15 Tiny Overlooked Moments In History That Could’ve Changed The Course of the World

There are an insane amount of things that the history books simply don’t bother telling us about. Sometimes, in fact, it’s what can seem to be the smallest moments in history that end up having the most significant ripple effect in the long run. We’re going to look at some of the most notable yet seemingly tiny overlooked moments in history that really could’ve changed it all.

1. The invention of the modern paper clip

Sure, the invention of the modern paper clip seems quite literally like a small enough deal. However, it was this invention that completely altered how documents are organized in offices across the globe. Beforehand people would just punch holes in sheets of paper and/or tie them up with strings.

2. The invention of tetraethyl

This invention led to the prevention of knocking in fuel. Not only did it potentially provide a negative health impact to various folks in society, but the alternative at the time was also just mixing some ethanol in with the actual fuel.

3. Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca

Mansa Musa’s infamous pilgrimage to Mecca ended up apparently resulting in him spending so much money (in the form of gold) that would end up completely altering the North African and the Mediterranean economies for literal decades.

4. The British sailors WWII coffee spill

This one’s just wild. But a British sailor mistakenly spilled his coffee on a radar screen during WWII. He then noticed the spill, which in turn created a far improved contrast when spotting German submarines. This then led to them modifying their radar displays. This random accident ended up helping the Allies out when it came to spotting U-boats with improved accuracy.

Related: 21 Comedic Events in History That Will Always Be Funny

5. The discovery of the potato

Wow, it’s not every day you see this. However, it turns out that the discovery of the potato then led to the rise of the working class and also numerous revolutions across Europe.

6. The Beatles quitting touring to focus on making records

Before the Beatles records took the world by storm, some folks would contest that much of popular music was made up of love songs that were under three minutes. The Beatles challenged the status quo by lengthening their records, which in turn inspired other bands to do so.

7. When bibles were given to peasants

So it goes, that hundreds of years ago it was either Quakers or Lutherans that went around England and gave out Bibles to peasants. This resulted in igniting a whole class of peasants that were literate and then eventually gave way to England becoming the world’s superpower until the 20th century at which point the US took over.

8. William Powers and Soviet airspace incident

This happens to be a mistake that was made in 1962, when an American pilot named William Powers mistakenly violated Soviet airspace. This could’ve resulted in an all-out nuclear war. During the Cuban Missile Crisis it was this very incident that was seen as an act of aggression. This was quickly resolved all due to personal diplomacy between Kennedy and Krushchev.

9. That moment in 1415

There’s a moment back in 1415 when the Portuguese ended up capturing Ceuta, which is a city in North Africa. Even though on the surface this might not seem like a huge deal, it would go on to mark the start of European maritime exploration as well as colonial expansion. Ceuta ended up becoming a base for Portuguese exploration on down the African coast. This led to the ultimate discovery of new trade routes, the age of exploration, and also the globalization of trade.

10. Alexander Fleming’s unintentional discovery of penicillin

It’s not every day that you end up mistakenly discovering penicillin. Well, such was the case for Alexander Fleming in 1928. Fleming noticed that a mold was effectively killing off bacteria in a petri dish. This went on to inspire the development of antibiotics, and ultimately revolutionized medicine while saving numerous lives.

11. The electric lightbulb

Obviously, the invention itself is undeniably significant. However, it’s that crazy ripple effect that the lightbulb inspired. And that ripple effect was that through the electric lightbulb, workdays ended up being vastly lengthened on into the night.

12. The curved handle for umbrellas

The umbrella’s popularity surged when its creator elected to add in a curved handle, making the umbrella easier to carry.

13. The invention of pulleys

Pulleys deserve far more recognition. Through combining strings and wheels, humans were able to gain hold over a remarkable mechanical advantage, thereby being able to lift and efficiently move massive amounts of weight.

14. The invention of the TwistLock

During the mid 1950s, Keith Tantlinger was responsible for inventing the TwistLock. He then released the patent without royalties. Now, look around, and note that seemingly almost every object brought and sold across the globe is delivered in containers that are both interchangeable and movable as a result of this system.

15. European rabbits and the chaos they’ve brought

European rabbits have unleashed absolute economic havoc on the countries they’ve been introduced to. It was never imagined just how rapidly they’d reproduce. It’s cost the UK upwards of $263 million in agricultural damages, and the word around town is that it’s cost Australia even more.