When Being Wrong is a Good Thing

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"You learn from failures. From successes? Not so much."

-Meet the Robinsons

People are wrong about something every day, whether about the traffic on the Beltway, the weather, the weird guy behind you who turns out to be famous, or about how the Heat are going to sweep the Spurs, etc.

That being said, sometimes, being wrong is a blessing in disguise, or at least is as/more helpful than being correct. Here are some examples.

"Everything that can be invented has been invented." (Charles Duell- 1901) Duell, the former commissioner of the US Patent Office, said this at the turn of the 20th century. Obviously, he was wrong. Since then, we have seen airplanes, TV's, iPhones, and XBox 360s. Duell was wrong, but thank goodness he was.

"Nothing important happened today." (King George III- July 4, 1776). On July 4th, King George III said this; the same day the USA declared its independence from England. He was wrong. The USA won the war, England lost an important part of the New World, and now America is one of the most powerful countries in the world. King George being wrong was a good thing for everyone, except maybe him.

The world was wrong on February 22, 1980, when the USA stunned the Soviet Union in the Winter Olympics. Words can't really do this justice, so watch it for yourself...

I was wrong when I said the Pittsburgh Penguins would beat the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals. And I have never been so smug. I've been happier, but I've never been so smug.