The phenomenon, popularized and sometimes attributed to a specific year in the 1980s, describes the tendency for things to go wrong. It posits that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. A simple illustration would be a piece of toast always landing butter-side down, or experiencing the slowest checkout line at a grocery store.
Its significance lies in highlighting potential risks and encouraging proactive planning. Recognizing the possibility of unforeseen issues allows for the development of contingency plans and more robust systems. The underlying principle encourages careful consideration of all possible outcomes, even seemingly unlikely ones, during project development and risk assessment. Its prevalence in popular culture reflects a shared human experience of encountering unexpected setbacks.
