Ten eerily accurate predictions about the future from the past

We have contemplated the future for as long as humanity has existed. The question of why we are all here and what it all means is inevitable. People have the chance to consider their place in the world when they look to the future and consider what might happen. Furthermore, there is no turning back, right? The only alternative is to move forward without using time travel. As a result, people from all walks of life have spent a lot of time anticipating the future.

 However, the prediction game is brutal. Yes, a lot of academics have thought about how new technology will affect the future. As you'll see below, space travel and robots play a big role. However, numerous previous guesses were remarkably incorrect. Take, for instance, the long-held notion that one day we would live underwater and ride enormous seahorses. There's a saying, "You can't win them all." However, in these ten instances, previous forecasters were remarkably accurate in predicting the future. These ancient predictions were shockingly accurate, despite the fact that they may not have been aware of the particular context of our current world.

10. Space Travel

Space travel was predicted by humans in the past, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. Philosophers and scientists have contemplated traveling to other dimensions for centuries. Also, since the moon and the stars have always been visible, even before the telescope was invented, they have long been targets for hopes for the future. English philosopher Joseph Glanvil hypothesized in 1661 that one day it would be as simple to sail to America as it was to go to the moon.

 Naturally, back then, it was much more difficult to sail the Atlantic. As a result, his analogy to the moon might not be too far off base. From the Earth to the Moon, written two centuries later by Jules Verne, took it one step further. Even though it was written in 1865, Verne's theory about going into space was remarkably similar to how launches and moon landings are done today.

Verne's theories were also used by thinkers at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s, one artist showed flying taxis powered by propellers traveling through space. They imagined that taking a quick trip to the moon would be as simple as calling a cab to get around town. Space travel is obviously not quite as simple in the modern era. However, it is also not far off. The most fortunate of us can now purchase tickets to travel outside of our environment. So, in some ways, the old predictions about space taxis of the future were correct.

9. Robots, Robots, Robots

Artificial intelligence has long been a topic of discussion among philosophers. Of course, those theories did not always include the computing technology we have today. However, philosophers once pondered how life might be altered by automation. Karel Capek, a Czech author, wrote Rossum's Universal Robots in 1921. Mechanization overtaking manual labor was the theme of the play. His deliberate use of the Czech word "robot," which means "forced labor," The word "slave" comes from a Slavic word. And its use spread quickly. 

The English language coined the term "robot" to refer to any artificial labor substitute. Apek's worries about mechanization also affected other thinkers. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a lot of philosophers were concerned about automated work. In addition, robots are still reshaping factory work around the world. As Capek first guessed, those technological advancements have altered the employment landscape. However, other robot predictions have been more humorous. French artists imagined robots as helpful domestic helpers a little more than a century ago. Images depicting domestic robots performing automated cleaning were created by one artist. Anyone who owns a Roomba is aware that the high-tech helper can be helpful in automating dreaded household chores!

 8. High-Speed Trains

Trains were the most common mode of transportation before automobiles became widespread worldwide. As a result, it makes sense that forecasters would point to them as the future. John Elfreth Watkins, an American engineer, made a few guesses about the 21st century in 1900. The development of high-speed trains was one of them. According to Watkins, locomotives would eventually be capable of exceeding 120 mph. He was certainly correct, which is to his credit. 

Watkins, on the contrary, overestimated the technology. The Acela Express in the United States can reach speeds of 150 mph (240 km/h) today. In Japan, bullet trains can travel even faster—some can reach 200 miles per hour (320 kilometers per hour). In China and other locations, massive high-speed train infrastructure has been implemented. In the early 20th century, numerous engineers were considering the potential of high-speed rail traffic. During the Great Depression, luxury car manufacturer Bugatti became serious about the future of high-speed trains as auto sales declined. 

The company began manufacturing Autorails, which are individual train cars designed for lengthy journeys. These Autorails reached 120 mph, just as Watkins had predicted three decades earlier. However, the concept did not gain traction after the Great Depression ended. Cars quickly gained popularity once more. Since then, they have reigned supreme. However, considering that modern governments are seriously considering high-speed tunnel traffic with only one lane, it is evident that those old train plans were ahead of their time.

7. Digital Media And Citizen Journalism

Watkins' predictions for the 21st century went beyond train travel. Additionally, he considered photography's future. Cameras were heavy for a technology that was still relatively new at the time. The development of pictures took a long time. 

Watkins, on the other hand, pondered the possibility of the process moving much more quickly 100 years in the future. In the 1900 analysis, he predicted that today's crystal-clear photography would reproduce all of nature's colors. From any distance, photographs will be telegraphed, he added. In the event of a battle in China one hundred years from now, newspapers will publish snapshots of the most striking events an hour later. Naturally, Watkins had no idea what the internet was like today. However, his predictions regarding photo-sharing resemble eerie digital media. Additionally, Watkins' then-crazy assertion that images could be published "an hour later" was accurate. 

Citizen journalists can quickly publish content and report on events because everyone has access to social media. It is displayed on screens all over the world in a matter of seconds. The speed with which information today circulates would surprise Watkins. However, his prediction was correct!

6. Factory Farming vs. Farm-to-Table Food

FE Smith was a friend of British politician Winston Churchill during his lifetime. Additionally, Smith was one of the generation's most outspoken men. He wrote a book in the 1920s that made predictions about how the world would be 100 years from now. Of course, some of those predictions are completely wrong. However, others have demonstrated their shrewdness. Smith's perspective on food production was one of those.

 He asserted that "in civilized lands," lab-created synthetic food would prevail. Smith argued that food grown in laboratories was intended to feed an expanding population. He wrote, "It will be possible to grow as large and juicy a steak as can be desired from one ‘parent’ steak of choice tenderness." Smith's prediction seems prudent given the current expansion of synthetic meat production. Additionally, the stereotypical local farmer has been largely replaced over the past few decades by the proliferation of highly productive factory farms. Individual farming, in the opinion of Smith, would only survive "as a rich man's hobby." He argued that only wealthy men would be able to "boast that the bread he eats is made from wheat which grows in his own fields" in the 21st century.

 Food production today hasn't quite reached that point. However, high-end neighborhoods are seeing the rise of farm-to-table restaurants that serve dishes made with artisanal ingredients sourced locally. As a result, better and more natural ingredients are available to consumers with relative wealth. As a result, Smith's previous prediction regarding gentlemen farmers provides an intriguing analogy.

5. Netflix and Chill

A century ago, there were few options for entertainment at home. Other than books, there wasn't much else to do. Television was still a ways off, and radio was still in its infancy. However, experts at the time were already envisioning an intriguing future. An article written in 1921 by inventor Charles P. Steinmetz foretold the growth of streaming services. Naturally, he did not refer to them as such. However, his statements were eerily accurate. Steinmetz wrote, "There will be no need to go to some crowded, poorly ventilated hall for a musical concert." A central station will provide the music, and subscribers will receive it in their home libraries.

 Before Steinmetz, home entertainment was a topic of discussion. Moving images would eventually be televised into people's homes, according to a collection of postcards from 1900. That notion was realized by Netflix and Hulu more than a century later. Additionally, concert hall entertainment was a future focus. In one set of postcards, viewers are shown going to a show as usual. They, on the other hand, watch a conductor operate a machine that controls an automated band rather than a live orchestra. Perhaps that early foresight is partly to blame for the success of contemporary electronica DJs.

4. Smart Phones, Zoom Calls, and FaceTime

It wasn't just streaming services that were looked at for home delivery. In the past, futurists pondered the possibility of conducting work calls from one's own home. Video conferencing is depicted in early 1900s French cartoons as people conversing over long distances. A gramophone projects the technology on a wall in those pictures. Naturally, that is a far cry from the FaceTime and Zoom calls of today. But the steampunk style made it clear that people were already thinking about its potential. Throughout the 1920s, visionaries worked tirelessly on these concepts.

 Nikolai Tesla predicted the availability of video conferencing in 1926. A very rough prototype was shown off by inventors just a year later. Since then, writers of science fiction have taken the opportunity and run with it. Numerous books in the genre featured futuristic methods of communication like video calling. That technology seemed like a pipe dream for a long time. Skype, on the other hand, ruled the world in the 21st century. FaceTime took off from that point quickly.

 The widespread use of Zoom during the pandemic was a turning point. Additionally, video conferencing has spread worldwide thanks to live streaming platforms like Instagram and Twitch. Video calls via laptops and smartphones are now commonplace. It has been demonstrated that Tesla and other early visionaries were correct.

3. Drone Warfare

Do you recall our earlier mention of Churchill's friend FE Smith? His other direct hit was the 1920s prediction about synthetic foods. Additionally, Smith predicted a high-tech drone warfare future. Naturally, Smith had just experienced World War I at the time of his predictions, which saw tens of millions of casualties in a half-decade. Therefore, it makes sense that Smith would contemplate ways to wage war with fewer troops. The politician described "entirely unmanned" tank warfare commanded by soldiers "in a distant control room" far from the conflict in his futuristic screed. 

Or, according to Smith, tank captains could observe progress below from afar by flying high above. He wrote, "The commanders of tank forces will be carried in the air above their commands, able to control their progress by wireless telephony and watch the course of operations." He argued that this would make war "more humane." Smith had no idea what drone warfare was like today. However, what he is describing sounds strikingly like the unmanned combat vehicles of today. 

In addition, his theory about tank commanders watching the war from above resembles the modern use of powerful satellites and cameras to track battles from afar. It's up for debate whether war is now "more humane." However, Smith's theory regarding the use of unmanned vehicles in combat is undeniably correct.

2. Earbuds, Bbt Make It 1953

 When Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953, it was praised as a dystopian warning about censorship. Additionally, it provided meaty science fiction fare. In addition, as would transpire decades later, Bradbury's illustrious work even foresaw aspects of upcoming technology. Guy Montag, the book's protagonist, gets sick of working as a fireman and destroying literary works. He uses technology that was unheard of at the time as he works to preserve and promote literacy instead.

 Montag communicates with Faber, the book's English professor, through a hidden earpiece in one particular scene. Naturally, at that time, wireless technology was decades away. In addition, no one thought about having a piece fit into their ear in the early 1950s. However, Bradbury embraced it completely. “in her ears the little seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming in on the shore of her unsleeping mind,” the author wrote in a subsequent passage to provide additional information regarding these concealed earpieces. 

The concept of earbuds shaped like seashells must have originated in another universe at the time. However, visionaries in Silicon Valley would make that a reality decades later. These "thimble radios" are now commonplace. In addition, these earbuds actually allow the wearer to hear endless music and talk, as predicted by Bradbury.

1. Electric Ride-Share Scooters

Between the years 1899 and 1910, the "En L'An 2000" art series was created by French artists who were trying to imagine how life might be in the new millennium. We've already talked about how some of these visionaries foresaw innovations like the Roomba. Others were eager to discover novel modes of transportation. And one artist in particular, Jean-Marc Côté, made a prediction about ride-sharing scooters and e-bikes that was almost right.

 Côté depicted Parisians riding small, wheeled vehicles through the city in his artwork. To be fair, he preferred the small rides to be skates rather than scooters. But he wanted to show that people could move around easily because they were electric and powerful. In a sense, Côté was able to see them come to fruition quickly. Early powered scooters were already being used by people by the 1920s. In fact, some of those little cars look very much like the ones we have today. 

Uber, Bird, and Lime are just a few of the companies that have mass-produced scooters in major urban centers in recent years. Seeing these wheeled e-buggies in 1900 might indicate that a correct prediction was made. However, we have no idea what time travelers would think of their use of QR codes and ride-sharing technology.