Week 4 - Top 5 Class Quotes

The entire list of Top 25 predictions were extremely interesting, but I have picked the Top 5 to analyze today. Please find them below.

1. "No one will pay good money to get from Berlin to Potsdam in one hour when he can ride his horse there in one day for free." - King William I of Prusisa on trains, 1864

This is an interesting quote, as the King of Prussia was not taking into account people's willingness to pay for their time. Travel is an especially important industry that people are willing to spend above and beyond for convenience. He is completely forgetting how important people value time. 

2. "No, it will make war impossible." – -Hiram Maxim, inventor of the machine gun, in response to the question "Will this gun not make war more terrible?" from Havelock Ellis, an English scientist, 1893

Hiram was probably thinking more about how the mechanics of the gun itself are extremely complicated, and the method to "shoot" would take a bit of learning from soldiers. What he did not see was the amount of time it would save in the battlefield, and that it would change the way we conducted battle in the future.

3. “There will never be a bigger plane built." - A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people

Many people just do not have the imagination or idea that anything can always be improved. The engineer was probably boasting about how amazing of an invention this was, but it was very short-sighted of him to believe that nothing could ever be engineered any bigger.

4. "It'll be gone by June." – Variety Magazine on Rock n' Roll, 1955

People love to comment on "trends" and what is in fashion, and Variety is in the business of assessing the entertainment field. At this point in time, it probably saw an "underdeveloped" music scene, and was relying on the established base to not adopt this new medium of music. However, it really only takes one or two key players to legitimize a music following.

5. A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” — New York Times, 1936

The New York Times was probably extremely ignorant to fact that physics would allow for a rocket to leave the atmosphere, given the design and other contingencies were met. They probably did not consult with NASA or any other agency to confirm these details.

Thanks,
Payal