Just Living History
Turning-Point Decisions
The moments that could have gone the other way.
Crossing the Rubicon
Ordered to give up his army, Julius Caesar led a legion across the river that marked the border of Italy. It was an act of war against the Roman Republic.
Grouchy at Wavre
While the Battle of Waterloo began, Marshal Grouchy heard the guns. His subordinates urged him to march toward them. He kept to his orders to pursue the Prussians.
The Charge of the Light Brigade
A vague written order, a rushed messenger and two feuding cavalry commanders sent the British Light Brigade charging down a valley lined with Russian guns.
Nimitz trusts the codebreakers
Washington and Pearl Harbor disagreed about where Japan would strike next. A simple deception confirmed the target, and Nimitz bet his carriers on it.
The D-Day weather call
With a storm battering the Channel, Eisenhower had to decide whether to launch the invasion on a forecast of a brief break, or wait weeks for the next suitable tides.