Profiles in Folly: History's Worst Decisions and why They Went WrongUsing the same engrossing anecdotal format that has proved so popular in "Profiles in Audacity," Alan Axelrod now turns to the dark side of audacious decision-making: those choices that, in retrospect, were shockingly wrongheaded. Although Axelrod investigates some dumb decisions by stupid people and some evil decisions by evil people, the overwhelming majority of these decisions were made by good, smart people whose poor judgment produced disastrous, often irreversible results. The 35 compelling and often poignant stories, which range from ancient times to today, include: The Trojan Horse; the Children s Crusade; the sailing of the "Titanic," and the false belief that it just couldn t sink; Edward Bernays s 1929 campaign to recruit women smokers; Neville Chamberlain s appeasement of the Nazis; Ken Lay s deception with Enron; and even the choice to create a New Coke and fix what wasn t broke. As with "Profiles in Audacity," the deftly drawn vignettes will pique interest, satisfy curiosity, give pleasure, and present valuable lessons. And in addition to offering the same insightful analysis of the decision-making process, "Folly" also includes objective post-mortems that explain what went wrong and why. These are cautionary tales albeit with exquisite twists ranging from acerbic to horrific. " |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 64
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Page v
... George Armstrong Custer and the Little Bighorn ( 1876 ) André Maginot and His Line ( 1930–40 ) Unsinkability and the Titanic ( 1912 ) Isoroku Yamamoto and Pearl Harbor ( 1941 ) NASA and the Space Shuttles ( 1986 , 2003 ) PART TWO The ...
... George Armstrong Custer and the Little Bighorn ( 1876 ) André Maginot and His Line ( 1930–40 ) Unsinkability and the Titanic ( 1912 ) Isoroku Yamamoto and Pearl Harbor ( 1941 ) NASA and the Space Shuttles ( 1986 , 2003 ) PART TWO The ...
Page vi
... George III and the American 137 Revolution ( 1775-83 ) The " War Hawks " and the War of 1812 ( 1812 ) 151 John C. Calhoun and Nullification ( 1832 ) 160 Russell , Majors , and Waddell and the 167 Pony Express ( 1860 ) Count Leopold von ...
... George III and the American 137 Revolution ( 1775-83 ) The " War Hawks " and the War of 1812 ( 1812 ) 151 John C. Calhoun and Nullification ( 1832 ) 160 Russell , Majors , and Waddell and the 167 Pony Express ( 1860 ) Count Leopold von ...
Page vii
... George Gordon Meade and Ulysses S. Grant 276 at the Battle of the Crater (1864) Rasputin and the Russian Royals (1916) Ford Motor Company and the Edsel (1957) John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs (1961) Tonkin Gulf, Persian Gulf (1964 ...
... George Gordon Meade and Ulysses S. Grant 276 at the Battle of the Crater (1864) Rasputin and the Russian Royals (1916) Ford Motor Company and the Edsel (1957) John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs (1961) Tonkin Gulf, Persian Gulf (1964 ...
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Other editions - View all
Profiles in Folly: History's Worst Decisions and Why They Went Wrong Alan Axelrod Limited preview - 2012 |
Profiles in Folly: History's Worst Decisions and Why They Went Wrong Alan Axelrod No preview available - 2012 |
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