IT COULDN’T BE DONE
Listen to these examples of inventions and ideas which some people said “couldn’t be done” so they resisted the new. 1. The first successful cast- iron plow, invented in the United States in 1797, was rejected by New Jersey farmers under the theory that cast iron poisoned the land and stimulated the growth of weeds. 2. An eloquent authority in the United States declared that the introduction of the railroad would require the building of many insane asylums, since people would be driven mad with terror at the sight of locomotives rushing across the country. 3. In Germany, it was proved by “experts” that, if trains went at the frightful speed of 15 miles an hour, blood would spurt from the travelers’ noses, and passengers would suffocate when going through tunnels. 4. Commodore Vanderbilt dismissed Westinghouse and his new air brakes for trains, stating, “I have no time to waste on fools.” 5. Those who loaned Robert Fulton money for…
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan
