Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unavailable
The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History
Unavailable
The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History
Unavailable
The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History
Ebook468 pages6 hours

The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this ebook

An award-winning war correspondent delves into history’s major conflicts and reveals how—in war—the improbable and inconceivable can determine events.
 
From the Trojan Horse to a photograph snapped in Vietnam, world history has been shaped as much by chance and error as by courage and heroism. Despite impossible odds, invincible armies fall in bitter defeat to weaker opponents. How and why does this happen? What decides the fate of battle?
 
Writing with the style and flair that made him an award-winning war correspondent, Erik Durschmied explores the fistful of nails that could have won Waterloo for Napoleon; the barrel of schnapps that proved disastrous for an Austrian emperor; and the three cigars that changed the course of Antietam; and many other instances when chance decided history’s path. Conflicts are decided by the caprice of weather, erroneous intelligence, unlikely heroism, strange coincidence, or individual incompetence—in short, by the unpredictable “hinge factor.”
 
“[Durschmied] is a supremely gifted reporter who has transformed the media he works in.” —Newsweek
 

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 1, 2011
ISBN9781628721775
Unavailable
The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History
Author

Erik Durschmied

Erik Durschmied was born in Vienna in 1930 and emigrated to Canada after World War II. A television war correspondent for the BBC and CBS, he has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Belfast, Beirut, Chile, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, and Vietnam, and won numerous awards for his work. He lives in Paris and Provence with his family.

Read more from Erik Durschmied

Related to The Hinge Factor

Related ebooks

Wars & Military For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Hinge Factor

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words