LGLTS3The greater the skilful the more wrong they can be; in their assumptions, their predictions or their negative reactions to new ideas. Hither are some classic examples:

  1. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), the historic English diarist, wrote the following comments on seeing plays past Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet – 'the worst play I ever saw in my life', A Midsummer Dark'southward Dream – 'the most insipid, ridiculous play', Twelfth Nighttime – 'a silly play.'
  2. Dr. Dionysius Lardner (1793-1859), professor of natural history and astronomy at London University, warned that railway trains traveling at speed would asphyxiate their passengers through lack of air. He also stated that no steamship would be able to cantankerous the Atlantic because it would demand more coal than it could carry without sinking.
  3. Simon Newcomb (1835-1909), the leading US astronomer of his fourth dimension and a professor of astronomy and mathematics, declared that flight by heavier-than-air objects was completely impossible. After the Wright brothers fabricated their first flights he yet claimed that airplanes were impractical and worthless.
  4. Ernst Werner von Siemens (1816-1892), the great German engineer who adult the telegraph manufacture and founded the company bearing his name, declared, 'Electric light volition never take the identify of gas.'
  5. Charles Duell was Commissioner at the US Patents Function who in 1899 gave his opinion that, 'Everything that can be invented has been invented.'
  6. Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) was the eminent British physicist who pioneered nuclear physics, discovered the alpha particle and developed the nuclear theory of atomic structure. He refused to believe that nuclear free energy could be harnessed and described ideas for nuclear power as 'moonshine'.
  7. Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) was a distinguished British mathematician and physicist who developed the law of conservation of energy. The Kelvin scale of absolute temperature is named after him. He scoffed at the idea of radio and stated, 'Radio has no future.' He also said, 'Ten-rays will prove to be a hoax.'
  8. H.K. Wells (1866-1946) the eminent British author and ane of the first scientific discipline fiction writers said in 1902, 'I refuse to come across any sort of submarine doing anything except suffocating its coiffure and floundering at sea.'
  9. Full general Douglas Haig (1861 -1928) the commander of the British Regular army in WWI said in 1914 of the machine gun, 'Make no error, this weapon will change absolutely null.'
  10. In 1927, H.Thou Warner of Warner Brothers asked, 'Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?'
  11. Irving Fisher was Professor of Economics at Yale University. In 1929 he pronounced, 'Stocks have reached what looks similar a permanently high plateau.'
  12. Dr Albert Einstein said in 1932, 'In that location is non the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable.'
  13. Admiral William Leahy (1875-1959) told President Truman in 1945, 'The atomic bomb will non go off and I speak equally an practiced in explosives.'
  14. Rex Lambert, Editor of The Listener, wrote in 1936, 'Tv set won't matter in your lifetime or mine.'
  15. John Langdon-Davies, fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute opined in 1936, 'By 1960 work will exist limited to iii hours a twenty-four hours.'
  16. Sir Richard Woolley was the British Astronomer-Royal who declared in 1956 that, 'Space travel is utter bilge.'
  17. Don Rowe was the director of Decca Records who turned downwards the Beatles. He said to their promoter, Brian Epstein, 'Nosotros don't like your boys' audio. Groups of guitarists are on the way out.'
  18. Frank Sinatra in 1957 stated, 'Stone and Curlicue is phony. It's sung, written and played by cretinous goons.'
  19. Ken Olson, CEO of Dec said in 1977, 'There is no reason anyone would desire a estimator in their home.'
  20. Pecker Gates stated in 1981, '640k ought to be plenty for everyone.'

Paul Sloane writes and speaks on innovation and lateral thinking. He is the writer of The Leader's Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills from which this list is taken.

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