A phrase used to indicate a major problem; often humorously used for reporting any kind of problem.

Etymology:

  • This actually started from a misquote of USA's 1970 Apollo 13 astronauts Jim Lovell and John Swigert. The expression was popularized by Kevin Bacon in the classic 1995 adventure-drama based on the moon mission, but the truth is, astronaut John “Jack” Swigert, who Bacon portrayed, never said this — and neither did Tom Hanks who played astronaut Jim Lovell when he repeated it. What Swigert actually said was: “Okay, Houston. I believe we’ve had a problem here,” and Lovell repeated: “We’ve had a problem here. We’ve had a main B bus undervolt.”
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Houston, we have a problem. We're running out of oil! The petroleum that fuels our daily lives is getting harder to find.

Submitted on July 07, 2010

Modified by TriplePurple on August 25, 2024

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    "houston, we have a problem." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/houston,-we-have-a-problem_20028>.

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