins, effectively loosening the President’s grip on the fight in Vietnam.

Whether you believe it was motivated by weapons of mass destruction, the 9/11 attacks, or a need for oil, we can all agree that this 2003 attack on the middle east was divisive for the American people, and devastating for the Iraqi. It kicked off a costly 8+ year Iraq war, which, rather than fighting terrorism, arguably fostered it, most notably giving rise to ISIS. On the homefront, it turned America into a nation divided, with one half of the population supporting the war, and the other half vehemently against it. In other words… some were a little bit country and some were a little bit rock n’ roll. Shout out to South Park fans.

In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated by Bosnian Serb nationalists. Austria-Hungary couldn’t let the killing of their next ruler go lightly and decided to attack Serbia in retaliation. However, with Russia allied with Serbia, they wanted support from Germany in any conflict. And by delaying their attack, Austria-Hungary ensured that Russia and its allies, France, and later the United Kingdom, entered the conflict as well. All these events spiraled into the First World War. Granted, advances in military technology and the numerous European alliances ensured a massive conflict was bound to break out, but Austria-Hungary was the first to declare war.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. Despite Russian claims of Ukrainian nazism, it was more likely to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Regardless of the reasons, the invasion has been costly for both countries and the world economy. Tens of thousands have been killed on both sides. A refugee crisis has developed, not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia, as thousands seek to flee the draft. Plus, countries worldwide have imposed sanctions on Russia, destroying its economy. This is an ongoing conflict, so the full extent of how bad a decision it is can’t be stated at this time. However, even the ramifications thus far are horrendous.

During WWII, Japan had invaded China and Korea. This prompted harsh sanctions from the USA, Britain, and the Dutch, who all had territory in the Pacific and/or ties to China. This effectively robbed them of many necessary resources, including oil. Rather than lose face by withdrawing, Japan decided to declare war on the United States, attacking Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1941. This was a huge mistake! The USA retaliated with a costly and brutal war in the Pacific, leading to millions of deaths and the only instance of nuclear weapons used in warfare. The long-term effects on Japan were immense and still ripple through the country today.

There is a quote that reads: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” and that’s exactly what the Nazis did in 1941. Despite studying Napoleon’s first invasion of Russia as reference, the Nazis’ attempted invasion of the Soviet Union resulted in a catastrophic loss of life, and, in the eyes of many, was the downfall of the Third Reich. Just like Napoleon, they planned on achieving a swift victory that never came. Operation Barbarossa, as it would come to be known, lasted over 5 months, and resulted in over 5 million deaths.

Many angered the Great Khan during his reign over the Mongol Empire, but none so spectacularly as Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, Shah of the Muslim Khwarezmian Empire. The result of infuriating the Khan meant the destruction of Ala ad-Din’s empire, but keep in mind that didn’t have to be the case. Genghis wanted peace with the Shah, saying "I am master of the lands of the rising sun while you rule those of the setting sun. Let us conclude a firm treaty of friendship and peace”. The Shah refused, killing some Mongolian envoys. The result was, as previously stated, less than favorable for the Shah. It just goes to show- never mess with a mongol.

The Treaty of Versailles. The moment that would define the next half of the 20th century. The moment that would lead to the rise of fascism, the Nazis and eventually the Holocaust. After a long and brutal World War I, the victorious Allies were tasked with punishing the losers and punish them they did. The most important factor of the treaty was that Germany had to take total and complete blame for the war, which meant they had to disarm and pay reparations to all the affected countries. This would virtually bankrupt the European country and set the stage for a very sinister time in human history.