We've all heard of Murphy's Law. But who is Mr Murphy?

(Published on 29 May 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

I just love the Murphy’s Law. It states – ‘If anything can go wrong, it will.’ Now isn’t that a bit ridiculous – but what the Murphy’s Law teaches us is that there are some things beyond our control – and what we need to do is take things in our stride. Besides – there is a knack for everything unexpected and uncanny to just happen. So it’s best to expect the unexpected.

Basically good old Murphy – the one who I presume formulated this law wanted us to know that things can go wrong… and well there is no point fretting and sweating to achieve perfection – for what is destined to happen will happen. Also it’s a good way of voicing our resignation to one’s fate – by just stating the Murphy’s Law!! Each one of us can make our own interpretation of what Murphy wanted to say… but have you ever wondered who Murphy was?

As per The Desert Wings written in March, 1978, the Murphy's Law was born at Edwards Air Force Base. The term was coined in 1949 and was named after Capt. Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on an Air Force project designed to see how much sudden deceleration a person can stand in a crash. The project, a part of a research on the rocket sleds that tested the limits of human endurance to acceleration and deceleration was being conducted in California.

One day, after finding that a transducer was wired wrong, Murphy cursed the technician responsible and said, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he'll find it." Murphy was referring to a particular technician, whose name is sadly unknown and not recorded. The project manager kept a list of ‘laws’ and added this one, which he called Murphy's Law. In a press conference, Dr. John Paul Stapp, an Air Force doctor allegedly credited his program’s safety record to the Murphy’s Law. He said that their good safety record on the project was due to a firm belief in Murphy's Law and in the necessity to try and circumvent it. Aerospace manufacturers picked it up and used it widely and soon it was being quoted in many articles. And this was how Murphy's Law was born.

Ironically, Murphy died under strange circumstances. One dark night, his car ran out of gas. As he hitchhiked to a gas station, he was struck from behind by a British tourist who was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Like Murphy, some of his other colleagues too came up with their own wise liners:

Nichols' Fourth Law credited to George E. Nichols, the Northrop project manager states, "Avoid any action with an unacceptable outcome."

While Stapp's Ironical Paradox by Doctor Col. John P. Stapp states that "The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle."

Aah! How wise. How true.
Remember ‘dahlings’ it’s Miss Know-All who knows it all. From irregular bowel movements to quivering jowl movements, I have an answer to everything.

Miss Know-All
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