Kara Sears
Murphy's Law is a well-known adage that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. The concept has existed for centuries, but the term was coined by American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr. in 1949. The idea of a family being cursed by Murphy's Law has been explored in various works of fiction, including the book Murphy's Law: The Family Curse by Amanda Lindsey Neil and the Nickelodeon movie Jinxed, which features the Murphy family trying to break their 100-year-old curse of never-ending bad luck. In the Disney show Milo Murphy's Law, the male members of the Murphy family are also affected by a similar curse, while his sister, Sara, seems to be unaffected, leading to speculation about the reasons for her lack of involvement in the curse.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin of Murphy's Law | The name originated in 1949, but the concept has been known for centuries. |
| Coiner of Murphy's Law | American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr. |
| Origin of the family curse | A witch cursed the Murphy family with a spell called "Murphy's Law" after Tommy Murphy dumped her and kissed another girl. |
| Nature of the curse | Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. |
| Who does the curse affect? | In the movie Jinxed, the entire Murphy family is cursed. However, in the TV show Milo Murphy's Law, only the male members of the family are cursed. |
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What You'll Learn
The origin of Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law is commonly stated as "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." While the exact origins of the law are debated, it is generally agreed that it originated from American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr. and his team in the late 1940s.
The law is said to have come about following a mishap during rocket sled tests at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Air Force was testing the effects of gravitational acceleration (G-forces) on fighter pilots. Murphy, disgusted at the lack of attention to detail, remarked, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will," referring to a technician who had wired the strain gauge bridges incorrectly, resulting in all the sensors returning zero readings.
The law was first publicly recounted by Lt. Col. John Stapp, the overall commander of the MX981 project, during a press conference. Stapp told reporters that his crew operated under "Murphy's Law," trying to convey that the Air Force anticipated possible failures and addressed them to prevent injuries or fatalities. Stapp's popularization of the law earned him the nickname "the bravest man in the Air Force."
While the law gained widespread popularity in the late 1970s with the publication of Arthur Bloch's book, "Murphy's Law, and Other Reasons Why Things Go WRONG," it had already been known by that name since at least 1949. The concept itself, however, has been around for much longer, with precursors to the modern version of Murphy's Law abundant throughout history.
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Cursed family members
While the concept of Murphy's Law has been around for centuries, the idea of a family being cursed by it is often associated with fiction. In the 2013 movie Jinxed, the Murphy family is shown to have endless bad luck due to a curse placed on their great-great-grandfather by a witch over a century ago. The family members in the movie deal with the consequences of the curse in different ways, with some embracing it and others trying to break it.
In another fictional instance, the Disney show Milo Murphy's Law portrays a family with a similar curse, where everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Interestingly, fan speculation suggests that the curse only affects the male members of the family, with various theories proposed to explain why the female members seem exempt.
The concept of a family curse is also explored in the book Murphy's Law: The Family Curse by Amanda Lindsey Neil, which blends urban fantasy and paranormal romance. The story revolves around Brie Murphy, who possesses supernatural psychic abilities and must confront her mind-controlling, murderous father.
While these fictional portrayals offer entertaining takes on the idea of a family cursed by Murphy's Law, it is worth noting that the adage itself is generally understood as a wry commentary on the perverse nature of the universe, rather than a literal curse.
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Attempts to break the curse
While I could not find specific information on breaking a Murphy's Law curse, I did find some interesting details on the origin of Murphy's Law.
The adage "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" is commonly attributed to American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr. However, the exact origins are debated, and it is believed that the concept has existed in various forms for centuries. The name "Murphy's Law" is said to have originated in 1949, but the idea behind it was discussed as early as 1866 by mathematician Augustus De Morgan, who wrote, "whatever can happen will happen" if there are enough trials.
In popular culture, there are references to a family cursed by Murphy's Law, such as in the book "Murphy's Law: The Family Curse" by Lindsey Neil, where a character named Brie Murphy possesses supernatural psychic abilities and has to deal with a mind-controlling, murderous father.
In reality, Murphy's Law is often used as a humorous or ironic saying, and similar "laws" exist, such as Sod's law, Finagle's law, and Yhprum's law, which also highlight the perceived perversity of the universe and the potential for things to go wrong.
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Living with the curse
The idea of a family being cursed by Murphy's Law is not just a fictional concept, but it has been explored in popular culture as well. The notion that "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" has been a source of fascination and entertainment for many.
In the movie "Jinxed", the Murphy family is portrayed as having endless bad luck due to a curse placed on their great-great-grandfather by a witch over a century ago. The family has learned to live with their situation, with the father working as an appliance tester, able to make any appliance malfunction, and the little brother becoming semi-famous for his skateboard wipeouts on YouTube. Despite the comical nature of their misfortunes, the movie also conveys a deeper message of self-acceptance and embracing one's uniqueness.
The concept of a family curse is also explored in the book "Murphy's Law: The Family Curse" by Amanda Lindsey Neil, where Brie Murphy possesses supernatural psychic abilities and has to deal with a mind-controlling, murderous father. As the story unfolds, Brie is forced to confront her dark family secrets and tap into her powers to survive.
In the TV show "Milo Murphy's Law", the Murphy family curse specifically affects the male members of the family. This portrayal sparks interesting discussions about gender dynamics and the potential reasons why only the men are cursed.
While these depictions are fictional, they capture the universal nature of Murphy's Law, which has been a part of human consciousness for centuries. The idea that misfortune or bad luck can persist in a family or an individual's life is a compelling narrative that continues to captivate audiences, whether it's through humorous situations or more serious explorations of self-discovery and acceptance.
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Similar historical concepts
While the concept of a "family curse" is largely a fictional device, the idea of Murphy's Law has been around for centuries, with similar statements and concepts made throughout history.
The concept of Murphy's Law is not unique, and there are several historical concepts that share similarities. Here are some examples:
- Spode's Law (1930s), popularized by amateur astronomer Patrick Moore, refers to the phenomenon that the skies are always cloudy at the most inopportune moments.
- Resistentialism (1948), coined by humorist Paul Jennings, describes the "seemingly spiteful behavior manifested by inanimate objects." For example, lost keys or a runaway bouncy ball exhibit a high degree of malice toward humans.
- Verner's Law (1875), stated by Karl Verner, describes a historical sound change in the Proto-Germanic language, where certain voiceless fricatives became voiced when followed by an unstressed syllable in the same word.
- Vierordt's Law, named after German physician Karl von Vierordt, states that people tend to overestimate "short" intervals of time and underestimate "long" intervals.
- Wagner's Law (named for German economist Adolph Wagner, 1835-1917), predicts that the development of an industrial economy will lead to an increased share of public expenditure in the gross national product.
- Miller's Law (named for George Armitage Miller), suggests that to understand what someone is saying, one must assume it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of.
- Finagle's Law, Sod's Law, and Yhprum's Law (the opposite of Murphy's Law) are also similar concepts.
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Frequently asked questions
Murphy's Law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
The exact origins of Murphy's Law are debated. However, it is generally agreed that it originated with American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr. in 1949. Precursors to the modern version of Murphy's Law are abundant, with similar statements and concepts having been made over the course of history.
Yes, in popular culture, there are several references to a family being cursed with Murphy's Law, including the book "Murphy's Law: The Family Curse" by Lindsey Neil and the Nickelodeon movie "Jinxed", where the Murphy family is cursed with never-ending bad luck.
