INTRODUCTION Uh oh Oops Oh no Don't feel ashamed when you shout these words They're the rallying cries of nice tries races lost quizzes flunked bikes wrecked slipups and strikeouts goofs and screwups any misadventures that end in that forbidden word so we'll just spell it out F A L U R E Wait did we get that wrong Uh oh Oh relax Some people might strike the word from their vocabulary but failure is an overhated phenomenon The ancient Greeks started a school of philosophy known as Stoicism in which they braced for worst case scenarios and faced their failures Anyone who went through life expecting everything to go right the Stoics figured would have an extra bad day when things went wrong And failure still has its fans today lead ers inventors actors and athletes who see it as a tool instead of that thing that must not be named As superstar slugger Babe Ruth once said Every strike brings me closer to the next home run This book cel ebrates the strikes history's wrong turns food flubs malfunctioning monuments inventions that fizzled pop culture disasters sorry sports moments and so many more snafus that are funny because they're true Along with some belly laughs you'll get the scoops behind each oops what went wrong what went right and what you can learn from it In this book failure is an option
Success From the Mess Getting the Most From Famous Fails It Could Be Worse If you're having a lousy day just remem ber it's probably not as bad as what hap pened to some people in these stories Keep an eye peeled for these features as you read this book Down but Not Out Believe it or not some of the world's 4 grade A success stories started out as grade F failures Read about their horrible origin stories and incredible comebacks Lesson Learned Messing up can be a learning experi ence and a stomach churning expe rience Each tale of failure will offer advice for your own life You'll walk away from Famous Fails a little smarter with a boost of confidence and less afraid of messing up Triumphant Takeaway From minor setbacks to complete disasters there's always a hidden lesson that can help you avoid similar flubs in the future AUS WET PAINT Are you a master messer upper or a fantastic fixer See if you can spot the nine mistakes hidden in this book The answers are on page 120 but don't peek
I have not failed 10 000 times I've successfully found 10 000 ways that will not work Thomas Edison inventor of the lightbulb
CHAPTER ONE Inadequate inventions THE LIGHTBULB the printing press the automobile the waffle iron great inventions change the world make impossible tasks a snap or create an awesome breakfast This chapter isn't about any of that stuff Instead get ready for a review of goofy gadgets and senseless contraptions and meet the mad scientists behind
