Who was Murphy in Murphy's Law? (And the Hero Dr. John Paul Stapp Who Gave Us the Expression)

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Published 2019-08-20
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In this video:

The universe has been finding ways to mess with people long before Edward A. Murphy uttered his famed statement in the aftermath of Dr. John Paul Stapp strapping himself onto a rocket powered sled. One of the earliest instances of this “law” being stated explicitly happened in 1877 where Alfred Holt, in an address to the Institution of Civil Engineers, said, “It is found that anything that can go wrong at sea generally does go wrong sooner or later…”

Want the text version?: www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2019/08/who-was-m…

Sources:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17458737
www.daytoninnovationlegacy.org/murphy.html
www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5…
qz.com/984181/murphys-law-is-totally-misunderstood…
qz.com/984181/murphys-law-is-totally-misunderstood…
www.stapp.org/stapp.shtml
slate.com/news-and-politics/1999/11/murphy-s-law-a…
www.nytimes.com/1999/11/16/us/john-paul-stapp-89-i…
www.geni.com/people/Lillian-Stapp/6000000040639998…
www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/stapp-john…
www.ejectionsite.com/stapp.htm
airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/man-behind-hi…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt

All Comments (21)
  • I just turned 70. This makes me one of the few who remember when seat belts became mandatory in new cars. Not wearing them. Just the factory instaling them. Before that time, if you wanted seat belts you had to go to an auto parts store to buy them. Then have your mechanic install them. I am grateful to my parents and grandparents who believed in seat belts and consistently taught us four boys to wear them. Later I worked for some mortuaries. I saw what happened to people who crashed without wearing seat belts. 'Nuff said?
  • I'm glad I now know who to thank for being alive today. Dr. Stapp is someone who deserves to be better known.
  • Dr Stapp is responsible for saving my life this week. I was in a near fatal motor vehicle accident on 8/19 My seatbelt saved my life
  • Dr. Stapp is an unsung hero. Thank you for bringing his story to fruition. There should be an award named after him.
  • @jones1618
    John Paul Stapp was my father's namesake and godfather, as he was close friends with my grandfather who also grew up in Decatur. My Dad would visit him in New Mexico whenever he passed through and got to see him not long before his death. Paul Stapp was a heck of a guy and great story teller.
  • @Earth2Stephen
    So we should really re-name seat belts “Stapp Straps”
  • Today I Found Out that an absolute fearless science Chad stared death and physics down until they blinked. Multiple times. And many of us owe him our lives today because of it. What a trooper.
  • @TheSoitenly
    Dr. Stapp was brave, fearless, and in a lot of physical pain.
  • @LEDewey_MD
    Whoa. What I was expecting - some humorous anecdotes - turned into a gut wrenching biography of Dr. Stapp (and others). I kept watching this video with incredulous apprehension as each detail unfolded. Why haven't we heard of this guy more? Is there a documentary about him? Thank you so much for telling his story. And yes - a seat belt did save my life in a terrible car accident decades ago.
  • @billrentz
    As a retired Air Force flight medic I am well aware of Dr. Stapp.  He is one of our and Air Force Flight Surgeons hero's.  It was a joy to meet him in his later years.  Still humble and inspiring with a great sense of humor. You can still see a portion of the original track at Edwards AFB, CA, and more at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum.  Well worth the trip to the high desert.
  • @CrazzyLaddy69
    Saw a sign on the highway yesterday that read: "Not buckled up? What's holding you back?"
  • @nokiot9
    Can you imagine this today? “Don’t have the money for for medical school so I’ll get a bachelor in zoology and a spare PHD instead”
  • Murphy's Law: "Whatever can go wrong will; and at the most inopportune time." The General's Credo: "Mr. Murphy was an optimist."
  • @Wysiwyg43
    THAT t-shirt needs to exist with the credit of who said it. Forget the length of this video; it was damn well done. Virtual high five, Simon and Daven!
  • @ck8191
    My grandpa is Dick in the quote from Joe Kittinger. He was an Air Force doctor and was even on a recent History Channel special on the balloon jump. He passed away a year ago but had so many stories about his time in the service. He and Joe remained friends his entire life.
  • brilliant, relentless and funny, Dr Stapp sounds like an absolutely delightful person to have a drink and a talk with
  • @weemark18
    you can throw this away, im going to be the test subject. what a hero
  • @lilagtook
    It wasn't until you mentioned the longer video length that I realized I had been watching for nearly half an hour. Excellently paced and highly entertaining!