"Murphy's Law" Lead

[Wilson Gray]

According to Dickson (55), FWIW, "People had talked about a mysterious
scientist named 'Finagle' for many years before November 1957, when John W.
Campbell, Jr., editor of _Astounding Science Fiction_, asked his readers to
help him collect and publish Finagle's 'famous unwritten laws of science,'
but, after that announcement, Finagle became as much a part of scientific
lore as Murphy has become a part of general lore."

Is there a library that has collected ASF? My local library has the complete
run of F&SF from v.1(1) to the present, but not a single issue of God's own
SF mag.

Dickson, Paul. Springfield, MA: c1978 et seq. The Official rules and
regulations.

-Wilson Gray

On 11/15/05, Jeff Prucher <jprucher at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Jeff Prucher <jprucher at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject: Re: "Murphy's Law" Lead
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I've seen this asserted as well. Wikipedia sez that John W. Campbell used
> it
> in his editorials starting in the 1940's, so that and $3.00 will get you a
> cup
> of coffee. If anyone has any more information about the origin of
> Finagle's
> Law, I'd be interested in it as well.
>
> Jeff Prucher
>
> --- Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: "Murphy's Law" Lead
> >
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Wasn't Murphy's Law originally referred to as "Finagle's Law" in ASF?
> >
> > -Wilson
> >
> > On 11/13/05, Dave Hause <dwhause at jobe.net> wrote:
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster: Dave Hause <dwhause at JOBE.NET>
> > > Subject: Re: "Murphy's Law" Lead
> > >
> >
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > "The etiology of Murphy's Law lies in the human factors research of
> > > Colonel John Paul Stapp at Edward's Air Force Base at mid-century.
> Murphy
> > > was one of his rocket sled technicians. Murphy was the fountainhead
> from
> > > whose fertile mind the wording of the infamous Law sprang."
> > >
> > > The rest of the article segues into a discussion of chaos theory which
> > > Stine says he first ran across in 1953. There are no references. (He
> does
> > > refer to a book by Lee Correy as if this were a different person.) My
> > > Astounding collection doesn't go as far back 1955.
> > > Dave Hause, dwhause at jobe.net
> > > Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Fred Shapiro" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> > >
> > >
> > > I wonder whether someone on this list can help me with a "Murphy's
> Law"
> > > lead. Barry Popik discovered "Reilly's Law," identical to Murphy's
> Law,
> > > mentioned in a story by Lee Correy in Astounding Science-Fiction, Feb.
> > > 1955; this is the third oldest documented version of ML I am aware of.
> I
> > > have just learned that Correy, writing under the name G. Harry Stine,
> > > published a 1994 essay entitled "Murphy's Law Revisited" in "The
> Alternate
> > > View" Vol. 114 No. 10 of Analog Science Fiction / Science Fact.
> > >
> > > Does anyone have ready access to the 1994 Analog Science Fiction /
> Science
> > > Fact and can look there to see whether Correy gives any solid
> information
> > > supporting the Edwards Air Force Base connection with ML? It appears
> to
> > > me now that Correy was not an unrelated science-fiction vector of ML,
> but
> > > rather was probably familiar with John Paul Stapp and his work at
> Edwards.
> > >
> > > Fred Shapiro
> > >
>
>
>
>
>
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--
-Wilson Gray