History is replete with examples of those who put their predictions “on the record” only to have circumstances prove that they weren’t quite as prophetic as they would have had us believe. Famously, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, upon returning from a conference with Adolf Hitler, stood in front of #10 Downing Street and spoke the phrase, “I believe it is peace in our time.” We all know how that one turned out.
Less ominous predictions include the former employer of Elvis Presley who advised the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll” to sell his guitar and keep driving a truck because he would never make it in the world of professional music.
Then there was Margaret Thatcher who, in 1969, said, “It will be years, not in my time, before a woman becomes Prime Minister.”
The list goes on and on. “Rock ’n’ roll is dead.” “We can close the books on infectious diseases.” “A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.” “The Cinema is little more than a fad.” And the oft repeated, “640K is more memory than anyone will ever need,” which, in fairness to Bill Gates, many believe he did not actually say.
What does all this loose talk have to do with Atlanta you might ask. Good question and, true to our history, the answer is the subject of this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
