A closer look
Alexander the Great accidentally conquered the known world while suffering from a serious alcohol addiction, throwing legendary frat parties that frequently ended in murder. History remembers him as a brilliant tactical mastermind who never lost a battle, but it heavily downplays the fact that he was perpetually intoxicated. After conquering a new city, Alexander would typically host massive, days-long drinking contests where soldiers would literally drop dead from alcohol poisoning. During one of his drunken rages, he grabbed a spear and murdered his closest friend and trusted general simply because they got into a petty argument over dinner. He wept about it the next morning, but the cycle simply continued, meaning the largest contiguous empire of the ancient world was basically forged by a hyper-aggressive binge drinker who somehow managed to successfully micromanage foreign policy while permanently nursing a debilitating hangover
