Origin of "Murphy's Law" Pushed Back further, to 1908

[Jonathan Lighter]

Hmmmm. "...Edwards Air Force Base origins in *1949* [my emphasis -JL]."

  JL

"Shapiro, Fred" <Fred.Shapiro at YALE.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Shapiro, Fred"
Subject: Re: Origin of "Murphy's Law" Pushed Back further, to 1908
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, I have been meaning to post a message suggesting that Stephen's 1878 citation should not be forgotten. It is only slightly less of a universal maxim than the magic citations, and supports what I have been saying for years: "Murphy's law" is an old proverb in many fields, far more venerable than the supposed Edwards Air Force base origins in 1949. Let's also remember the precursor quotations in The Yale Book of Quotations:

Things which you do not hope happen more frequently than things which you do hope.
Plautus (ca. 200 B.C.)

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley.
Robert Burns (1786)

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.
Benjamin Disraeli (1837)

I never had a slice of bread,
Particularly large and wide,
That did not fall upon the floor,
And always on the buttered side.
_Huron Reflector_ (1841)

Fred R. Shapiro Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
Access and Lecturer in Legal Research Yale University Press
Yale Law School ISBN 0300107986
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu



________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Stephen Goranson [goranson at DUKE.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 7:41 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Origin of "Murphy's Law" Pushed Back further, to 1908

Quoting "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" :


> [....]
> 2. Does it exist elsewhere, prior to this, in the writings of either
> Devant or Maskelyne? (or anyone else?)
> [....]

What criteria exclude 1877-spoken, 1878-read "It is found that anything
that can
go wrong at sea generally does go wrong sooner or later."?
Have non-English mountaineering texts been searched well for a possible source
for the 1952 "Anything that can possibly go wrong, does"?

Stephen

PS the next edition of YBQ might index "Murphy" and "wrong."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org