• Murphy's Law

  • Ideas & Concepts
  • By: iMinds
  • Narrated by: Ellouise Rothwell
  • Length: 7 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (98 ratings)

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Murphy's Law

By: iMinds
Narrated by: Ellouise Rothwell
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Editorial reviews

A charming listen for those new to the idiosyncrasies of the English language, or anyone interested in an exploration of one of our most famous "laws". Performer Ellouise Rothwell explains the origin of the phrase in the 1940s, its entry into popular culture, modern permutations, and even some science behind the idea, while fun, jazzy music plays in the background. She also includes an interesting consideration of the reason we find the idea of Murphy's Law so appealing. Pessimists will enjoy this one, as will anyone who’s ever wondered about the real origins of this curious phrase.

Publisher's summary

Learn about Murphy's Law with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Murphy's Law is a tongue-in-cheek and rather pessimistic adage of eight simple words: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The translation of these words into "Murphy's Law" was in honor of US aerospace engineer Edward Aloysius Murphy, Junior. Legend has it that in 1949 Murphy made an offhand comment to his colleagues while working at an Air Force Base in California. His team was testing human tolerance for g-forces during rapid deceleration. The experiments involved Air Force officer John Stapp being strapped into a sled moving at great speed. As the sled decelerated, an instrument was supposed to take readings of the g-forces Stapp experienced. However, the instrument Murphy was using gave no reading. When the problem was looked into, it was discovered that a technician had actually wired the instrument backwards. A frustrated Murphy commented: "If there's any way to do it wrong, he'll find it!"

Perfect to listen to while commuting, exercising, shopping or cleaning the house.. iMinds brings knowledge to your MP3 with 8 minute information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.

iMinds offers 12 main categories; become a Generalist by increasing your knowledge of Business, Politics, People, History, Pop Culture, Mystery, Crime, Culture, Religion, Concepts, Science and Sport. Clean and concise, crisp and engaging, discover what you never knew you were missing.

iMinds is the knowledge solution for the information age cutting through the white noise to give you quick, accurate knowledge .. Perfect your dinner party conversation, impress your boss - an excellent way to discover topics of interest for the future.

©2009 iMinds Pty Ltd (P)2009 iMinds Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"I'm learning all sorts of stuff about stuff I didn't even know I didn't know. And it sticks. In a nutshell: wonderful." (Jonathon Margolis, Financial Times)

What listeners say about Murphy's Law

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short and sweet

Loved learning the origin of Murphy's Law. Quick facts are shared explaining the evolution of the phrase. Good knowledge that I could share in small talk.

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Murphy's Law IS Rocket Science :)

Who knew that Murphy's Law began in 1949 when, aerospace engineer, Edward Murphy made a comment that would stick with us . . . well, forever. This is a very short and fun listen, giving the origin of Murphy's law and all the ways that we have managed to add to it since 1949. Hopefully, Audible will add more of these anecdotal brief listens that I find amusing and interesting. :)

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top 100

One that everyone must hear before they die. Simple, to the point, and part of pop culture that we should understand early on in life.

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