Bad Predictions
"To us who think in terms of practical use, the splitting of the atom means nothing." - British science writer Lord Richie Calder, 1932.
"A manned lunar base will be in existence by 1986." - The Futurist, 1967.
In 1974 the U.S. Forest Service published a study on "Future Leisure Environments." The authors believed that by 1989 American public schools would be open year-round and vacations would be staggered throughout the year.
"Beams of atomic radiation, instead of saws, cut lumber [in 1999]." - Victor Cohn, 1999 Our Hopeful Future, 1954.
"A road sign of the future is likely to read "No wheeled vehicles on this highway.' Cars without wheels will float on air, bringing about the passing of the wheel." - scientist and author Arthur C. Clarke's 1975 vision of transportation in 2000.
"Women will never want the right of suffrage - that is, there will not be enough of them that want it to even encourage the menfolk to give it to them." - humorist Bill Nye, 1893.
"The more I read, the more convinced I am that some economic disruptions are inevitable. The year 2000 problem is a serious threat to the global economy. Yet it isn't being taken seriously enough." - economist Edward Yardeni in Computer World, 1997. He stated there was a 30% chance Y2K would cause a worldwide recession. He later upped his prediction to 60%.
"With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market." - Business Week, 1979
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