What Were They Thinking?: Really Bad Ideas Throughout History

by Bruce Felton

What could Tommy Dorsey have been thinking in 1940 when he installed his orchestra in the monkey house of the Philadelphia Zoo to perform a concert for the apes? Could artist Rudy Giacomo have been... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762726679
• ISBN13: 9780762726677
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Laughed myself silly!

I am a big fan of "weird" news stories and have read several books in this genre. "What Were They Thinking" is by far my favorite of the bunch. Perhaps it isn't 100% factually accurate (few books are), but neither is it a piece of fluff. I bought the book because I wanted some good laughs. "What Were They Thinking" definitely delivered! The book is well-organized into various topics: Politics & Government, Science & Medicine, Sports, Transportation, Crimes, etc. Although I was familiar with some of the material, much of it was new to me. I especially enjoyed stories like that of Plennie Wingo, who decided to walk around the world backwards. After wearing out 13 pairs of shoes, he arrived home to find his girlfriend had left him. From obscure tidbits of history to modern-day mistakes, this collection encompasses the best and worst of human foibles. Highly recommended!

Tee-hee!

This was a fun, light-hearted book that was easy to read in pieces...as my schedule allowed. It's not a serious or hearty read, so considering what it was meant to be, it hit the mark!

Entertaing if a little short on detail

Some people are blunderers, and some people are just plain stupid. Mr. Felton makes no judgement on the level of intelligence of each individual, group of people or nation. He just tells the story like it is, and lets the reader judge for her/himself. The book divides up into fifteen separate categories including government blunders, cultural blunders, and the ubiquitous "dumb crook" blunders. A laugh on every page, and a reason to thank God that you haven't been as stupid. Or at least that you haven't been caught being as stupid...

It saved my life!

Reading the information author Felton so entertainiingly reveals, I am constantly stunned at the uniqueness and weirdness of the human mind. This book can truly save lives, especially on bad days. While laughing out loud you will accept that your situation is preferable to what is shockingly shown.