Who's your favorite "Noble Failure" in history? [View all]

[DerekG]

Life can really suck. And few things underscores this sad reality more than reading about a noble failure--that is to say, a man or woman who sincerely and courageously tried to change an unfortunate course of events for the better, and failed. Whether said failure was due to lack of contingencies, or overwhelming opposition, or just plain rotten luck, s/he wound up on the losing end.

My pick: Johann Georg Elser. A devout Christian leftist who came the closest to assassinating Hitler (in '39, no less...before the real horror show started). His plan, years in the making, was a work of art. Sadly, for both himself and the world, he didn't account for foggy weather conditions. Google him sometime. It will make you weep tears of blood.