Originally Posted by Martian

I agree with the overall point, but not the examples given, because they all rely on character traits and abilities, rather than little happenings. How about, what if Lincoln had gotten up to use the washroom (or for some other purpose)?

Or more recently, what if Bush had died choking on that pretzel? How different would the world be if Vice President Cheney had assumed power on that day?

History is made by the big events, but upon closer inspection, the big events are always a cascade of smaller events. The Great Depression happened because a lot of people tried to sell at once. That's a lot of little events, but from a distance they look like one big one.