The first powered flights began with a coin toss. Wilbur won, then climbed too steeply and drove the Flyer into the sand. Three days of repairs later, Orville took his turn. The brother who lost the toss made the first successful flight.
Story source · NASA Earth Observatory / Joshua Stevens · Landsat 8, USGS
In 1865, the cable slipped away into the Atlantic before it reached the other shore. The next year, after laying a new cable, the expedition went back for the lost one. They recovered it, spliced on fresh cable, and finished the crossing. The failed attempt became a second working connection.
Story source · Sentinel-2 cloudless by EOX IT Services (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2020) · EOX · CC BY 4.0 · tinted and cropped
On the way to the deepest place in the ocean, Walsh and Piccard heard a sharp crack. They continued down. Only back at the surface did they discover that a viewing port in the flooded entrance tube had cracked—not the window protecting their cabin.
Story source · elevation from AWS Terrain Tiles (ETOPO1, GEBCO and others)
In 1909, Shackleton turned back about 180 km from the South Pole. He later explained the decision to his wife, Emily: “I thought you would rather have a live donkey than a dead lion.” His farthest point was also the point where he chose to stop.
Story source · NASA GIBS, MODIS Terra, 28 Dec 2022
After walking on the Moon, the astronauts found a broken circuit breaker for arming the ascent engine. Its small actuator had snapped off inside the cramped cabin. Aldrin used a felt-tip pen to push the breaker in. A pen helped ready the spacecraft to leave the Moon.
Story source · NASA LRO Wide Angle Camera mosaic via NASA Moon Trek
Before taking Vicksburg, the Union tried to move the river around it. Grant doubted the canal would work, but kept the digging going partly to keep his men active. Lincoln was so taken with the idea that he asked about its progress almost daily. The canal was abandoned.
Story source · imagery USGS The National Map
Before Explorer II rose to 22,066 metres, its predecessor had torn open in flight and forced its crew to parachute out. The next gondola was built with wider portholes, so the men could escape more easily. They also replaced hydrogen with helium. The record-setting flight carried lessons from the fall.
Story source · imagery USGS The National Map