An Epic History of Failure

No one takes pride in it, but it is funny to see others fail. Take an educational and entertaining tour through history, visiting some of humankind's silliest decisions and the lessons we've learned (or not) from them.

From the sinking of the HMS Titanic, to the many, MANY missteps of Christopher Columbus, to the wonky construction of the Tower of Pisa, readers will discover some of the epic fails that have changed our world or simply left us wondering "what were they thinking?!".

Everybody gets things wrong sometimes and this book demonstrates how we can often learn something from failure – or as Thomas Edison put it: “I’ve not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Each tale is accompanied by wacky illustrations from Ella Kasperowicz, ideal for engaging reluctant readers.

This is the third title in Neon Squid's Wacky Histories series, following A Stinky History of Toilets and A Sick History of Medicine, and is perfect for curious kids with a fondness for the darker side of history.

Publication Date
19 February 2026

Publisher
Neon Squid

Book Type
Hardback

ISBN
9781916745124