Most Expensive Typos in History - Unfortunate And Costliest Typographical errors

You probably don't suspect that the name of one of the most famous companies in the world - Google - is actually the result of a spelling mistake. The spelling of Sergey Brin and Larry Page was supposed to be Googol (digit 1 followed by one hundred zeroes), but officials confused the spelling at registration.

Another thing you may not know is that spelling mistakes are a very profitable business for Google. According to Harvard experts, the company only earns $ 497 million a year from misspelling popular sites on its search engine.

This is a misspelling that is profitable. But too often, a misspelled note or representation can lead to significant losses. Mental Floss magazine picked up some of the most costly mistakes in history.

1. THE MISSED HYPHEN

Usually, a missed hyphen just makes an unpleasant impression. But in the case of the US aerospace agency NASA, it turns out to be quite a costly mistake. In 1962, the Mariner 1 had to fly past Venus and explore the second planet from the solar system. But a dash was somehow omitted when spelling out the mission code. As a result, the space probe, which cost a whopping $ 80 million at the time, explodes a few minutes after takeoff.

Damage : $ 80 million

2. THE GOLDEN BEER.

A misspelled P is probably the most painful mistake in an eBay merchant's life. He auctioned the 150-year-old Allsopp's Arctic Ale beer but inadvertently listed it as Allsop's. Due to the missing "p," collectors could not even see his offer in the search engines, and only two people participated in the auction, which raised the price from the starting 299 to 304 dollars. A week later, the happy buyer re-bid the antique beer for auction, but this time with the correct spelling. Hundreds signed up for the auction, eventually selling the bottle for $ 503,300.

Damage : $ 502,996

3. A BIBLE SCALE ERROR

Even God is apparently not immune to careless mistakes. In 1631, the London publishing house Baker inadvertently alters the 10 commandments of God because it misses one "not" in the seventh - instead of "Thou shalt not commit adultery," it spells out the commanded "Thou shalt commit adultery". At least the British Parliament does not see the comic element and orders that all copies of the book, known as the "Wicked Bible," be destroyed. The publishing house also carries a fine of 3,000 pounds - a colossal amount of time.

Damage : 3,000 pounds (and eternal damnation)

4. RACIST Macaroni .

Under normal circumstances, a plate of sardines and prosciutto melts could only affect the feelings of a vegetarian. But for some reason, the Australian pasta edition of 2010 recommends that the dish be seasoned with "salt and fresh grated black people" (instead of black pepper). Penguin Publishing House was forced to destroy the entire circulation.

Damage : $ 20,000

5. You buy expensive, you sell cheap.

In 1994, online commerce was lingering - unfortunately, to Juan Pablo Davila, eternally. An employee of state-owned mining company Codelco, Davila, erroneously buys the shares he is actually charged with selling. Then he panically tries to make things right by buying and reselling huge stakes. At the end of the day, the damage from his intervention exceeded $ 175 million. Davila is fired, and Codelco manages to cover some of the damage ($ 25 million) by denouncing Merill Lynch brokers for allowing him to enter into unauthorized transactions.

Damage : $ 175 million

6. DISCOUNT OF DISCOUNTS

In December 2005, the Japanese company Mizuho Securities included J-Com Co in its portfolio, with an announced value of one share of 610,000 yen. A year later, however, a stockbroker fatally exchanged the two numbers and actually put 610,000 shares for 1 yen apiece. Despite the company's desperate requests, the Tokyo Stock Exchange refuses to correct the problem.

Damage : $ 340 million

7. THE MOST EXPERT ADVERTISEMENT

In 2007, a car dealer from Roswell, New Mexico, came up with a clever way to stimulate a crowded market. He decided to mail 50,000 advertising stickers to his company, one of which won a $ 1,000 prize. However, the printers were confused and printed 50,000 brochures, each of which promised a prize of $ 50 million. Of course, the unlucky merchant could not pay such sums, but in return, he offered each of the recipients of the sticker a $ 5 shopping coupon.

Damage : $ 250,000

8. MATHEMATICS LESSON. As much as we are used to technology, sometimes it actually hurts more than it helps. This is the case with William Thompson, an accountant in the City Hall of New York, who inadvertently added one letter while entering data into accounting software. This seemingly innocent mistake led to a double increase in the estimated cost of transportation for the training department - from $ 1.4 million to $ 2.8 million

Damage : $ 1.4 million

9. A HARDLY EXOTIC VACATION.

Years ago, a US travel agency decided to get involved with a magazine similar to the popular Yellow Pages to promote its business. However, in the printed catalog, instead of "exotic trips," it said "erotic." The mistake aroused considerable interest in the company, but not exactly from the clients it targeted. The publisher offered compensation of $ 230 (the cost of the advertisement), but the tour operator sought a lawyer and ultimately made him send $ 10 million for the damages.

Damage : $ 10 million