10 Worst Technology Predictions Of All Time
Human history is filled with predictions; some right, some wrong, and some so completely, utterly wrong. We've decided to bring the biggest offenders to light, and believe me, we're not letting anyone off the hook.
1. Telephones? We Are Not Amused!
"The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys." — Sir William Preece, Chief Engineer, British Post Office, 1878.
As of yet, a messenger boy that could carry your message as fast as a telephone line has not been found, but we believe the British are still searching.
2. Even A Billionaire's Vision Can Be Too Narrow.
"We will never make a 32 bit operating system." — Bill Gates.
Famous for founding Microsoft and bringing the Windows operating system to the world, Bill Gates is considered a visionary and a true genius. The fact that some of his predictions were so wildly off only goes to show how even the most gifted have been wrong in their careers, and that it doesn't matter at all.
3. Cleaning With A Bang!
"Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality in 10 years." - Alex Lewyt, the obviously highly imaginative president of vacuum cleaner company Lewyt Corp., writing in the New York Times in 1955.
4. Computers? Who Could Possibly Want One?
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." — Ken Olson.
He was the chairman, president, and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), which was a maker of massive mainframe computers for business. Back in those days PC's were unheard of, and computers were the size of whole rooms.
5. Thinking At The Speed Of Dark
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| Sir Erasmus Wilson |
"When the Paris Exhibition [of 1878] closes, electric light will close with it and no more will be heard of it." – Oxford professor Erasmus Wilson.
It is ironic that only a year later, in October 1879, Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, simultaneously bringing affordable lighting into the homes of millions around the world, and forcing Sir Erasmus Wilson to eat his hat.
6. Passengers Flight? Not Likely?
"There will never be a bigger plane built." — A Boeing engineer, shooting his mouth off after the inaugural flight of the 247, a little twin-engine plane that holds only ten people.
The first commercial flight occurred on January 1st, 1914 between St. Petersburg and Tampa, which lasted a total of 23 minutes.
7. TV? That Boring Thing?!
"Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." — Darryl Zanuck, movie producer, 20th Century Fox, 1946.
8. Saw Right Through That One..
"X-rays will prove to be a hoax." - Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1883.
X-rays were discovered in 1895 by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen, who is also credited with naming them. They have many applications in today's society, and have been proven to not be a hoax.
9. 9 Miles Per Hour?! We Are All Gonna Die!
"Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia." — Dr Dionysys Larder (1793-1859), professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, University College London.
In 1903 development of the first high-speed railway began, and, as of 2012, its maximum commercial speed is around 300km/hr.
There have not yet been any reports of death by asphyxiation as a result of these trains.
10. Tell That To Hollywood
"The cinema is little more than a fad. It's canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage." - Charlie Chaplin, the incredibly famous silent movie actor, who ironically went on to become a director, producer and studio founder, speaking in 1916.
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