Captain E. Murphy of the Wright Field-Aircraft Laboratory was reported to have made the comment in 1949, but applied it specifically to aircraft building i.e. “If an aircraft part has a wrong way to be installed then some mechanic will install it that way.”
Rudyard Kipling, 50 years earlier, had made a similar observation with regard to the tendency of a dropped piece of bread always falling with the buttered side on the floor.
I am sure that throughout history people have found ways to express this peculiarity of fate:
- Stone-Age Man: The driest caves will always have a bear in residence.
- Ancient Egyptians: The best stone for pyramid building is always the furthest from the site.
- Ancient Greek Sculptor: The chisel always slips as the last details are being finished.
- Roman Soldier: The direct route to anywhere always follows the roughest terrain.
Have fun with your knowledge of history and try making your own “Murphy's Laws”!
