Episode 254: Hindsight is 20/20

 

This week Shauna and Dan look back into the past to discover the origins of the phrase, Hindsight is 20/20. Bonus: Snellen Charts, Astronauts, and the Red Green Nation

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 254: Hindsight is 20/20
Record Date: October 29, 2024
Air Date: November 13, 2024

Intro

Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.

I’m Shauna Harrison

Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.

Opening Hook
Have you ever been in a situation where, after it's done, you look back and think - I wish I would have handled that differently. Even if you don’t want to go back in time and change it, you still might want to do it differently when confronted with a similar situation in the future. And if you’ve ever been in that kind of a mess, you might say that Hindsight is 20/20.

Meaning

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, hindsight is 20/20 means:

Quote
the full knowledge and complete understanding that one has about an event only after it has happened
End Quote
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twenty-twenty%20hindsight

You may also hear this phrase as 20/20 hindsight.

We are going to break this phrase down into two parts, first the concept of 20/20 and second, the word hindsight.

Quote
You may not realize it, but if you have ever had an eye exam, you likely are already familiar with the Snellen Chart. It is the eye chart used in nearly every eye doctor’s office.

Typically, a giant letter E sits proudly on top, with a number of rows of letters underneath that become progressively smaller. If you have ever strained to see those tiny letters on the bottom row, then you are among the millions who have had their vision tested using the Snellen eye chart, designed by Dutch ophthalmologist Hermann Snellen in 1862.
End Quote
https://dmei.org/blog/the-snellen-chart-history-and-how-its-used-today/

That quote is from an article by the Dean McGee Eye Institute, talking about the ubiquitous eye chart used around the world. Part of the system was how it would be measured, 6/6 or 20/20, depending on whether you use meters or feet. Let’s look at an article from the American Academy of Ophthalmology to learn more about what 20/20 vision means. This article was written by Celia Vimont

Quote
“A person with 20/20 vision can see what an average individual can see on an eye chart when they are standing 20 feet away,” says Dr. (Kevin) McKinney. McKinney is an ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist at Eye Health Northwest, Oregon City, Ore.

An eye chart measures visual acuity, which is the clearness or sharpness of vision. The top number is your distance in feet from the chart. The bottom number is the distance at which a person with normal eyesight can read the same line.

For example, if you have 20/30 vision, it means your vision is worse than average. Twenty feet away, you can read letters most people see from 30 feet.

20/20 vision is not perfect vision. A person can have 20/15 vision, which is sharper than average. If you have 20/15 vision, you can see a line in the eye chart at 20 feet that the average person can only see when they are 15 feet away.

Dr. McKinney says that only about 35% of all adults have 20/20 vision without glasses, contact lenses or eye surgery. With correction, about 75% of adults have 20/20 vision. In most states, you need 20/40 vision or better for an unrestricted driver’s license. People are “legally blind” if their vision with glasses or contacts is 20/200 or worse.
End Quote
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/what-does-20-20-vision-mean

If only 35% of adults have 20/20 vision, it does call into question what the ‘average’ person can see at 20 feet. But we are not here to debate the measurement system. Rather, we just need to know what this system is so we can understand the 20/20 of the phrase.

The Snellen chart and the measurement that goes with it, was created in 1862, which means our phrase had to come into existence after that. And we know the phrase was an invention of the United States’ form of English because outside of the US they used 6/6 as the measurement, meaning 6 meters (which is 20 feet). However, you might be surprised to learn that we’ve had the Snellen eye chart and the 6/6 or 20/20 measurement for about the same amount of time as we’ve had the word, “hindsight”.

If we look at the Oxford English Dictionary, the word ‘Foresight’ meaning:

Quote
Perception gained by looking forward; a sight or view into the future
End Quote

…has been around since the early 1400s
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/foresight_n?tab=meaning_and_use#3765862

But its opposite, Hindsight, meaning:
Quote
Seeing what has happened, and what ought to have been done, after the event
End Quote
… has only been around since the mid-1800s.
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/hindsight_n?tab=meaning_and_use#1636054

Hindsight did exist as a word before its use as the opposite of foresight, but it referred to the back sites of a gun, and then figuratively, for a short time, as the back side of anything.

Hindsight - 1858
One of the first times I could find the word ‘hindsight’ being used as the opposite of foresight is in the White Cloud Kansas Chief out of White Cloud, Kansas, April 15, 1858

Quote
Many a man could get into a good snap, if, as the saying is, ‘his foresight were only as good as his hind-sight’.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015486/1858-04-15/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1756&sort=date&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=10&words=hind-sight&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=%22hindsight&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

Both of these concepts came into being in the mid-1800s, which means it would take some time in a pre-internet world for a phrase like hindsight is 20/20 to make its way into metaphorical usage. As best we can tell, it took almost 100 years to get to our phrase as we use it today.

1948
Here is one out of the Stockton Evening and Sunday Record dated December 6, 1948. It’s a simple quote, with no explanation given.

Quote
Most people’s hindsight is 20 20. - Saturday Evening Post
End Quote

1949
This one is out of the Van Nuys News out of Van Nuys, California February 17, 1949. It is also a simple quote, with no explanation, but attributed to a person rather than a newspaper.

Quote
Most people’s hindsight is 20 20 - Richard Armour
End Quote
https://newspaperarchive.com/van-nuys-news-feb-17-1949-p-1/

1951
The Lowell Sun June 7, 1951. This is from an article regarding concessions made at Yalta during WWII, which the Republicans at the time felt had contributed to the rise of Communism in China. Senator Brien McMahon (Democrat) of Connecticut read into the record a speech given by Senator Alexander Wiley (Republican) of Wisconsin, who was the ranking member of the foreign relations committee at the time of the Yalta concessions, to give better context to the investigation into those actions.

Quote
At that time, Wiley urged that Russia enter the Far Eastern fighting to ‘force a quick surrender of Japan, and save Allied lives. McMahon explained he was reading Wiley’s speech to put the Yalta concessions in the context of their time. He said that is better than viewing them with ‘20-20 hindsight’.
End Quote
https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-jun-07-1951-p-48/

I appreciate the recognition that sometimes it is better to put history in the context of its time rather than judge it by what we know now. And that was Senator McMahon’s point - the concessions were made because we couldn’t have known the Japanese would surrender at Yalta.

1962
This next one comes from a news conference with astronaut John Glenn after he returned from the Friendship 7 Mercury space flight. It was published in the Evening Star out of Washington, DC, February 24, 1962. On the flight, there was an issue with a yaw attitude control jet that had apparently clogged at the end of the first of 3 orbits around the Earth, which resulted in Colonel Glenn taking manual control of the space craft. Of course, the cause was not determined for some time. A reporter asked him about it and his answer was mostly that they don’t yet know, but they think there were a combination of things that contributed to it. He finishes the answer with:

Quote
It’s easy, though, to hindsight this 20-20 after you’re on the ground, but we’re still looking into these things.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1962-02-24/ed-1/seq-13/#date1=1756&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=20+hindsight&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=%22hindsight+is+20+20%22&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

The whole Friendship 7 Mercury mission was pretty cool, and we’re going to look more at it and John Glenn in our behind the scenes video which is available every Friday on our Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod

20/20 Vision
Before we head into the break, there is one other similar phrase that I want to mention, and that is the figurative usage of “20/20 Vision”. This was used to mean you can see something as it truly is or see it without pretense. This seems to come from the mistaken belief that 20/20 vision was ‘perfect vision’, something that had numerous claims in the newspapers of the early 1900s. Here’s one example of 20/20 vision being used figuratively. It comes to us from the New York Tribute, November 17, 1920.

Quote
And both beholders - life being what you chuck into it and not what you exhume from it - see truly, with what we in the Army used to call a 20/20 vision.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-11-17/ed-1/seq-10/#date1=1756&sort=date&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=4&words=20+20%2F20+vision&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=20+20+vision&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

We’ve got more to go in the second half, but first let’s say a quick thank you to our sponsors.

A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses

2003
We’ll start off in 2003 with the PBS special, Red Green’s Hindsight is 20/20. It is available on DVD from redgreen.com. Here is their synopsis:

Quote
Step into the past with the "Hindsight is 20/20 DVD," a journey that takes you back to Red Green's television debut in 1979. Through a 25-year lens, this collection offers a unique look at what went hilariously wrong during those early years.

Relive the moments that shaped Red Green's comedic legacy, witnessing the unexpected mishaps and humorous twists that set the stage for his iconic status. With a blend of wit, charm, and signature humor that fans adore, this DVD paints a vivid picture of the hurdles and laughter that defined Red's journey.
End Quote
https://redgreen.com/products/red-green-s-hindsight-is-20-20-dvd

I loved Red Green when I was a young teenager, mostly because some of the juvenile humor played directly to kids like me. And because I saw Red Green as a hammed up version of many of the adults I knew in my life - basically good guys but clueless in certain areas. At least that’s what young me thought. My love and affection for duct tape is also a direct result of Steve Smith’s beloved character, Red Green.

2015
Unsurprisingly, there are numerous self-help and inspirational style books that use our phrase in the title. Some of them include:

2015’s 20/20 Hindsight: If I knew then what I know now I’d be a lot richer and the 2016 follow up 20/20 Hindsight: Additional Lessons For Entrepreneurs That You Won't Learn About In Business School by Parviz Firouzgar
https://www.amazon.com/20-Hindsight-knew-then-richer/dp/0996144692
https://www.amazon.com/20-Hindsight-Additional-Entrepreneurs-Business/dp/1944177140
2020’s Hindsight 20/20 by Carlos Ray Harleaux
https://www.amazon.com/Hindsight-20-Carlos-Ray-Harleaux/dp/0578652838
2021’s Hindsight 20/20: Ten Mistakes that Offer Clarity and Vision by Maury Davis
https://www.amazon.com/Hindsight-20-Mistakes-Clarity-Vision/dp/1950718891
2021’s Hindsight 2020 by Jessie Jericho
https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/830406-hindsight-2020
2023’s Hindsight: Untold Stories from 2020 by Steve Fowler
https://www.hindsightbook2020.com/
2023’s Hindsight is 2020 by D.C. Martin
https://bookviewreview.com/2024/03/09/book-review-hindsight-is-2020-by-d-c-martin/


2021
Hindsight 20/20 was an art exhibit available at the Columbia Museum of Art (South Carolina) July 3 - November 21, 2021. Here is their description:

Quote
Taking inspiration from the streets and corners of our communities, Hindsight 20/20 features five photographers of the Carolinas who set out not only to document the extraordinary events of 2020, but also to capture these moments through the eye of an artist. Showcasing the work of Héctor Vaca Cruz, Thomas Hammond, Catherine Hunsinger, Sean Rayford, and Crush Rush, Hindsight 20/20 looks back at historically poignant moments of the Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic as a means for us to reflect, process, and find clarity.
End Quote
https://www.columbiamuseum.org/view/hindsight-2020

2024
Hindsight 2020 is a 2024 movie directed by Bryan Dobson. Here’s the synopsis from Apple TV

Quote
Hindsight 2020 is a political thriller depicting a worst-case scenario of what America could become in the near future. The film focuses on one of the remaining middle class families and their struggle to survive.
End Quote
https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/hindsight-2020/umc.cmc.6uufgv39ri87phbxmzt9qo1m5


2021 to Current
I’ll close with "Hindsight Is Always 2020" is part of the "Awakening" series of mixed media composites by Alyssa Hinton.

Quote
“Hindsight is Always 2020” takes place within a longhouse structure and is a visual narrative symbolizing the price (sacrifice) being paid for the destructive choices humankind makes that disregard the future wellbeing of living things on this planet. This piece is a warning.

The sea turtle represents our connection to the earth, and, as an amphibian, it also represents the bridge from water to land. In Iroquois creation stories, sky woman fell through a hole in the atmosphere and landed on turtle’s back, which, through human and animal cooperation, became the earthly land that supports (nurtures) all life. Nothing escapes the turtle’s vision, and while it is familiar with the evil face of destruction wrought from fear and lies, it dons protective eyewear to diffuse the damaging glare. It seeks to keep its mind pure. With the turtle (the symbolic foundation) being one of the oldest creatures from the earth’s remote past, the precariousness of it’s very survival (integral to our own) could summon the end of our own denial, and the beginning of our awakening from slumber.
End Quote
https://www.alyssahintonart.com/open-editions/art_print_products/alyssa-hinton-hindsight-2020-5800x7880#!



Wrap Up
I do enjoy the concept of hindsight being a clear form of vision. It takes a special kind of introspection to look back and glean the lessons of life. And things are sometimes easier to understand when you are no longer in the situation. But there is a danger in applying the knowledge of today to the actions of yesterday. We must measure our past with the knowledge we had at the time. And use our clearer vision of the past to shape our understanding moving into the future. That is the only way hindsight truly becomes as clear as 20/20 vision.

Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included,
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com

Shauna:
It’s poll time!

Recently we asked our Patrons, what's your favorite orchestral section?

It turns out, our Patrons are fans of the strings. There was a tie for second between brass and woodwinds.

Pat says:

Quote
My favorite instrument of all time is the French horn.  I have many emotional attachments to this fine instrument.  One of them is that my daughter played the famous solo part of the 1812 Overture in high school orchestra!!  She did GREAT!  I love all music having played the piano and viola in my youth; great admiration for anyone who dedicates their life to the arts in general.
End Quote

Dan:
JGP said

Quote
I played french horn a billion years ago in school and have always been partial to its mellow tone but I think I have to vote for strings because it's just not an orchestra without them!
End Quote

Like JGP, I also played french horn in school and still love the instrument, but I went with woodwinds in an orchestra. I think the reed instruments give such a rich tone to fill out the orchestra. But of course, it takes all the different instruments. If you remove any of them, it doesn’t work.

Also, I’m so excited to have so many French Horn lovers surrounding the show!

Shauna:

As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!

Outro

Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,

Together:
Words belong to their users.