Punctuality is the stern virtue of men of business, and the graceful courtesy of princes. — Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

History loves winners, but sometimes it’s the losers who are more interesting. Take, for instance, the tragedy that befell Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell one autumn evening in 1707 off the rocky Isles of Scilly, which lie 28 miles (45 kilometers) off Cornwall in the southwestern corner of Great Britain. Shovell, commander in chief of the British fleet, was returning from attacking the French navy with a flotilla of 21 ships. Though their mission had gone well, the British were beset with