In honor of the coming new year and people’s propensity to make predictions for the new year, I thought I would post some past predictions over the next few days. Here is the second “batch:”
“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920?s.
“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.)
“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper,” Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”
“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
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society,1895
“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this,” Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads
“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy,” Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859
The last batch will post tomorrow.
Happy New Year,
Mitch