History is littered with events that have had a prominent impact on the modern world. Certain events that produced the desired results have been called a success, while events that didn’t go as planned were deemed failures. We have compiled a list of the topmost epic failures in history.

Let us take a look at the Top 10 Most Epic Failures In History.

1) Kinjikitile Ngwale’s bullet-proof water- One of the most epic failures in history

We are all aware that making water bulletproof is impossible, but Kinjikitile Ngwale believed that he had achieved this feat. Germany started acquiring African colonies around 1884, and these included Tanganyika (modern-day Tanzania), Togo, Cameroon, and Namibia. They ruled with oppression and brutal policies and this bred discontent. The tribes subsequently decided to rebel against the colonisers. A prophet-Kinjikitile Ngwale- emerged, who claimed to know a secret concoction that could repel the German bullets. Thus the rebels doused themselves in this ‘bulletproof water’ and charged straight to the nearest German base. However, the magical concoction did not work and countless Africans lost their lives.

2) The Hindenburg disaster – One of the most epic failures in history

In the 1930s, the Hindenburg was the largest dirigible ever built. It was a passenger airship constructed by Nazi Germany. The impressive aircraft stretched 804 feet from stern to bow. On May 3, 1937, the Hindenburg left Germany, for a journey across the Atlantic to New Jersey. However, while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the airship suddenly caught fire and was engulfed by flames. The main reason attributed to this epic failure in history is leaking hydrogen. However many conspiracy theorists deem it the work of a saboteur.

3) The Great Emu War of 1932

As ridiculous as it sounds, in 1932 Western Australia went to war with Emus. Following the Great Depression, the farmers were facing hard times with their crops. Their difficulties increased with the arrival of around 20,000 emus migrating inland during their breeding season. The emus spoiled their crops and the farmers consequently relayed their concerns to the government who sent a group of ex-soldiers from World War I to tackle the issue. Knowing the lethality of machine guns, the soldiers requested their deployment to fight off the birds. However, the long-ranged machine guns proved ineffective against the emus. Ultimately, the flightless birds emerged victorious in the Great Emu War of 1932.

4) Battle of San Jacinto

The Battle of San Jacinto is a conflict in the Texas Revolution that lasted only 18 minutes! In April 1836, Mexican General Santa Anna was expecting a morning showdown against the Texan army. However, the army didn’t show up so he subsequently allowed his wearied men to take a nap. This was a grave error of judgement as the Texan army showed up when the men were sleeping and attacked them. Ultimately the Texan army ended up killing 630 of Santa Anna’s 1,400 troops.

5) Muhammad bin Tughluq a.k.a the wisest fool

Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Sultan of Delhi and the founder of the Tughluq dynasty. Although he made numerous administrative reforms and was highly skilled, he was a controversial ruler; hence acquiring the title of the ‘wisest fool’. One of his most epic failures was that he shifted the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (in present-day Maharashtra). The reason being that he wanted to effectively rule the south of the Sultanate. So, he made all the arrangements and made the move with his entire entourage.

However, that was his great folly, as many died and fell ill along the way. Additionally, once he reached Daulatabad, he did not like it and feared that the Sultanate’s northern borders were exposed. Tughluq ultimately reversed his decision and shifted the capital back to Delhi.

Another epic failure in history attributed to him was that he issued token currency: coins that represent a greater value than their intrinsic value. The Sultan essentially decided to issue currency in copper and tin and recall all the gold and silver currency that was in use. But that plan fiercely backfired. Copper and tin were so widely available that people started minting their own currency! Furthermore, the royal seal on the official currency was easily forged. Once this realisation hit, Tughluq stopped the use of token currency.

6) The Maginot line

The Maginot Line is essentially a line of concrete fortifications and military strong points built by France in the 1930s. Its main aim was to deter invasion by Germany and to divert the Germans through Belgium. The line was considered impenetrable. However, things did not go as expected and the Germans simply went around it, entering a different part of Belgium the French weren’t expecting.

7) Although Mao Zedong’s “Four Pests Campaign” was paved with good intentions, it is deemed as an epic failure in history

The “Four Pests Campaign”, was part of the Great Leap Forward in China which was implemented from 1958 to 1962. Its main aim was to eradicate the four pests: rats, mosquitos, flies and sparrows. Yes, sparrows too! Before 1958, sparrows were abundant in China. However, the birds had become a menace as they ate grain, seed and fruit. The basic idea was that by killing off the sparrows, the nation’s agricultural yield would be higher. However, the public health campaign worked too well and ultimately, 1 billion sparrows were eradicated from China!

However, the government had overlooked the sparrows’ intrinsic role in the ecological balance. Without the sparrows to eat them, locusts came in and devoured the fields of grain. This, in turn, led to the nationwide loss of crops and consequently resulted in the starvation of more than 30 million people! Although the “Four Pests Campaign” achieved its goal of vermin eradication, it came at a great cost. And is thus deemed as one of the most epic failures in history.

8) Genghis Khan’s failed diplomatic mission

Genghis Khan was one of the most prominent conquerors in history. In fact, at the time of his death, the Mongol empire spanned from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea in the west. Although he wanted to conquer lands, he wanted to develop trade relations as well. In one such incident, Khan sent a caravan of traders into the Khwarezmian Empire. However, before it could reach its destination, the caravan was looted by a local governor. Later the governor refused to pay for its reinstitution.

Khan then sent a convoy to diplomatically resolve these issues. Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad, the ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire instead put them to death and sent the severed head of the diplomat back to Khan. Genghis Khan did not take this lightly and subsequently attacked Shah’s empire and reduced it to rubble.

9) An explosive epic failure in history

In 1992, sewers exploded in Guadalajara, Mexico which killed more than 200 people and damaged around 1000 buildings. The series of explosions was caused by a gas leak which was overlooked by the local authorities. In fact, before the explosions, a foul smell was emitting from the sewers and when the citizens complained to the authorities, they simply ignored it. Eventually, a series of powerful explosions began which as expected had a catastrophic effect.

10) A small mistake that cost NASA millions!

In the December of 1998, NASA sent the Mars Climate Orbiter to study the climate, atmosphere and surface of Mars. Things were going well and in 1999, the Orbiter descended close enough to the planet. However, within an hour of its approach, something went wrong and the space probe was either lost or possibly disintegrated. This epic failure in history is attributed to the fact that NASA was using the unit of force metric-newtons. While the engineers at Lockheed Martin had equipped the space probe with pound-seconds instead.

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