Question: Has a coin toss ever changed the course of history?

The King of Sweden was dying whilst the election campaign was going on. Is that reason enough?
Actually, I'd say no, that's not reason enough. I would assume that, even with the King incapacitated, civil servants could still go about their work, and the police could still enforce the laws that are already on the books.
 
That's messed up. Why not just do what U.S. courts and legislatures do -- if there's a tie, nothing changes? Or is there some reason why the Swedish government would have to pass a law?

Riksdagen (the parlament) have to approve the budget so some stuff have to pass.
 
Hindenburg: "Ok, heads: I make Hitler chancellor, tails, I tell him to fuck off"

Sigg'd!

Wasn't there a Futurama episode based off of this topic? I seem to recall it had Fry and Leela being married in an alternate universe because of a coin toss.
 
i dunno about soccer, but in american and (i believe) canadian football whoever gets the ball first is determined by cointoss. Therefore a lot of football games have been at least partly determined by a coin toss. Who knows a superbowl victory in a different city than OTL might just mean a riot that city that never really happened, and who knows, as a result of that a law gets passed in said city, and as a result a politician who opposes or supports it gets elected, he has a successful political career and becomes president of the US. Now that is a pretty big effect.
 
This was done on a Futurerama episode once. Y'see, they all visited a parallel universe that is the same, except all coin tosses in history were reversed.
 
That's messed up. Why not just do what U.S. courts and legislatures do -- if there's a tie, nothing changes? Or is there some reason why the Swedish government would have to pass a law?

I have heard that in the USA if the presidential electoral college is ever tied ( which is unlikely) and Congress cannot decide on the winner, then the winner and therefore the next President is chosen by a coin toss/drawing lots? Is this correct? It sounds a bit like an urban legend over such a powerful position, but I have heard stranger things!
 
I have heard that in the USA if the presidential electoral college is ever tied ( which is unlikely) and Congress cannot decide on the winner, then the winner and therefore the next President is chosen by a coin toss/drawing lots? Is this correct? It sounds a bit like an urban legend over such a powerful position, but I have heard stranger things!

That is definitely not correct. The Constitution's 12th and 20th Amendments address scenarios where there is no clear winner. If it gets to be inauguration day and the House has not chosen a President-elect, then whoever the Senate has chosen as Vice-President-elect becomes President. If the Senate hasn't chosen the Vice-President-elect, then the Constitution says that Congress has to have written a law in advance, specifying what will happen. They have, and it's called the Presidential Succession Act. The Presidential Succession Act says that the Speaker of the House of Representatives takes over. Ironically, this office is also one that the House has to elect, so maybe the House could even be deadlocked on that question! No problem, says the Presidential Succession Act -- then it will go to the President pro tempore of the Senate. This is usually just the longest-serving Senator in the majority party, but there have been controversies over the position when there is no majority party. No problem, says the Act -- then it will go to the Secretary of State. So, in short, that's why Condoleeza Rice didn't submit her letter of resignation yet. :)
 
NBA Draft

In the NBA, a coin toss altered history several times:

1969: Milwaukee wins toss over Phoenix and wins the rights to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He wins a ring with the Bucks, but ends up getting traded to the Lakers because he doesn't like it in Milwaukee. Would he have spent his entire career in Phoenix if they won his rights? And, how many championships do they win? Do the Lakers ever get him?
1979: The Jazz win the coin toss over the Bulls for the first overall pick and the first crack at Magic Johnson, but they had to give the pick to the Lakers because of an earlier trade for Gail Goodrich. What if the Bulls win the toss? What if the Jazz don't make that trade for Goodrich? Would Magic want to go to Utah?
1984: In the last toss for the #1 pick before the lottery, Houston wins the toss over Portland and takes Hakeem while the Blazers pass over Jordan for Bowie. What if the Rockets or Blazers take Jordan? What if the Blazers take Jordan instead of Bowie?
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
IIRC, in the most recent general election in the UK, the outcome of one of the districts down south (Crawley, perhaps?) was determined by a coin toss when it became clear that the two leading candidates had gained the exact same number of votes. Perhaps not "historic" in the grand scheme of things, but suppose the winner one day goes on to become Prime Minister...
 
IIRC, in the most recent general election in the UK, the outcome of one of the districts down south (Crawley, perhaps?) was determined by a coin toss when it became clear that the two leading candidates had gained the exact same number of votes. Perhaps not "historic" in the grand scheme of things, but suppose the winner one day goes on to become Prime Minister...
Doesn't look like it.

Labour majority of 37... tiny, yes, but a majority.
 
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