The World's Greatest Blunders

by Sue Blackhall

Gaffes galore from the world of entertainment, the never-to-be-forgotten 1987 hurricane howler, the canonical con-trick that solved a medieval cash flow problem and still keeps believers on their knees in Turin, the US ex-president's broadcasting bloomers, the Spruce Goose's 1-minute-flight, the Sinclair C5's short run, the Hitler diaries hoax that fooled the wise and worthy, these are among a list of dropped changers resounding worldwide and zippily related here.

Wrongful imprisonments and a near-fatal shoot-out resulting from mistaken identity, the heroic failure of Antarctic explorer Captain Scott and the death dice of air race ace Amy Johnson, as well as a catalogue of tragic human errors leading to disasters the whole world mourns, are also recorded.

Genres: History

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 1989

Reviews

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the truth is to be told, this book doesn’t fall into my usual reads.

The book was handed to me by a relative as a general interest kind of read, as something she thought I might enjoy. It was interesting, I will say that, but I cannot see myself going out of my way to read it again and again or to read that many more books like it.

It was simply something different to pick up and read.

[h kiai · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting light reading on human errors which sometime result in catastrophic endings.

[Rob de W · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining anthology of hubris and fate screwing people over.

[Shahrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me wonder. You can't ask for any better from a book I guess. I'd love to know how the author came across many of the snippets found in this book. Also as it was compiled in the 1980s, it would be nice to see either an updated or a part two, with more recent Blunders in. Perhaps it could be renamed either Boris Johnson/ George W Bush' s Blunder Files PMSL!!!