The opinions of experts in science and other subjects
Throughout my life, I have noticed many people who dismiss innovation, and scientists are no exception. Here are a few I have found by experts in a variety of fields, to convince you not to be disheartened if your ideas and innovations are dismissed by others. Remember, each of these people was an expert in the field they were pronouncing upon.
“Everything that can be invented, has been invented” - Charles Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
“England has plenty of small boys to run messages” - William Preece, Chief Engineer British Post Office, on Bell’s invention of the telephone, 1878.
“A completely idiotic idea” - William Preece, Chief Engineer British Post Office, on Edison’s experiments into incandescent filaments (the lightbulb).
“Such startling announcements as these should be deprecated as being unworthy of science and mischievous to its true progress” - Sir William Siemens, on Edison’s light bulb
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home” - Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation.
“We will never make a 32 bit operating system” - Bill Gates.
“Radio has no future” - Lord Kelvin, president of the Royal Society, 1897.
“There is practically no chance communications space satellites will be used to provide better telephone, telegraph, television, or radio service inside the United States” - T. Craven, FCC Commissioner, 1961.
“Space travel is utter bilge” - Richard Woolley, Astronomer Royal, 1956.
“Space travel is bunk” - Sir Harold Spencer Jones, former Astronomer Royal, 1957.
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible” - Lord Kelvin, 1895.
“The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.”- Ernest Rutherford.
“There is no likelihood that man can ever tap the power of the atom. The glib supposition of utilizing atomic energy when our coal has run out is a completely unscientific Utopian dream, a childish bug-a-boo.” - Robert Millikan, Nobel Laureate, 1928.
“X-rays will prove to be a hoax” - Lord Kelvin, 1883.
“They will never try to steal the phonograph because it has no commercial value” - Thomas Edison, 1880s.
“Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever.”- Thomas Edison.
“Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia” - Dionysys Larder, professor of natural philosophy, University College London.
“The more important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are now so firmly established that the possibility of their ever being supplanted in consequence of new discoveries is exceedingly remote…. Our future discoveries must be looked for in the sixth place of decimals.” - Albert Michelson, 1894
“There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now; All that remains is more and more precise measurement” - Lord Kelvin
“It will be years - not in my time - before a woman will become Prime Minister” - Margaret Thatcher, first woman Prime Minister.
“Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote” - Grover Cleveland, US President, 1905.
“Man will not fly for 50 years” - Wilbur Wright, 1901.
“There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.” - Albert Einstein.
“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk? - H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers
On the other side…
“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you couldn’t do this.” - Spencer Silver, inventor of the ‘Post-It’ adhesive.
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