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Hover your mouse over each picture to see how these historical figures had a major impact on human history.
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Chapter 16
Most people don't realize how close the South came to winning the war.
Robert E. Lee
Without Matthew Ridgeway, there would be no South Korea. The Communist Red Army would have prevailed.
Chapter 7
Matthew Ridgeway
A man of great character. One of the leaders in the German general's plot to assassinate Hitler.
Chapter 3
Henning Von Tresckow
Behind the famous grin, a man known for his short and explosive temper. He was very unforgiving of subordinates who disappointed him.
Sidebar: One Man's Challenge To Groupthink
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
A man who failed his own people.
Sidebar: One Man's Challenge To Groupthink
Benito Mussolini
A man who failed his own people.
Sidebar page 393
The population of France is much smaller today because of Napoleon's conquests and defeats.
Chapter 7
Napolean Bonaparte
World War I: A war that could have been avoided for the good of humanity.
Chapter 21
Kaiser Wilhelm
The man who could have killed George Washington.
Chapter 22
Major Patrick Ferguson
Mathematician who coined the term "Butterfly Effect".
Author's introduction
Edward Norton Lorenz
Undercover agent: The war that was lost by a single piece of tape turned the wrong direction.
Chapter 29
James McCord
One of our greatest presidents - almost.
Chapter 29
Richard Nixon
Almost withdrew from politics at an early age.
Chapter 27
Lyndon B. Johnson
Caught the eye of many powerful men - Including JFK and Adolf Hitler.
Chapter 2
Inga Arvad
The poorly designed document that started a major war.
Chapter 5
Theresa LePore
Saved the career of LBJ.
Chapter 27
Ladybird Johnson
Did King Henry VIII's head injury lead to her death?
Chapter 30
Queen Ann Boleyn
Participated in the most dangerous undercover mission of WWII.
Sidebar: One Man's Challenge To Groupthink
Maxwell Taylor
He is the author of the book that has saved thousands of lives and continues to save more lives than any other book in history.
Book Conclusion
Atul Gawande
The face of evil. He and his wife poisoned their children and then committed suicide. "I will jump into my grave a happy man knowing that millions of Jews have preceded me."
Sidebar: One Man's Stand Against Groupthink
Joseph Goebbles
His head injury from a polo accident may have caused WWII to last 6 months longer.
Chapter 30
General George S. Patton
His eccentric genius was the Confederacy's most dependable military asset.
Chapter 15
Andrew "Stonewall" Jackson
His biggest secret was that he knew the Mexican army's biggest weakness.
Chapter 7
Sam Houston
Did he miss an obvious opportunity to win the war because of his overriding thirst for vengeance?
Chapter 2 and Chapter 24
Adolf Hitler
Hitler's foreign minister advised the dictator against declaring war on the US - to no avail.
Chapter 24
Joachim von Ribbentrop
The Kennedys
A sharp sibling rivalry between two brothers leads to young life lost to no purpose and determines who will be President in 1960.
Book Conclusion
A famous airplane crash that cost the lives of two men but saved the lives of thousands.
Book Conclusion
Over 9,000 were dropped on London, killing thousands of civilians.
Chapter 2 and Chapter 24
V-1 Rocket
1st rocket to reach outer space. Over 3,000 were dropped on London.
Chapter 2 and 24
V-2 Rocket
After the war, Eisenhower said that if the V-1s and V-2s had been directed at Plymouth and the other embarkation points, the D-Day invasion would have to have been postponed.
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