In Rome in 357 A.D., Emperor Constantino issued an edict forbidding anyone “to consult a soothsayer, a mathematician, or a forecaster… May curiosity to foretell the future be silenced forever.” In recent years, however, forecasting has become more acceptable.

J. Scott Armstrong, Principles of forecasting: a handbook for researchers and practitioners, Dordrecht, 2001, p. 2