Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year | Michael Farquhar

National Geographic author Michael Farquhar uncovers an instance of bad luck, epic misfortune, and unadulterated mayhem tied to every day of the year. From Caligula's blood-soaked end to hotelier Steve Wynn's unfortunate run-in with a priceless Picasso, these 365 tales of misery include lost fortunes (like the would-be Apple investor who pulled out in 1977 and missed out on a $30 billion-dollar windfall), romance gone wrong (like the 16th-century Shah who experimented with an early form of Viagra with empire-changing results), and truly bizarre moments (like the Great Molasses Flood of 1919).

Think you’re having a bad day? Trust us, it gets worse.

Editorial Reviews 

Review

An aficionado of misfortune, Farquhar blithely notes something woeful for each day of the calendar. Whether these daily highlights of difficult times are the handiwork of Mother Nature, malicious despots, mysterious dastards or some feckless nincompoops, it's a tough year, to be sure.....
The facts of this passing parade of perfidious knaves, nasty poltroons, incompetent liars and just some unlucky folk who slipped on bygone banana peels make for leisurely reading--and it's surely a story to be continued.

Candid snapshots of some truly bad days in the bleak annals of civilization.
--Kirkus 

Farquhar has proven with other books such as "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" and "Behind the Palace Doors" that he can deliver fun compilations of historical tidbits. "Bad Days in History" solidifies his reputation.
--Roanoke Times

Mr. Farquhar's latest, "Bad Days in History," may offer consolation to the great mass of quotidian belly-achers....whose piddling misfortunes and regrets will snap neatly into perspective when set against the record of idiocy and disaster he has assembled.
--Wall Street Journal

Bad Days in History is a wonderful morbid and entertaining collection.
--Portland Book Review

"The facts of this passing parade of perfidious knaves, nasty poltroons, incompetent liars and just some unlucky folk who slipped on bygone banana peels make for leisurely reading—and it's surely a story to be continued." --Kirkus Reviews

"A catalog of historical anecdotes in which the historical agents experienced very bad days indeed." 
--Library Journal 

About the Author

Michael Farquhar, a former writer and editor at The Washington Post, is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the critically acclaimed Behind the Palace Doors and Secret Lives of the Tsars, as well as the popular Penguin "Treasury" series: A Treasury of Royal Scandals, A Treasury of Great American Scandals, A Treasury of Deception, A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans. His latest titles are Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year, and its sequel More Bad Days in History: The Delightfully Dismal, Day-by-Day Saga of Ignominy, Idiocy, and Incompetence Continues. He lives in Washington, D.C.