Throughout history, people have made bold proclamations
that were not only incorrect but many times contradicted
their own actions. Here are a few examples.
1. The Beatles
On January 1, 1962, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Pete Best auditioned at Decca Records, performing 15 songs in just under an hour. The songs included Lennon-McCartney originals and covers of other songs, but their performance was mediocre. In fact, producer Mike Smith flatly rejected them saying, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out." The Beatles went on to sign with producer George Martin at EMI Records and proved Smith extraordinarily wrong.
 Beethoven became deaf at age 28, unable to hear his own music. |
2. Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Next to the national anthem, the song most associated with the game of baseball is "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," an early-20th-century song usually played during the seventh-inning stretch. Ironically, it was written by two men who had never attended a baseball game.
Jack Norworth wrote the words in 1908, after seeing a sign that said, "Baseball Today -- Polo Grounds." Albert Von Tilzer added the music. The song gained popularity in vaudeville acts, and now it's played at nearly every baseball game in the country.
3. James Dean
In 1955, actor James Dean advised teens about the dangers of speeding and drag racing in a two-minute televised public service announcement. Dean talked about how he used to "fly around quite a bit" on the highways, but then he took up track racing, and after that he became "extra cautious" on the highways. He also warned, "The life you save may be mine."
On September 30, 1955, Dean was pulled over for speeding in his Porsche 550 Spyder on his way to a race in Palm Springs, California. Later that afternoon, an oncoming vehicle crossed into Dean's lane and the two cars collided almost head-on. Dean was pronounced dead at the hospital.
4. Clark Gable
William Clark Gable was a high school dropout with big ears who eventually became known as the "King of Hollywood." In 1924, Gable's friendship with Lionel Barrymore helped him land a screen test at MGM. Producer Irving Thalberg thought Gable's screen test was awful and referred to his ears as "bat-like." In spite of that, he was signed to a contract and went on to make a number of hit movies for the studio.
When MGM head Louis B. Mayer decided that Gable was getting difficult to work with, he loaned the actor to the Columbia studio. Ironically, Gable won an Academy Award for his 1934 performance in the Columbia film It Happened One Night.
Read about more famous bits of irony on the next page.
