Robert Metcalfe Literally Eats Prediction

In the mid-1990s, Ethernet inventor Robert Metcalfe loudly predicted that the internet would suffer a catastrophic collapse in 1996 and even promised to eat his words if it did not. The year passed without the predicted meltdown, and by 1997 his failed forecast had become an embarrassment. To make good on his promise, Metcalfe took a printed copy of his doom-laden column, blended it with liquid, and turned it into a drinkable pulp. He then consumed the mixture in public, literally eating his words.

Previous Fact Next Fact