100 of the Worst Ideas in History Reader Critiques
Reviews from Our Rabid Fans
Harp Grady - Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 Reviewer
Verified Purchase
Take a break from the world today, and listen to the madness of the past!
California co-author Michael N. Smith owns an advertising production company, and has written and produced many TV commercials, radio spots and corporate videos, garnering numerous awards. He also has created a comic book character, a children’s book, and features for National Lampoon, Los Angeles Times, Men’s Exercise, St. Petersburg Times, Buffalo Times and more. Hawaii co-author Eric Kasum has been a speech writer for former President George HW Bush, President Ronal Reagan’s chief of staff, and has served as a journalist for Lost Angeles Times, New York Times magazine, The Huffington Post and CBS News. He is founder and CEO of Imagine Institute, a working group committed to promoting peace, hosting the Imagine Peace Conference at UC Berkeley
Just when you think you are beyond being surprised by idiotic bites of history, listen up to this hilarious and thought provoking audiobook version of the authors’ 100 OF THE WORST IDEAS IN HISTORY, their collection of faux pas, blunders, and very bad ideas that not only backfired but impacted history. Presenting this shookeroo in the audiobook format enhances the transmission of these events and decisions by adding sound effects (such as elephant blares, crowd shouting, taps, cash register sounds, music) to the spoken word as delivered by the authors (and some others!).
The format designed by the authors remains a constant for each of the 100 Ideas, and as introduced by a female speaker, the format is as follows: The Bad Idea, The Genius Behind it, The Brainstorm Struck, Bring on the Blunder, From Bad to Worse, Dumb luck, and After thoughts. This overview of each of the miscreant deeds invites the listener to learn the facts while preparing for the aftershocks.
The 100 WORST IDEAS include past history, ancient history, and current times – such as John Quincy Adams skinny dipping in the Potomac, some secrets about John Wilkes Booth’s ‘plan for heroism’ results, the alarming 1934 founding of Columbus Day when re-thinking that ‘national hero’ reveals Columbus’ gross destruction of indigenous Americans, down to present day misjudgment about a computer laptop of a 9/11 perpetrator.
Dumb events initiated by bad ideas are delivered with just the right amount of humor that makes even the most frightful bad ideas something we can laugh, or guffaw, about while re-thinking some of these blunders of history. Or as the authors phrase it, ‘stupendously stinky ideas - ones that have started wars, sunk countries, wrecked companies, scuttled careers, lost millions, endangered the Earth’ This is a thoroughly entertaining and informative breath of fresh air – humor just when we need it most! Very highly recommended.
Brad Butler - author "A World Flight Over Russia"
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“This is a wild-ride through the history of small events with big consequences and major mistakes and blunders by so-called geniuses. So many events, current and ancient, which put life and decision making in perspective. Fun, interesting, and startling.”
John J. Kelly - Detroit Free Press
Verified Purchase
If you are looking for a laugh-riot based on history’s “great ideas” turned epic failures, check out this audiobook – ‘The 100 Worst Ideas in History.” History lessons were never so hard to believe and knee-slappin’ funny. Creators Michael N. Smith and Eric Kasum use true events and have created an extremely enjoyable, thought provoking and funny audiobook that sounds like a cross between Firesign Theater and the National Lampoon Radio Hour.
This four hour and 25 minute journey into the annals of history is laugh-out-loud hilarious and is sure to leave you in stitches. Smith and Kasum use a bevy of sound effects and musical interludes, along with some of the most talented voice-over artists in the business to create a non-stop bombardment of blunders and mistakes that were at one point believed to actually be brilliant ideas. I haven’t laughed so much in a very long time. You will laugh until it hurts.
Authors Smith and Kasum don’t have to dig too deep into the history books to reveal some of the truly bad and bogus moments in the history of the world. From skinny dipping former presidents to tooth filings that turned out to be, er, toxic to a successful pop music group that can’t actually sing, the examples are seemingly endless. While each of these horrible and hilarious outcomes keep coming at a mind blowing pace, the audiobook features a repeating format and progression that makes it easy to listen and retain. The production elements (narration, sound effect and music) are perfectly placed and the pace is always exciting.
The listening experience is a celebration of mistakes and missteps that have “started wars, sunk countries, wrecked companies, scuttled careers, lost millions and even endangered the earth.” You find that truth is stranger than fiction and history is scattered with these disasters. There has been far too little to laugh about since that start of the pandemic, but this audiobook Is the perfect panacea to get you smiling again. Highly recommended.
Dremel22
This was just what I needed to lift my spirits!
Verified Purchase
Oh, 100 of the Worst Ideas in History: Humanity’s Thundering Brainstorms Turned Blundering Brain Farts was absolutely the funniest book I have read all year. You cannot get much more creative than this book managed to get. The book goes through some of histories biggest bad ideas, while telling you the people behind the bad idea, what year the bad idea happened, the actual acting out of the bad idea, and what happened afterward. My favorite chapter was probably Attack of the Frankenfish, which describes AquaBounty Farms in 1996 and a request to create genetically modified salmon which is lovingly named “Frankenfish”. There is absolutely no way to read this book without laughing through each story because of the way that the author has told the story of what happened. Another one of my favorite chapters was “Invade Russia in the Winter? Snow Way!” which describes Hitler’s plan to invade Russia during WWII…during the winter. Just the titles alone are worth reading the book for, but the Author’s witty wording as it pertains to these events and the figures that we all know of makes it that much better. The description in the chapter titled, “Disco Inferno Singes the White Sox” describes an event in 1979 but the way the author speaks about the event can only make you smile even more. I’m not going to say too much more, as this is something you really have to read on your own, but if you are someone who, like me, is tired of all the terrible things going on in the world that never seem to stop recently, pick this book up because it is worth it for the laughing alone that it causes. You may also learn a few things that you did not know at all…like the first recorded story of Friday the 13th being unlucky. books.
Susan Keefe - Reviewer and promoter
of poetry, fiction and non-fiction stories.
Author of the Toby's Tails series of children's books.
Fast paced, funny, and extremely educational, everything about this book makes you smile. Not only does it keep you glued to the page, but ir grabs your attention, all the time, whilst delivering fascinating information.
From the historical truth about Columbus’ discovery of America, to the terrible blunders which could have avoided the tragic events of September 11th. History, the world of entertainments and politics, indeed the world as we know it has its flip side is exposed. And what about those ‘couldn’t be without’ products which have a place in very household, like WD40? How were they discovered, and what’s their story… You will be amazed when you find out!
The author’s, Michael N. Smith, and Eric Kasum, are both successful business men. Michael has his own advertising production company, and has written and produced hundreds of TV commercials, radio spots and corporate videos, and Eric has written speeches for presidents, is a well-known journalist and reporter. These men know their stuff!
This book is one which you will pick up time and time again. There’s just so much in it that it’s impossible to take it all in at one sitting, and this makes it excellent value for money.
This book is not only extremely entertaining, but rib achingly funny, shocking, enlightening, and incredibly insightful. I highly recommend this book as an excellent way to brighten your day!
Jennifer Johnson
Enjoyable Read!!
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As you are reading this book don’t forget the very first sentence in the introduction: “They are priceless, multifaceted jewels of misjudgment.” Honestly, I am not typically a fan of this type of book, but it certainly held my attention throughout. The author has a great sense of humor and writes with sarcasm which I love. While reading “Friday the 13th: The Original Horror Story”, in which King Phillip the IV of France decided to burn the Knights Templar at the stake, I just shook my head in wonderment thinking how could anyone think that isn’t a bad idea!?!
I get the that whole tone of this book is an overall light hearted one, but I feel that “Preventing 911” could have been presented with more solemnity given the great tragedy it was. The book is easy to follow with each Bad Idea set up in the same way: The idea, the genius behind, the brainstorm struck, bring on the blunder, from bad to worse, dumb luck, and afterthoughts. Some of my afterthoughts were just head shaking my head back and forth (yes again!) especially after listening to Mr. Cane Toad’s Wild Rise! Overtime, a misinformed decision created a 200 million toad population. There is now a $50 per toad bounty! A toad bounty!?
I’ve touched on just a few of the many interesting stories you will learn more about in "100 of the Worst Ideas in History". Reading this book is a Good idea!
Jessica T.
Educational, intriguing, and hilarious – you’ll love this book!
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Authors Eric Kasem and Michael N. Smith are a dynamic duo, combining an impressive range of political and advertising experience to bring us their hilarious and excellent book, 100 of the World’s Worst Ideas: Humanity’s Thundering Brainstorms Turned Into Blundering Brain Farts.
Kasem and Smith deliver an impressive number of bad ideas that span history and the globe. The introduction describes these ideas as “priceless, multifaceted jewels of misjudgment, masterworks of the moronic, steroid-juiced stupidity…the colossally, often laughably bad notions that have leapt from the short-circuiting synapses of some of the world’s brightest and dimmest brains. They relate each idea in a brief but memorable format, unfolding the who, when, how, why, and what happened in a way that really sticks in the reader’s brain.
From skinny dipping presidents to snorting one’s father’s ashes mixed with cocaine, these ideas are all bad in their own ways. Sometimes, the idea is bad for all of humanity, like having nuclear weapons at the fingertips of potentially trigger-happy world leaders. Other times the idea is bad for the person involved, such as the inventor of Coca-Cola selling his formula without realizing that it was a goldmine of potential. Either way, it is thought provoking to look at an event in retrospect and think about how very small decisions can impact the world in huge ways. Covering the gamut from historical foul-ups, entertainment news, inventions and products, sports, war, fashion and more, this book educates, entertains, and may even inspire readers to learn more.
If you’re a trivia aficionado, enjoy historical bloopers, or are just looking for a book that will bring some light and laughter into an otherwise dark year, 100 of the World’s Worst Ideas is the perfect read. They’ve also made it available in a highly entertaining and well produced audio book format. You’ll laugh out loud, chortle, snort, and sometimes groan as you enjoy the best of the worst ideas that humanity has come up with. Educational, intriguing, and hilarious – you’ll love this book! Highly recommended!
Naomi Chapman
Great read
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100 of the Worst Ideas in History by Michael N Smith is an interesting and entertaining novel. Listing some of the worst ideas in history was a great idea for a novel.
There is so much great stuff in the novel. I love the titles of the sections. Whopping historical foul-ups and faux pas,stupidity at a major league level, a healthy dose of dumb, in the news and out of their minds are just a few that I really liked.
Some of these ideas I had heard of before. However there were many that I had never heard of and I thought were interesting. There were ideas involving coca cola, presidents, ford motor company, musicians, actors, scientists, doctors, and more. At the end of each section, there was a part titled more of the best of the worst. That was a pretty cool addition.
This novel was just awesome. It was easy to read plus the information was really cool. It kind of had a bit of a humorous tone to it which was nice.
The author did a great job with this novel. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to others to read. It certainly will not disappoint.
Kindle Customer
Funny, educational, sarcastic, and true
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I recently came across a very funny, entertaining and educational book that was exactly the kind of stories I needed for this time in our world. It was called 100 of the Worst Ideas in History: Humanity's Thundering Brainstorms Turned Blundering Brain Farts by Michael Smith and Eric Kasum. It seems as though the authors have basically goes through ancient history, modern history, and current events and handpicked a hundred of the worst ideas, and turned each one into a little page and a half story, infused it with dripping sarcasm, undeniable humor and wit, created a format for each story to follow and voila…the perfect funny, educational, broad spectrum, book, that reminds us all just how human we all are.
Each story followed the exact same format: the Bad Idea, The Genius Behind it, The Brainstorm Struck, Bring on the Blunder, From Bad to Worse, Dumb luck, and After thoughts. Which I think was really smart and told the stories in a really brilliant way. Some examples of stories and their diversity include historical events, battles in Rome, early American history, battlefield errors, recent pop culture events, president Clinton and Monica Lewinski, the balloon boy, fashion faux pas, and any and everything in between. I actually found myself liking the stories that were a little less current events. The pop stars and entertainment industry and Octomom really were not my favorites.
I really think this book has something for everything and because of the sarcasm and wit you may not even realize you are learning. A physical copy would make a great coffee table or bathroom book and a kindle copy would be great to read while you have a short wait somewhere since each story is fairly short. I highly recommend for everyone.
Vine Voice
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100 of the Worst Ideas in History: Humanity's Thundering Brainstorms Turned Blundering Brain Farts is organized in such a well mannered and easy to understand format. Breaking down; The Bad Idea, The genius behind it, The brainstorm struck(to indicate the year), Bring on the Blunder, From bad to worse, Dumbluck, and Afterthoughts makes this such an easy read. There usually was a bit more to the story than is laid out here but the clear and concise layout is a wonderful point to start. This is the book to read if you want a casual glimpse into history or even a point to start studying from.
Will say that even the pictures offered a glimpse of real history, in some cases they were a little out of context but granted you just can’t have photographs or should I say “snapshots” of events that occurred before cameras were even invented. I have to say I do recommend 100 of the Worst Ideas in History: Humanity's Thundering Brainstorms Turned Blundering Brain Farts by Michael Smith, Eric Kasum to the novice historian, even the expert for a chuckle down the annals of history. Or to just everyone in general as there are many life lessons to learn and even consider in this work.
ABruner
Entertaining easy read
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An easy and entertaining read, 100 of the Worst Ideas in History spans a variety of topics from political debacles to scientific ones and everything in between. Thankfully that means there is something for everyone in this book, whatever your age or subjects of interest. From stories I know well like the Pres Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal, the Balloon Boy fiasco, or Octomom some of the tales are from the current time and will be known and reminisced by all but the youngest listeners. Meanwhile other stories are more for my parents or grandparents generation and some go back to the early days of the US or even to ancient Rome for tales of interest that will be new to all but the biggest of history buffs. My favorites were the educational scientific topics like the cane frogs in Australia, the GMO soybeans & roundup, and the chemical disaster in Bopal. My next favorite category was the entertainment section with its tales of woe of production companies and actors turning down movies that went on to be huge hits and tragic tales of livelihoods lost due to drugs, drinking, and bizarre behavior. I liked the format of who, when, what, how it got worse, and how it ended up to tell the tale. I also liked that all the individual stories were short and easy to follow making it easy to pick up or put down as time was available to read. Overall, it’s an enjoyable book that is somehow escapist while still being educational. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys humor, history, or popular interest stories.
Nana Sews
Trivia Delivered in a Fun Way
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100 of the Worst Ideas in History by Michael N. Smith and Eric Kasum is a fun compilation of bad ideas that are delivered in a good way, which is short and to the point. I really liked the fact that the authors are also able to show you the long view with their “Afterthoughts” on each entry, and sometimes this is the most interesting part. Bad ideas cut across science, medicine, sports, movies, entertainers, politicians and advertising. You will recognize some of these, but I don’t think you will know them all. Even a know-it-all like me learned a few things. The book concludes with bad ideas that went good, which I thought was a really fun way to end this fun book.
This is the kind of book that doesn’t require a lot of heavy thought on your part, so it’s perfect for a diversion while on the plane or train, while you wait for an appointment, or at the beach. And the best part is you’ll learn something. I now know why Friday the 13th is considered bad luck.I do want to caution that this book contains some adult material, such as how merkins came to be (look that up if you don’t know what it is), so keep that in mind before you buy it for your 11 year old trivia addict. This is adult trivia delivered in a fun way, and I enjoyed the book.
Lloyd
An Audiobook That You Definitely Want to Listen to
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Do you remember my review of Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters back in November of 2020? Well, I just listened to an audiobook with a similar theme. It's called (get ready for a long one) 100 of the Worst Ideas in History: Humanity's Thundering Brainstorms Turned Blundering Brain Farts, by Michael N. Smith and Eric Kasum. This is entertaining because of how they put the audiobook together. Each one starts with "The bad idea," followed by "The genius behind it," The brainstorm struck," "Bring on the blunder," "From bad to worse," "Dumb luck," and "Afterthoughts." On top of that there are voiceovers, sound effects, and sarcastic remarks all thrown in. It definitely made it more interesting than it would have been in print, IMHO.
How about a few examples to whet your curiosity?
1. Did you know that President William Henry Harrison didn't wear a coat on a very cold Inauguration Day because he wanted to show how strong and in great shape he was? Did you also know that he got an infection and died 31 days later?
2. Did you know that Nick Nolte turned down the lead role of Raiders of the Lost Ark? Did you also know that those 4 movies, with Harrison Ford, made $1.9B at the box office?
3. We all know that the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. But did you know the owner of the Red Sox needed the money to produce Broadway plays? I sure didn't.
4. Did you know that a soda jerk in 1886 accidentally added carbonated water to John Stith Pemberton's syrup, thereby creating Coke? Did you also know that Pemberton sold the rights to Asa Griggs Candler for very little up-front money and got no residuals?
5. Did you know that Mars said no to M&M's for the movie ET? Voila Reese's Pieces.
6. Do you want to know the 5 reasons the Titanic sank? They are...I will let you listen on your own. It's a real eye-opener.
I am a huge fan of print over ebooks and audiobooks. But I have to say that 100 should definitely be listened to. Kudos to the team who decided that the already-in-print book should be given an audio spin.
Kyle 23
Informative, Funny & Shocking
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I bought the Kindle version of this book and was impressed with the layout and the readability especially on a phone. Overall, I found the book to be intriguing, but at the same time entertaining. I read the hours away with ease. There's a broad range of topics and events discussed past and present. It's alot humor, and a lot of history. You won't be disappointed!
John J. Kelly
A Laugh-Riot
If you are looking for a laugh-riot based on history’s “great ideas” turned epic failures, check out the audiobook – ‘The 100 Worst Ideas in History.” History lessons were never so hard to believe and knee-slappin’ funny. Authors and creators Michael N. Smith and Eric Kasum use true events and have created an extremely enjoyable, thought-provoking and funny audiobook that sounds like a cross between Firesign Theater and the National Lampoon Radio Hour. This 4-hour, 25-minute journey into the annals of history is laugh-out-loud hilarious and is sure to leave you in stitches. Smith and Kasum use a bevy of sound effects and musical interludes, along with some of the most talented voice-over artists in the business to create a non-stop bombardment of blunders and mistakes that were at one point believed to actually be brilliant ideas. I haven’t laughed so much in a very long time. You will laugh until it hurts.
Authors Smith and Kasum don’t have to dig too deep into the history books to reveal some of the truly bad and bogus moments in the history of the world. From skinny dipping former presidents to tooth fillings that turned out to be, er, toxic to a successful pop music group that can’t actually sing, the examples are seemingly endless. While each of these horrible and hilarious outcomes keep coming at a mind-blowing pace, the audiobook features a repeating format and progression that makes it easy to listen and retain. The production elements (narration, sound effect and music) are perfectly placed and the pace is always exciting.
The listening experience is a celebration of mistakes and missteps that have “started wars, sunk countries, wrecked companies, scuttled careers, lost millions and even endangered the earth.” You’ll find that truth is stranger than fiction and history is scattered with these disasters. There has been far too little to laugh about since that start of the pandemic, but this audiobook Is the perfect panacea to get you smiling again. Highly recommended.
Louis Goins
Could you use a good laugh?
Who could not use a good laugh during these trying times? No doubt you will have many laughs as you read “The 100 of the Worst Ideas in History”. See if you don’t catch yourself saying such things as I never knew that, or Oh my gosh!, or even that doesn’t surprise me, and some of the ideas were sad that people would sink to such a low level.
Overall I had many good laughs with this read. The chapters are presented in a very easy to follow outline form. If you are like me you may be familiar with some of the 100 Worst Ideas. Yet the authors provided these ideas to me in a much fuller extent. However most of these 100 worst ideas were new to me. I knew nothing at all about the president who started his day by skinny dipping in the Potomac, or the $398 million bridge to nowhere.
The ideas include not only American history, but also world histories items such as the chauffeur who started a World War, and how Rome was almost conquered in 218 b.c. There are are sports, entertainment , inventions and fashion ideas in this book. Even though it is not a long book, you may find yourself stopping periodically to share what you just read with someone. This book is very well worth the small cost. You want a good laugh? Get this read!
Kindle Customer
Absorbing book of facts
Full of well-chosen anecdotes full of interesting facts that are given ironic treatment, this book is full of surprises that are both entertaining and educational. It's a quick, fun read that left me hoping for a sequel. Bravo!
Brooke
A good conversation piece but also a little time deaf.
Verified Purchase
This book is great for passing the time if you are standing in line somewhere, in a waiting room for an appointment, or even just need entertainment for 5 minutes while your coffee brews. The “chapters” (each idea is its own separate chapter) are short and sweet which makes it easy to read one while passing time but without having to reread paragraphs to follow along.
Another great thing is that this list based book has a variety of what the author believes are 100 of the worst ideas in history including a mix of historical events, to battlefield blunders, to recent pop culture happenings and fashion faux pas. I liked how there is a little bit of everything in this book, which could lead to many conversations with diverse people and could even lead to friendly debates.
The tone of the author throughout the book is one of a verbal face palm and sarcasm. I’ll admit there is quite a few entertaining pieces in the contents and I learned a few things that I didn’t know before. A few of them I even researched further as I thought they were interesting and wanted to know more.
My one critique is that this commentary only exists through the benefit of hindsight. It’s easy to point out how something is a horrible idea after many years have passed and other solutions to problems have solved the issues easier or after other advancements have been made. I also do not think that someone suffering from drug addiction or mental illness should be featured in a book of bad ideas alongside publicity stunts and media hoaxes as it gives the impression that their actions stemming from addiction or mental illness are active choices that they made instead of being a symptom of their illness and disease. Labeling their behavior as one of the worst ideas in history leads to stigma within the mental health community and should be avoided and not taken so lightly.
Overall, the physical copy would make a good coffee table book for guests to flip through at parties or while waiting for their host. It’s definitely a conversation piece. The kindle version is a fun way to keep your mind busy in otherwise boring times.
Kindle Customer
Enjoyable but hit or miss
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The problem is that reviewing history with the benefit of science and hindsight is kind of arrogant. The bit about DDT being a bad idea is an example of this, some estimates go as high as 500 million lives saved because of the decrease in malaria and other mosquito born diseases. Some of the comments are just wrong such as the statement that a tourniquet is used to stop the patient's bleeding after phlebotomy. A light tourniquet is used to prevent flow from a vein so it will distend and can be cannulated to usually either draw blood or start an IV. Tourniquets are used in trauma to prevent arterial bleeding. It is still enjoyable but some bad ideas come from smart people (Corvair and Hindenburg), much of the book are examples of stupid ideas which stupid people got off the ground or well positioned businesses managed to develop with no regard for people (Bhopal India and Union Carbide). Some are examples of a worst idea but not explored such as the cane toad introduction in Australia. History abounds with ill conceived biological controls (Asian Carp comes to mind), the toad thing is just one small slice of a really big pie.
Teresa Gregory
Fun Bathroom Book
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Great gift for the know-it-all.
Dr.G.
Our Secret
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Oh, what fun you'll have reading this book. Of course you should only be reading profound books, but if you buy or read any book this year, this is the one. Don't tell anybody you read a book this amusing, educational, and just plain fun. You are allowed to read amusing books.
E. Pass
This book arrived in good condition and has lots of funny content
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This book arrived in good condition and has lots of funny content, although there are articles that are more like lessons of life.
JJ
Easy read
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Simple, inexpensive Christmas gift for the reader in the family.
Mike R.
Buy this as a teacher gift
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Awesome book! This is a great book to buy for your child's history teacher. It's a fun read and I learned a lot.
Marie
A great book! I flew right through it. I love learning new fun facts to sprinkle into conversation! The format is consistent throughout the book. Each of the 100 worst ideas in history gets a two page spread outlining "The Bad Idea," "The Genius Behind It," when "The Brainstorm Struck," etc.
Scott K.
The title piqued my interest. It sounded like an entertaining read. But, the first thing I needed to do was check for notes or a bibliography. I found that each "bad idea" (consisting of two pages, face to face) was fully documented. Although previously aware of some of the things covered, I found the book interesting, entertaining and often outright humorous.
Travis G.
This book is entertaining, light reading. I finished the book in two sittings. The short, amusing did-you-know articles are brief and simple. Though certainly not an in-depth exploration of any topic (and it isn't meant to be), the format allows the reader to move through the book quickly and come out the other end with a few conversation starters. An easy, fun read.
Kassy M.
A collection of interesting facts. They were not all "worst ideas" but more mistakes or blunders. Some of the facts were bizarre to put into the book. But others were interesting. The humor was a little off for me too. But overall an interesting fact book. I did share some of the facts with others. So if you are looking for a quick and interesting fact book, pick this one up.
Eric
An easy quick read with a page or two dedicated to each blunder, this book is humorous and makes you scratch your head. There are subtle political opinions in this book, but they are not over-bearing. Definitely a light read.
Karen C.
Some of these were SURPRISING!! Some were totally funny, but some were beyond sad. A very good book, and quite eye opening!!
Stephanie M
Quick enjoyable read filled with enough interesting facts to keep you going. Think palate cleanser between heavier reading.
Karen S
Definitely a light read with a lot of trivia. It’s best read not in a single sitting I discovered as the writing style gets monotonous. At times, I didn’t know if the stories were urban legend. They are not; and there is an extensive bibliography to back up each of the foibles. Taken in a few bites at a time it is entertaining.
Holly rated it really liked it
I spotted this at the library and thought it looked like it would be something cute to check out, something to break up all the novels I was reading.
Really, it was funny. The author(s) is very sarcastic at times and the titles of each different section were great. I especially loved the historical blunders from our past presidents (John Quincy Adams's famous skinny dipping) or from various world leaders (Caesar burning down the Library of Alexandria...oops). I learned some pretty cool things from this book.
Admittedly, each section is less than 2 pages long, by the time you get the pictures and graphics onto the page. So really, everything came off like a vignette or just a quick introduction to something that maybe you can research more later. I had no problem with that. I mean, how much can you really say about how much Cop Rock sucked without sounding redundant?
Otherwise it was entertaining and funny.
Debora S.
I’m an avid fan of history, and one area that I especially enjoy reading up on are the embarrassing moments in our history. 100 of the Worst Ideas in History was the book for me, and I instantly ate it up when I got hold of it. This book by Michael Smith and Eric Kasum explores some of the worst ideas in history in a clever fashion:
Each idea lists the genius behind it, when it happened, from bad to worse, etc. The ideas stretch from sports blunders to historical foul-ups and brain farts committed by famous people. My favorite bad idea is the assassination of President McKinley after his staff reschedule a meeting with an individual who was going to outfit the president with a bulletproof vest, therefore entrusting the Secret Service with protection of our Chief Executive. Overall, this book is for any history buff or aficionado of stupid acts committed throughout our history.
Stephanie
Two things which I learned from this (which was a little bizarre ): In Titanic , the guys who were in the lookout were supposed to have a binoculars and that day they had lend it to someone and they didn't return it back !!
I got this book this morning from Goodreads First Reads and I have looked through it and read quite a bit of the bad ideas. :) Do far I have found this book completely awesome and a worthwhile read. It's not something I would usually go out and buy, but after getting the chance to read it I think I will be buying more books in the same history with a comical twist genre. It's very interesting.
I am going to be recommending this book to my family and friends. Possibly across different forums as well. I also recommend that all of you give it a shot as well!
Arcanian marked it as to read
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Informative and hilarious, this book is a reminder of the great capacity humans have for ingenuity. It is a reminder that failure should be mocked good-naturedly, but encouraged because not every idea will yield the desired results.
I enjoyed the book and I think it's useful to remember that there are many more failures than successes. Thus it's good to see them represented in print. Usually you only get to see the notions that produced results portrayed in the media.
Tina added it
This is a fun light read of some of the best known blunders in history, and some that you've probably never heard of. At least a quarter of these are old news to me, but it was fun to remember them and see them with a sarcastic voice added. This is a perfect book for bathrooms or doctor waiting rooms.
Violet rated it really liked it
I found it surprising to see how many of these blunders happened during my life time. Even more surprising is how many of them I remember or am familiar with. Easy to read, especially if you don't have a lot of time to read all at once.
Utena rated it really liked it
A very interesting bit of history that were not entirely the best ideas in the world. There were some that I would have to disagree with being bad ideas. They did end up taking off and making history of their own. Still a fun and short read.
emyrose8 rated it really liked it
Great format! Super easy to read and packed with interesting historical facts.
Joan rated it it was amazing
Fast, interesting read. Hope I never make the list! Ha!
Heidi H rated it really liked it
Fast paced, interesting, a brief overview of a myriad of topics.
Carla H. rated it it was amazing
Obviously not a 'serious read', but fun!! Happy Michael Vick and Mike Tyson made the list! Surprised by how many I knew, and surprised by how much I learned from this book. It's interesting!
Yosef S rated it liked it
A humorous look at some if the great and not so great blunders in history.
Nicole rated it really liked it
This was a fun and interesting book I read with my 12 year old (minus a few risqué stories). The historical sections were the best because she knew a lot of the stories from school!
Vivak M rated it it was amazing
Learn from some mistakes or just laugh at the absurdity of it all
Alexandra rated it really liked it
It was a quick read, but a fun one.
Laura added it
Silly and interesting. Perfect for summer and travel. Some “ideas” were more like the opinions of the authors but there was, surprisingly, a bibliography included. Should be very helpful at trivia night.
