History helps the human society avoid the mistakes that had already happened in the past. As Konan Adeneuar once said, "History is the sum total of all the things that could have been avoided", there have been many events that could have resulted in a different way, such as the worldly known drop of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II, the tragic terrorist attack on September 11th, and the more recent case of SARS. These three are some of the more recent cases that could have been avoided.
To begin with, the fact that the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have been avoided. Near the end of World War II the United States of America had dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, instantly killing thousands of people. Japan was already losing power in the war, and surrendering was an option that was soon to be heard of. But the eager Americans with their newly achieved nuclear weapons wanted to test out its power and used the bomb a reasonable excuse into stopping the war. This made the Japanese guinea pigs for the world's first, real-life test of the atomic bomb. This can be said because afterwards Americans were sent to the two sites to investigate the amount of destruction it has caused to the people and the area around it. Therefore the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unneeded. .
Secondly, the tragic event in New York City on September 11th, 2001 also might have been avoidable event. Both the FBI and the CIA "had enough information and facts that could have stopped the 9-11 tragedy from happening" (The Washington Times). The problem with U.S. Intelligence is that they have enough information but they don't do anything with it. When the time comes to really act up, it's already too late; the damage has been done. If the FBI and CIA's #1 priority was to "Protect the United States from terrorist attack" (FBI), they certainly haven't done their job.