The 100 Worst Ideas Of The Century

By Melissa August, Harriet Barovick, Michelle Derrow, Tam Gray, Daniel Levy, Lina Lofaro, David Spitz, Joel Stein and Chris Taylor

As a planet, we have celebrated almost every aspect of the 20th century. but let's face it, it wasn't all good. The past 100 years have seen plenty of dud inventions, foolish decisions and hugely embarrassing mistakes. Here's a list, not in any particular order, of 100 really bad calls. Wonderful thing, hindsight.

--Prohibition --Suntans --Leisure suits --New Math --The Blacklist --Comeback Tours --Asbestos --The Designated-Hitter Rule --Barney --Crystal Pepsi --New Coke --Woody Allen, Paterfamilias --DDT --Sailing the Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound --The Eight-Track Tape --Cryogenics --The Treaty of Versailles --Smell-O-Vision --Chain E-Mail --Hydrogen-Filled Blimps --Staffing the White House with Interns During the Government Shutdown --Hair Club for Men --Bush's Choice of Quayle --Promoting Kim Philby --Message T Shirts --Videophones --Spray-on Hair --Infomercials --The Spruce Goose --Theme Restaurants --Letting Oliver North Near a Shredder --Not Bombing the Fuel Tanks at Pearl Harbor --Hooked on Classics --Introducing Kudzu to the U.S. --Novelizations of Movies --The Ugandan Space Program --The Titanic --The Edsel --Rocky 5 --Aerosol Cheese --Flowbee --Attacking Israel on Yom Kippur --AfterMASH --Shoe-Store X Rays --Geraldo's Opening of Capone's Vault --The Independent-Counsel Statute --Psychic Hotlines --Cold Fusion --The Maginot Line --George Lazenby As James Bond --The Hitler Diaries