Category: History

Do the Opposite; Lateral Thinking in Warfare

During World War II cities protected themselves from nightime air raids with blackouts. All streetlights were turned off and cars had to drive with their headlights off. Citizens were banned from using external lights and had to carefully cover all windows and openings with curtains or covers to ensure that no light shone outside. This made it much more difficult for the bombers to locate and hit... Read More--

Was this the Worst Decision in History?

Bayezid II was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1491 to 1512. He worked hard to govern fairly and gained the epithet of “Bayezid the Just”. When in 1492, Spain expelled its Jewish and Muslim populations, Bayezid sent his navy to evacuate them safely to Ottoman lands. He proclaimed that the refugees were to be welcomed. But he did make one far reaching and ultimately catastrophic... Read More--

Ten Modern Examples of Bad Assumptions

Bernie Madoff Here are ten instances from the recent past where people or institutions made assumptions that turned out to be badly wrong: New Coke 1985: After many secret tests and focus groups, the Coca-Cola Company assumed that changing the formula for their flagship product would be well-received, but it led to a backlash from customers. Year 2000 Computer Bug: There were dire predictions... Read More--

The Dangers of Conformity

Henri Tajfel Henri Tajfel was born in Poland in 1919.  As a young man he left Poland because of restrictions on Jews in universities and went to France to study chemistry at the Sorbonne. At the start of World War II, he volunteered to serve in the French army and was subsequently taken prisoner by the Germans. He survived the war in prisoner-of-war camps but on his return home he found that... Read More--

The Greatest Bluff in WW2

The bluff is a tactic often used to deceive an opponent into believing that your hand is stronger than it really is.  For example, when playing poker, you might bet heavily with a weak hand in an attempt to convince other players to fold. Admiral Graf Spee In 1939 at the outbreak of WW2, Hitler ordered the German Navy, to intercept and destroy Allied merchant ships.  Between September and December... Read More--

Today’s Common Practices will become Obsolete

Joseph Lister In 1865 an eleven year old boy, James Greenlees, was run over by a cart in Glasgow.  He was rushed to the Royal Infirmary with a gashed leg containing a multiple fracture.  The normal outcome of this kind of injury at the time was either amputation or death through infection (or sometimes both).  Fortunately for Greenlees, the surgeon who treated him was Joseph Lister, At that time... Read More--

How Disappointment can Lead on to Success

Roger Bannister in 1949 In 1952 Roger Bannister, a 23 year old medical student, was recognised as the best middle distance runner in Great Britain and as  a very good prospect for the gold medal in 1500m at the Olympic Games which were to be held in Helsinki, Finland.  He had gained a degree in Physiology from Oxford University where he had been president of the university athletic club.  He was... Read More--

Two Contrarian Thinkers who went Unheeded

Lord Lansdowne Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice (1845 – 1927), the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, was a distinguished British statesman who held senior positions in both Liberal Party and Conservative Party governments. He had served as the fifth Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He was a pillar of the British aristocracy,... Read More--

An American Innovator in London – Harry Selfridge

Harry Selfridge Harry Gordon Selfridge was born in Wisconsin in 1858.  He was one of three sons.  His father, Robert Selfridge, served as a major with the Union Army in the American Civil War but abandoned his family at the end of the war.  Soon after the war Harry’s two brothers died.   Harry helped his mother, Lois, a teacher, by delivering papers. He left school at 14 to work in a bank and... Read More--

Be Unpredictable – Surprise your Customers and Competitors

Boy Browning Frederick Arthur Montague Browning (1896 – 1965) was known as ‘Boy’ Browning. He served in the British Army with distinction in the First World War.  He was promoted to Adjutant at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.  During the Sovereign’s Parade of 1926, he did something unexpected by the large audience who came to see the closely choreographed and well-rehearsed parade... Read More--