13 Last-Minute Decisions That Changed History

Titanic sank because an officer was changed last minute.

Historically significant decisions are usually thoroughly deliberated and thought through.

Such decisions result from elaborate planning and are usually arrived at after carefully considering all possible pros and cons.

Most of the time, world leaders are responsible for making these decisions. However, sometimes, seemingly non-significant events and decisions change the course of history forever.

Such decisions are never part of the decisions that have been thoroughly planned; they, instead, happen spontaneously have more impact than perfectly thought-out decisions.

1. Martin Luther King Jr. Improvised “I Have A Dream”

One of the most memorable sentences a civil rights activist uttered was, “I have a dream.”

These words were spoken by Martin Luther King Jr during his speech on 2/8 August 1963, in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

King had prepared a speech that had no mention of a dream. He started improvising when an audience member, Mahalia Jackson, shouted, “Tell them about the dream.”

King spoke from his heart and envisioned the future of his dreams, which was an America with racial harmony. This speech went on to become one of the most iconic examples of public speaking in American history.

2. Teddy Roosevelt Survived A Bullet Because He Decided To Fold His Speech And Put It In His Breast Pocket

Teddy Roosevelt was known for his fiery speeches that made him the most charismatic of American presidents.

In 1912, when Teddy was running for his second term as president, he wrote a 50-page long speech to deliver at a rally and decided to put it in his breast pocket.

He was shot during the speech, but the thick folded papers saved his life, and he got up to complete his speech.

3. Buddy Holy’s Desire For Doing Laundry Changed Hockey

February 3, 1959, is known as “The music died” because Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and JP Richardson Jr. died in a plane crash.

They were to travel through a bus, but Buddy Holly wanted clean clothes. Therefore, he convinced others to charter a plane and reach early to do laundry. The decision turned out to be fatal.

4. Titanic Sank Because An Officer Was Changed At The Last Minute

The sinking of the Titanic is known as the most tragic naval accident in history.

The “unsinkable ship” hit an iceberg and sank despite all precautions. The Second Officer, David Blair, was removed from the crew at the last minute, and he forgot to hand over the key to a locker that had binoculars.

Without the binoculars, the crew members had to see for icebergs with their eyes, which turned out to be fatal.

5. Clouds Saved Kokura From A Nuclear Attack

Dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the most significant decisions made by the Americans in WWII.

The original plan was to bomb Kokura after Hiroshima, but an officer, named Kermit Beahan decided that Kokura could not be seen due to the clouds and called the mission off. Eventually, Nagasaki was chosen as the new target.

6. WWI Was Brought On by Gavrilo Princip And A Wrong Turn

Garvilo Princip was a Bosnian militant who was commissioned to kill Archduke Ferdinand.

On June 28, 1914, Princip and his associates threw a bomb under Ferdinand’s car, but the explosion was delayed, and Ferdinand survived the attack.

Ferdinand decided to visit the victims of the attack at a hospital. While going to the hospital, his driver took a wrong turn and brought Ferdinand to the same street where Princip was standing. Princip shot Ferdinand and sparked WWI.

7. Lazy Reading Brought Down The Berlin Wall

The Fall Of the Berlin Wall was caused by accident. Guenter Schabowski, the spokesman for the East German Politburo, did not read a memo before a press conference and said that the Politburo had decided to allow every citizen to travel across the wall, which was not valid.

When he was asked when the decision would be executed, someone shouted “immediately,” and Schabowski, in confusion, said “immediately.” This turned out to be the immediate cause of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

8. Erwin Rommel Decided To Surprise, His Wife Right Before The D-Day

The attack on Normandy was the most significant event for the Allied forces in WWII.

The attack was made possible because the in charge of the German troops at Normandy, Erwin Rommel, decided to surprise his wife with a vacation for her birthday a day before the Allied forces stormed Normandy. Things would have been different if Rommel had not left his post.

9. Johann Rall Lost The American Revolution Because He Did Not Want His Poker Game Interrupted

Johann Rall was a German Colonel who commanded the Hessian troops and aided Britain during the American Revolution. He lost to Geroge Washington during the latter’s crossing of Delaware.

Rall had been given a note that contained information of Washington’s crossing a day before it happened.

The note was in English, and Rall decided to keep it for later as he played a poker game. This decision turned out to be one of the reasons behind Washington’s mythic victories.

10. Stanislav Petrov Saved The World From A Nuclear Standoff

Stanislav Petrov’s job was to monitor the Soviet early alarm systems. On September 26, 1983, the alarms went off, meaning that the Americans had fired nuclear missiles at the Soviets.

Petrov decided to delay the information to his seniors, which would have resulted in a nuclear standoff. It turned out later that the alarms were false, and Petrov’s decision saved the world.

11. Marie-Antoinette's Last-Minute Decisions Doomed Her Family

Marie-Antoinette and her family were beheaded during the French Revolution. The family was to flee in two carriages which Marie thought were not fancy enough for her.

She asked for a fancier but slower carriage for her family, which was also more conspicuous. Her decision turned out to be fatal for her family and herself.

12. William Perry Avoided Combat With North Korea

During the Clinton administration, America was on the verge of fighting a war with North Korea for making nuclear weapons.

Defense Secretary, William Perry, avoided combat by not sharing the plan of attacking North Korea with the American president during a briefing.

13. Hannibal Lost Rome For Poking An Avalance With A Cane

Hannibal Barca was a famous Carthaginian military leader who led combat elephants against the Romans.

While crossing the Alps, Hannibal’s army faced severe snowfall. While checking the snow, Hannibal set off an avalanche with his walking cane that took out a large portion of his army and caused him to lose his campaign.

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