Patently MoronicAt the turn of the 19th Century, many were swept up in fin-de-siecle euphoria, wondering what marvels the new century would bring.
One notable exception was the Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, Charles H. Duell: "Everything that can be invented," he boldly declared, "has been invented."
[Duell should have read his history; a similar remark had been made by the Roman engineer Sextus Julius Frontinus two millennia earlier: "Inventions have long since reahed their limit, and I see no hope for future development."]
Duell, Charles H. (?- ) American patent commissioner More Charles Duell anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Bad Predictions Patents Inventions Science Progress Technology
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