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#1
20 October 2008, 07:00 PM
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Murphy's Law
From another board that I frequent, the supposed origin of the phrase "Murphy's Law"
Quote:
??
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"Bloody Wikipedia" Dactyl 
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#2
20 October 2008, 07:18 PM
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This site seems to support the OP and quotes/cites 'The Desert Wings' from March 3rd, 1978.
As does Merriam-Webster. Etymology Online (scroll down a bit) only says it was first attested in 1958, but gives no cites. Bartleby only says it derives from my surname.  This entry from the American Dialect Society mailing list has a couple of researchers attempting to track down the genesis of the term, but unsuccessfully. They do admit the popular story seems plausible, but all but impossible to prove.
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"Ranger school gives you skills. RANGER skills, like ruck marching, mountain tossing, super rappelling, and DEATH BLOSSOM!" - Ranger school promotional video
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#3
20 October 2008, 08:18 PM
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Yet another
mention of Murphy's Law related to early space age testing. I think they should name something after John Paul Stapp. Try getting his self-experiments past a Human Subjects Review Board! Ali "what about Mrs. Murphy's law?" Infree
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There is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong. - H. L. Mencken, 1920
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#4
20 October 2008, 08:32 PM
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Well, there is Stapp's Ironical Paradox.
__________________
"Ranger school gives you skills. RANGER skills, like ruck marching, mountain tossing, super rappelling, and DEATH BLOSSOM!" - Ranger school promotional video
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#5
20 October 2008, 08:49 PM
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Quote:
"The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle." My DOYC! Mrs. Murphy was right: Murphy was an optimist!  Ali "ten thousand monkeys typing" Infree And Stapp was braver than I thought!
__________________
There is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong. - H. L. Mencken, 1920
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#6
21 October 2008, 01:51 PM
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As far as I am aware, that is the time when Murphy's Law was first referred to by that name (possibly in newspaper articles about the rocket-sled program).
Before that (as often still is in the UK) it was referred to as Sod's Law, quite possibly from military (notably RAF) slang.
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