10 World-Changing Inventions People Thought Were Useless

3. Computers

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

Yes, that Thomas Watson, the one after whom IBM's flagship supercomputer is named after. To be fair, there is conflicting evidence as to whether those were his exact words, but plenty of people have had their reservations about the potential for computing.

Much like the lightbulb, early computers were so impractical, being cumbersome with little processing power, that it would indeed have been ridiculous to imagine that everybody would want one in their home. Even with a more optimistic outlook, it was still difficult to see why anyone would want one in their home:

"Computers in the future may...perhaps only weigh 1.5 tons."Popular Mechanics, 1949

"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home."Kenneth Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

Thankfully, many more had faith in the power of computing and it remains one of, if not the, most important invention in modern history, powering our society from the ground up and governing every one of our lives today.