History books tend to celebrate the successes, the geniuses, and the breakthroughs that have made our world what it is today. But what about the mistakes? This book examines the blunders and the goof-ups, both miniscule and colossal in scale, many of which have been lost to history. Readers of The World's Worst Mistakes will find humor in the story of the priest who married a bride to her groom's best man and cringe at the poor fool who thought he actually purchased the White House. They also will learn about mistakes that changed the course of history, like the sinking of the Titanic, the Exxon Valdez disaster, and the weapons of mass destruction that started a war but didn't exist. Sidebars, a glossary, and books and websites in the further reading section are also included.