Failed history

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term failed history covers events that have been predicted and had items created in the expectation of them occurring, but which then in fact did not occur. Events in this category are to be distinguished from Nostradamus and Old Moore's Almanac - which are speculation, and only ambiguously resolved after the event to which they supposedly refer.

Examples would include:

The coronation of Edward VIII. A certain amount of headed notepaper etc was produced, which was recycled in other contexts.
The Thomas E. Dewey beats Harry Truman newspaper headline
The world ending in 1975, as predicted by some Jehovah's Witnesses
The computer meltdown and "end of the world" predictions at Y2K.
During the Cold War there were a number of books claiming that a Third World War was being fought - and, often, that the West was losing.
There are also a number of occasions when a candidate for election dies before the poll can be taken and it is too late to remove their name from the ballot list (Notoriously, Mark Foley's name remained on the ballot even after his resignation and refusal to contest the election).
Each year The Economist produces a yearbook in October, giving its views for the year ahead. The one for 1990 had a section on Eastern Europe and its prospects for reform: the possibilities were mostly middling to "minus 10" for Romania. Between the time the volume had been set up and the year to which it referred to was reached most of the countries referred to in this section had changed significantly.
The marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was initially scheduled to take place in Westminster Abbey but took place in St Paul's Cathedral instead. Numerous posters, mugs, T-shirts and other souvenirs that show the couple alongside the Abbey are now collectors' items. Prince Charles's second marriage, to Camilla Parker Bowles, was scheduled for Friday 8 April, 2005, and a certain number of souvenirs were produced. However, with the funeral of Pope John Paul II occurring on that day, the wedding was delayed to Saturday 9 April, again resulting in unexpected collectors' items.
A number of politicians and others used automatic autograph machines to "sign" their letters: there were, apparently, a number of occasions when the person died unexpectedly and the machines continued in operation for a period of time after the event.
Teams that are considered in contention for the World Series and other significant sporting events often print up tickets and other memorabilia that become failed history if the team does not in fact qualify for the event in question.

Many End of civilization scenarios can be seen as examples of failed history.

[edit] Technology and Failed history

There are also some examples of technology which did not take off - often because there was not enough need, or insufficiently precise components for them to be developed

In the ancient world there was the Antikythera mechanism and the early steam engine developed by Hero of Alexandria.
The principles of the fax machine were known decades before they came into general use.
Charles Babbage succeeding in constructing his Difference Engine, a predecessor of the computer, in the 19th century.
Technological developments often go in different directions to the predictions made about them (eg "There will be a world market for only three computers"). In some cases the predictions are based on extrapolating presently existing technology. It should be noted, though that only the predictions which are recorded and which go spectacularly wrong tend to be quoted.

[edit] History and failed science fiction

Science fiction that is based on "contemporary scientific information" that is subsequently proved to be incorrect - for example that the planet Venus was habitable. To be distinguished from bad science (and implausible science) - which would probably include terraforming Venus within the usual timescale of science fiction, and speculative fiction.

While Arthur C Clarke described communications satellites well enough for them to be unpatentable when they were actually developed, personal computers on the scale we have now, and the Internet were not predicted in science fiction.

[edit] The Arts and Failed History

TV programs and live performances are regularly changed at short notice from that advertised - and the changes are not always mentioned in the media. One episode of Inspector Morse revolved around such a change.