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Small mistakes that changed history: 4 cases when coincidence decided the fate of the world

2026-03-26 08:37:00, Blog CNA

Small mistakes that changed history: 4 cases when coincidence decided the fate

History is not always changed by big decisions or well-thought-out strategies. Often, it is the smallest details, a misunderstanding, a few mistakes, or an uncontrolled moment, that create large and unpredictable consequences. In this article, we will look at four real cases when a small mistake changed the course of world history.

Mistakes happen everywhere and have happened many times throughout history. But some are more consequential than others. You yourself may have made a dozen mistakes in the past week, trivial or even somewhat serious. But most of our mistakes do not change our lives. Only a few of them can have a very big impact on our personal lives. But throughout history, there have been some mistakes that have changed the world as we see it today.

1. When the Dutch didn't claim to have discovered Australia

English Captain James Cook was not the first to discover Australia. A century before him, in 1606, Dutch Captain Willem Janzon set sail on his ship Duyfken and explored over 200 miles of coastline on the western side of Cape York Peninsula, becoming the first person to discover the continent of Australia for Europeans.

Many other Dutchmen explored the western and southern coasts of the same area, and called it New Netherland. However, they made no attempt to colonize the area or establish a permanent settlement there. For this reason, their discovery remained forgotten for a long time until Captain Cook declared his claim in 1770.

2. The Austrian army's war with itself

When the Austro-Turkish War of 1788 broke out between the Ottomans and the Habsburgs, a serious incident occurred in the ranks of the Austrian troops. This incident gave the Ottomans a sudden advantage. In September of that year, the Austrians crossed a river to spy on the enemy on the Turkish side.

But they could not distinguish anyone. Instead, they found some locals selling wine. Some Austrian army troops bought alcoholic beverages and got drunk. On the other side of the river, the Austrian commander was patiently waiting for them in the camp to return with important information about the Ottomans.

When the troops did not return, the commander sent some officers to look for them. It was not long before the drunken soldiers were discovered, and great chaos ensued. The two groups of soldiers believed that the other group was on the enemy's side.

An artillery officer observed the clash from a distance, and thinking that the Austrian camp was under attack, he ordered his soldiers to open fire, killing over 1,000 soldiers. When the Ottomans arrived on the scene, they found many Austrian casualties, and took Karansebes without a fight.

3. When Russia sold Alaska to the United States

When the Crimean War broke out in 1853, Turkey, Great Britain, and France fought against their common enemy, Russia. During this period, things became very complicated for the Russian Empire, which could no longer afford to take care of the Alaska region.

The United States came to his aid. Despite the criticism that this decision provoked, in March 1867 a treaty was signed, according to which Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. Not long after, during the 1880s and 1890s, gold mining in this region brought the United States millions of dollars in revenue, giving a powerful boost to its economy.

4. When Alexander Fleming couldn't keep his lab clean

Since Alexander Fleming's groundbreaking discovery of penicillin in 1928, the field of medicine has never been the same. Although scientists hail him as a revolutionary scientist, what was supposed to be a groundbreaking discovery was actually a mistake, albeit a brilliant one.

After Fleming returned from his short vacation, he noticed that one of his laboratory dishes of staphylococcus bacteria was showing signs of fungal growth. As the fungi spread, they destroyed the bacteria in the dish.

Prompted by this strange observation, Fleming cultivated the mushrooms in a clean dish, which confirmed his initial discovery. Fleming called the substance the mushrooms produced “mold juice,” which acted as an antibiotic against bacterial cultures. This “mold juice” was widely used during World War II and helped save the lives of many wounded soldiers and civilians. / History of Yesterday – Bota.al