How They Choked

Book excerpt: Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, epic failures even lead to super successes . . . sometimes they become deep dark secrets. But remember-to fail is human, to laugh about our shortcomings divine. From Montezuma II's mistaking a conqueror for a god to Isaac Newton turning from science to alchemy to J. Bruce Ismay's jumping the lifeboat line on the Titanic, How They Choked knocks fourteen famous achievers off their pedestals to reveal the human side of history. Successful “failures” include: Marco Polo Queen Isabella of Spain Montezuma II Ferdinand Magellan Anne Boleyn Isaac Newton Benedict Arnold Susan B. Anthony George Armstrong Custer Thomas Alva Edison Vincent Van Gogh J. Bruce Ismay “Shoeless Joe” Jackson Amelia M. Earhart