Nothing is Obvious
Innovation is always changing, but psychology is timeless, so understanding how we reacted to the arrival of the car and the plane sheds light how we’re likely to respond to breakthroughs today and tomorrow.
Capital Thinking · Issue #974 · View online
Few things transformed the 20th century like the car and the airplane.
Both set the stage for the modern world, completely changing family life, politics, war, culture, business, leisure time, and communication.
What We Said When the World Changed
Morgan Housel | The Collaborative Fund Blog:
But we only know how important the car and the plane are with hindsight. We had no idea how big they’d become when they made their first appearance.
Innovation is always changing, but psychology is timeless, so understanding how we reacted to the arrival of the car and the plane sheds light how we’re likely to respond to breakthroughs today and tomorrow.
This report digs through turn-of-the-century newspapers to show how Americans responded to the early days of the car and the airplane.
It aims to show two things:
- Nothing is obvious when it’s first invented.
- Even the most optimistic and insightful forecasters have no idea what an invention will ultimately be used for.
You can download the report here.
Morgan Housel