What if?

The world we almost lived in: 10 historical near-misses

Image: The New York Public Library

History is full of near misses—moments where a single decision, accident, or twist of fate could have completely changed the world. From avoided wars to scientific breakthroughs nearly lost, these events remind us how fragile the course of history can be. Here are 10 times history almost took a dramatically different path.

Image: Toby Elliott

Around 70,000 years ago, a supervolcanic eruption in Indonesia nearly wiped out humanity. Genetic evidence suggests that the human population dropped to just a few thousand!

Had the decline been any worse, human civilization might never have recovered or developed as we know it today.

Image: K. Mitch Hodge

The Titanic’s distress flares were seen by the SS Californian, a ship just 10 miles away. However, the captain misinterpreted the signals and failed to respond.

Had the Californian arrived in time, hundreds of lives could have been saved. Instead, the tragedy cemented its place as one of history’s deadliest maritime disasters.

Image: Elimende Inagella

In 1812, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia seemed unstoppable—until an unexpectedly harsh winter decimated his army.

The Russian cold, coupled with severe supply shortages, forced Napoleon’s retreat. Only 10% of his troops survived, marking a turning point in European history.

Image: NASA

During the moon landing, Buzz Aldrin noticed a broken circuit breaker that could have stranded them on the lunar surface. Fortunately, he used a felt-tip pen to fix it.

If the makeshift repair had failed, Neil Armstrong and Aldrin might have been the first men to die on the moon.

Image: Peter Kvetny

In the 14th century, the bubonic plague killed millions. It nearly wiped out entire regions, transforming Europe’s social and economic structure.

If the disease had been slightly more virulent, the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution might never have happened.

Image: Tim Marshall

The Allies originally planned to invade Normandy on June 5, 1944, but a last-minute weather forecast prompted a 24-hour delay.

Had they gone ahead, bad weather could have doomed the invasion. The successful landing on June 6 helped turn the tide of World War II. Fortunately, we learned the lesson from Napoleon!

Image: Mark Stuckey

In 1605, Guy Fawkes’ plot to blow up the English Parliament was foiled at the last minute.

Had it succeeded, much of England’s leadership—including King James I—would have been killed, likely causing a massive power shift.

Image: Dan Meyers

In 1979, a training tape mistakenly showed a full-scale Soviet attack simulation on U.S. computers. Military leaders prepared to launch a counterattack.

The mistake was caught just in time. A nuclear war was narrowly avoided due to human intervention.

Image: Su San Lee

In 1281, a massive Mongol fleet attempted to invade Japan but was wiped out by a typhoon.

The storm, later called the "Divine Wind" (Kamikaze), saved Japan from conquest and altered the course of Asian history.

Image: Oo Jiflip

In 1961, a U.S. B-52 bomber broke apart over North Carolina, dropping two nuclear bombs. One nearly detonated—five of six safety switches had failed.

Had it exploded, the blast would have been 250 times more powerful than Hiroshima, devastating the Eastern Seaboard. The incident remains one of the closest calls in nuclear history.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

10 ways of saying "a piece of cake" around the world

Image: Pablo Arroyo

We all love those moments when something is so easy that we say, "It’s a piece of cake!" But did you know that this phrase exists in many different languages, each with its own unique twist? People around the world have found creative ways to express just how easy something can be. In this article, we’ll take a fun journey around the globe and explore 10 different ways to say "a piece of cake" in other languages.

Image: Alejandra Coral

People often say that French is the most romantic language in the world—Paris is the city of love, after all. But hear this: in French, if something is "as easy as sticking your fingers in the nose," or simple comme bonjour, it means it’s a breeze to do. Not very romantic of them, is it?

The full expression is facile comme de mettre les doigts dans le nez, which literally translates to "as easy as putting your fingers in your nose." Yes, the phrase is as playful as it is descriptive. However, we strongly recommend you stick to just saying it—no need to actually act it out!

Image: Rachel Park

Breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day, it gives us the necessary energy to tackle the to-dos ahead. However, in Japanese, some things are considered so easy that you don’t even need breakfast to accomplish them. You can simply do it 朝飯前 (No, we don’t know Japanese either, so here’s how to pronounce it: asameshimae).

This phrase means that a task is so easy, you could do it "before breakfast." No energy needed, no preparation required—if it’s asameshimae, you’ve got it covered without breaking a sweat. After all, what’s easier than something you can do on an empty stomach?

Image: George Kendall

If you ask a professional biologist, they’ll probably be able to tell you how smart a hedgehog is. But we’re not professional biologists—so we don’t know. What we do know is that in Russia, there’s a saying that describes certain tasks as so easy, they’re "understandable to a hedgehog" (ежу понятно, or yezhu ponyatno).

The phrase can be used for tasks or statements—basically, anything so straightforward that even a hedgehog could grasp it. So when something is crystal clear, it’s not just easy—it’s hedgehog-easy!

Image: Marine Le Gac

Finding a hair in your food is never ideal. But if we had to choose, we’d rather find it in butter than in stew. Why? Well, here’s the Turkish guarantee—removing a hair from butter is actually quite simple.

The Turkish expression tereyağından kıl çeker gibi means something is "as easy as pulling a hair from butter."

Just imagine: a hair sliding out of soft butter with no resistance, no struggle. According to this Turkish simile, the task isn’t just simple—it’s smooth and effortless. We do hope the saying stays figurative… but hey, worse things have happened!

Image: JM Lova

We have to agree with this one; few things in life are as easy as breathing. I mean, it takes literally nothing from you and gives you nothing less than life!

In Welsh, when something is mor hawdd â anadlu, it’s as effortless as taking in a breath of air. That’s the literal translation of the phrase.

Breathing is the most natural, instinctive thing we do, so this expression perfectly captures the idea of something being second nature. When life hands you an easy task, just take a breath—and remember how simple things can be.

Image: Crazy Cake

We’re not sure what the deal is with languages and butter, but it seems to be the universal image of simplicity. Just like the Turks, the Greeks also use butter to metaphorically describe an easy task.

The Greek phrase σαν βούτυρο στο ψωμί (pronounced san voutyro sto psomi) translates to "as butter spread on bread." Just as butter smoothly spreads over a slice of bread, this expression describes something that’s effortlessly simple. And if you think about it, it’s true—some things just go smoothly, like butter on bread.

Image: Matthew Hamilton

If you’re reading this around lunch or dinner time, we bet you’re already getting hungry with all these food similes we’ve mentioned. Maybe now’s the time for some chicken soup—just to see what the Portuguese mean.

In Portuguese, the phrase é sopa, which literally means "it’s soup," is used to describe something that’s super easy. More specifically, _é canja_—"it’s chicken soup"—adds a layer of comfort and familiarity to the expression. When something is é canja, you know you’re in for a task as simple and soothing as sipping a warm bowl of soup.

Image: Pete Wright

In Latvian, if something is tik viegli, kā paņemt konfekti no bērna, it’s "as easy as taking candy from a child." This expression emphasizes just how effortless a task can be, though it does carry a cheeky hint of slyness. It’s a light-hearted way of describing a situation where the difficulty is virtually nonexistent.

While you’d (hopefully) never actually take candy from a child, the phrase perfectly captures the idea of something being laughably easy.

Image: Daiga Ellaby

We’re almost at the end, and we couldn’t resist including an expression like this one. In Chinese, the phrase 易如反掌 (don’t sweat it, the pronunciation is yì rú fǎnzhǎng) means something like "as easy as turning your hand over."

This expression suggests that the task requires just a simple movement, like flipping your hand from palm up to palm down. Funny how one of the most complex languages to learn has an expression like this!

Image: Barbara Chowaniec

Let’s finish this article with yet another food-related expression. But this time, it’s not butter or cake—it’s jam.

In Croatian, when something is k’o pekmez, translated as "as simple as jam," it means the task is easy to do, with no complications or fuss.

Butter and jam have more than one thing in common: they’re smooth, sweet, eaten at breakfast, and both are used to describe simple tasks. When life gives you something easy, think of it as "as simple as jam."