The 1900s were filled with visionaries and thinkers who predicted the unimaginable. Some of these wild ideas have turned out to be surprisingly accurate, from the rise of technology to advances in space exploration. It makes you think about what wild inventions you could let loose on the world to make it big in the next century. These 10 predictions were once seen as mere speculation, but have turned almost prophetic. Here are 10 predictions from the 1900s that turned out to be accurate.
1. The rise of personal computers.
In the 1960s, computer scientist John McCarthy predicted that every house would have a computer. At the time, computers were massive, expensive machines found only in labs or government offices, so this idea was deemed ridiculous. But, fast forward to now, and everyone has a computer in their pocket. John McCarthy also coined the term AI.
2. Space travel for the masses.
Science fiction writers around the globe envisioned commercial space flights long before they became a reality, but Arthur C. Clarke specifically predicted that space travel would be available to everyone by the end of the 21st century. While it may not be as widespread as Clarke imagined, private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are working toward making space tours a reality.
3. Video calls.
Video calls were popularly shown in movies and shows, but most people didn’t see that becoming a reality. The idea of projecting your face miles away seemed like something out of a sci-fi novel. But the writer for The Jetsons, a popular animated TV show, always knew that video calling would become a part of our daily lives. Today, with platforms like Zoom and Facetime, this once ridiculous concept is now a daily routine.
4. Robots in the work place.
A popular science fiction writer from the 1940s, Isaac Asimov, speculated that robots would play a significant role in society. He wrote books about how robots would assist us in the workplace, and our everyday lives. With the automation of robots and AI continuing to progress, many industries now rely on robots for tons of tasks. Who knows, maybe soon a robot will be brushing your teeth.
5. Self-driving cars.
In 1956, a man by the name of Charles Kettering had a ridiculous suggestion. This suggestion was that one day cars would drive themselves, and he thought it would happen in just one or two decades. While it seemed outlandish at the time, self-driving vehicles are now an ongoing project by automakers. If cars can drive themselves on the highway, and parallel park themselves, where will we be in the next ten years?
6. The end of physical money.
Arthur C. Clarke isn’t only famous for his prediction of commercial space travel, Clarke also predicted that cash would be replaced by digital transactions. This seemed like an asinine idea at the time, but now some countries are moving toward the idea of a cashless society. Things like cryptocurrency, and digital wallets have made this theory a reality.
7. A smart home.
If you had a time machine and went back to the 1940s, and you told people you’d be able to control your home’s temperature and lights from miles away, they’d put you in the crazy house. But Nikola Tesla foresaw a time when homes could be controlled remotely. Tesla’s idea of home automation is suspiciously similar to ideas like the Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and other advanced home security systems that could be controlled from anywhere. In a way, Tesla’s prediction was exactly right.
8. 3D printing.
In the 1940s, Konrad Zuse, a German engineer, predicted the ability to build objects layer by layer with a machine. Fast forward seventy years and boom, his prediction became a reality. Today, 3D printers are used to create almost everything from prosthetics to home decor. This revolutionary invention once thought to be impossible, is now at the disposal of anyone with a few thousand lying around.
9. The death of the newspaper.
H.G. Wells predicted the decline of traditional print media in 1922. In his initial prediction, he thought that radio would be the dominant source of news. However, we see now that phones and computers are most people’s trusted news sources. While it wasn’t the radio that killed the newspaper, Wells’ foresight about the shift to digital media has come mostly true.
10. The global village.
Marshall McLuhan is known for coining the phrase, “the medium is the message” which means that the form of a medium, like a TV or the internet, shapes how we perceive information and interact with the things around us. McLuhan predicted that technology would shrink the world and create a “global village” where people could be connected instantly. Today, this has become a reality, with things like social media and real-time information accessible to anyone.
