Room #56 and a..fluke

Big ideas from the book Fluke

Well, some of the world’s biggest stories weren’t the result of careful planning - but were a fluke.

Did you know that one couple's honeymoon vacation changed the course of the twentieth century? 👇🏼👇🏼

Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Stimson arrived in Kyoto, Japan, in October 1926. They stayed at the Miyako Hotel (Room number 56) and fell in love with the city's beautiful fall colors. The leaves had turned bright red and yellow, and they enjoyed exploring Kyoto's lovely gardens.

Golden Temple, Kyoto / Japan

After six days, they left Kyoto.

[Sharing part 1 of big ideas from the recently launched book, Fluke.
PS: Indian subscribers can pay for subscription using this link]

---

19 years later, (May 10, 1945), a group of American scientists and soldiers were trying to figure out which cities should be the ones to be destroyed - to test their new ‘Gadget’, the atom bomb.

13 men were asked to join the Target Committee, an elite group that would decide how to introduce the Gadget to the world. 

Mr. H. (Henry) L. Stimson was among them - he had become America’s secretary of war, the top civilian overseeing wartime operation. List of cities included: