Determining the single greatest stroke of luck in human history is a subjective matter, and opinions may vary. However, one event that is often regarded as having an immense impact on the course of human history is the "Toba catastrophe theory."
Approximately 74,000 years ago, the Toba supervolcano, located in present-day Indonesia, erupted in one of the most significant volcanic events in Earth's history. The eruption was so massive that it caused a volcanic winter and released an estimated 2,800 cubic kilometers of ash and debris into the atmosphere. This led to a global cooling effect and potentially had severe consequences for life on Earth.
The fortunate aspect of this event lies in the theory that it may have created a "bottleneck" in human evolution. The eruption is believed to have caused a significant reduction in the human population at the time, leading to a small population of around 10,000 individuals or even fewer. This small group of surviving humans had to adapt and thrive in challenging conditions, which potentially influenced the development of human culture, society, and technology.
Some researchers argue that this population bottleneck may have shaped the genetic diversity and human migration patterns we observe today. It's suggested that this event could have led to a shared ancestry among all humans, making us a more closely related species than we might have been otherwise.
So, while the Toba eruption was a catastrophic event, it's considered a fortunate stroke of luck in human history because it may have played a crucial role in shaping the development and evolution of our species. However, it's important to remember that numerous other events have also shaped human history in significant ways, and pinpointing a single "greatest" stroke of luck is challenging due to the complexity and interconnectedness of historical events.