Here are some memorable misses from notable authorities of their time. Thought you all might enjoy seeing these.
This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a practical form of communication. – Western Union internal memo, 1878.
Radio has no future. - Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, 1897.
[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, head of 20th Century Fox, 1946.
Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia. - Dr. Dionysus Lardner, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at University College, London, 1823.
Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value. - Marshall Ferdinand Foch, French military strategist, 1911.
There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home. Kenneth Olsen, president and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977.