If you have ever made a prediction that failed to come true, you may be comforted that you are not alone.
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."--Western Union, 1878
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."--Charles H. Duell, an official at the US patent office, 1899
"Man will not fly for 50 years."--Wilbur Wright, 1901
"The automobile has practically reached the limit of its development."--Scientific American, 1909
"Talking films are a very interesting invention, but I do not believe they will remain long in fashion."--Louis-Jean Lumiere (co-inventor of the first film projector), 1929
"There is no reason for any individual to have a personal computer in their home."--Ken Olsen, President, Digital Equipment Corp., 1980
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."--The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the instrusion of the wise and humane surgeon."--Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."--A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.
"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."--Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."--Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
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