In 333 BC, Alexander the Great famously dealt with the Gordian Knot (also spelled Gordion), an intricate knot that secured the yoke to the pole of a Phrygian wagon on the acropolis of a city.
This wagon had historical connections to figures such as Midas and Gordias; legend has it that whoever could untangle the knot would gain great power and could "conquer Asia."
Instead of untying it, Alexander instead took his sword and cut through it. Two years later, in 331 BC, he defeated the Persian Emperor Darius, dealing the final blow to his Asian empire.
