Before the days of social media, societies could be convinced that some new entertainment, technology, or youth trend threatened civilization itself.
Most Americans don't think twice about small talk with strangers, giant drinks, or driving somewhere that's technically walkable. Leave the country, though, and those ordinary habits can suddenly look surprisingly unusual.
A small choice can set off a chain reaction that influences politics, science, culture, or even the fate of entire countries. Here are some of the strangest examples of tiny events changing everything that followed.
JP Morgan is a household name. However, what of the man behind the business? JP Morgan indeed possessed a strong business sense, which he used to revolutionize not just his wealth but the entire business landscape of America. Yet, money doesn’t solve all problems, and Morgan couldn’t escape the past that haunted him. Run as Morgan might’ve, eventually the secrets of his childhood caught up with him, and no amount of money could save him from his fate.
Some safety inventions failed because institutions decided they were too expensive, inconvenient, experimental, or simply unnecessary. Then people died, and suddenly the device everyone had been putting off looked essential.
Wealthy eccentrics have enough money to turn their personal obsession into somebody else's very real problem.
Doctors use all kinds of words that sound technical until you find out there was once a real person behind them.
Most bad ideas die because someone runs out of money. These eccentric millionaires had the opposite problem.
Before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, the US Army court-martialed him after he resisted racial segregation. Discover the forgotten trial that nearly changed his remarkable career and legacy forever.
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