Quote by Morgan Housel

“The Battle of Long Island was a disaster for George Washington’s army. His ten thousand troops were crushed by the British and its four-hundred-ship fleet. But it could have been so much worse. It could have been the end of the Revolutionary War. All the British had to do was sail up the East River and Washington’s cornered troops would have been wiped out. But it never happened, because the wind wasn’t blowing in the right direction and sailing up the river became impossible. Historian David McCullough once told interviewer Charlie Rose that “if the wind had been in the other direction on the night of August twenty-eighth [1776], I think it would have all been over.” “No United States of America if that had happened?” Rose asked. “I don’t think so,” said McCullough. “Just because of the wind, history was changed?” asked Rose. “Absolutely,” said McCullough.”

Quote by Morgan Housel