10 Really Absurd Predictions The New York Times Made!

Hardly anyone would doubt that the New York Times is a highly acclaimed newspaper and as such globally respected – quality journalism, based on thorough research. But even the New York Times can be wrong.

Here are some quite funny examples for that: 16 ridiculous predictions made by the New York Times!

#1 1939 – On Television

„The problem with television is that the people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn’t time for it.“

#2 1904 – On Automobiles Driving At High Speeds

In 1904, The New York Times published the following contribution to a debate between a brain specialist and a physician about the dangers of driving automobiles at high speeds: “It remains to be proved how fast the brain is capable of traveling. If it cannot acquire an eight-mile per hour speed, then an auto running at the rate of 80 miles per hour is running without the guidance of the brain, and the many disastrous results are not to be marveled at.”

#3 2007 – On Twitter

„Using Twitter for literate communication is about as likely as firing up a CB radio and hearing some guy recite ‘The Iliad.’ … Whether the service can be made into a sustainable business, [is] quite unknown. I’m skeptical“

#4 1922 – On Hitler

„Several reliable, well-informed sources confirmed the idea that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was not so genuine or violent as it sounded, and that he was merely using anti-Semite propaganda as a bait to catch masses of followers and keep the aroused, enthusiastic and in line for the time when his organization is perfected and sufficiently powerful to be employed effectively for political purposes“

#5 1920 – On Space Travel

„That [rocket pioneer Robert] Goddard… does not know the relation of action to reaction, and of the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react — to say that would be absurd. Of course he only seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.“

#6 1973 – On Aerosmith

„Aerosmith, the opening act, played loud, derivative rock, distinguished only by Steve Tyler’s fawning imitation of Mick Jagger.“

#7 2001 – On The Ipod

„It’s a nice feature for Macintosh users,’ said P. J. McNealy, a senior analyst for Gartner G2, an e-commerce research group. ‘But to the rest of the Windows world, it doesn’t make any difference.“

#8 1911 – On Picasso And Cubism

„It is to be regretted that this unquestionably talented artist… should now make his debut with a series of childish, not to say imbecile, scribbles that are no interest either as independent works of art or as steps toward achieving the complete work. They have neither material beauty nor that ‘spiritual significance’… nor merit of any other sort.“

#9 1985 – On Laptop Computers

„On the whole, people don’t want to lug a computer with them to the beach or on a train to while away hours they would rather spend reading the sports or business section of the newspaper… the real future of the laptop computer will remain in the specialized niche markets. Because no matter how inexpensive the machines become, and no matter how sophisticated their software, I still can’t imagine the average user taking one along when going fishing.“

#10 2006 – On The iPhone

„Everyone’s always asking me when Apple will come out with a cell phone. My answer is, ‘Probably never.’“

Are you a regular reader of the New York Times? What do you think about these predictions? Tell us on Facebook!

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