A century ago, newspapers used to make predictions about what life would be like in 100 years…that is, today. And surprisingly, some of them are not far from the truth.
Paul Fairie, a researcher at the University of Calgary, shared some newspaper clippings from 1924 on social media, which immediately went viral.
Radio entertainment in 1924 was considered a pipe dream, leading to the prediction that “Americans will laugh at radios”
“Cars speeding through the center of the city” and “cars increasing and multiplying ad infinitum,” as envisioned, became a reality. However, the columnists-melanologists fell out by predicting that horses will disappear due to the increase in the number of vehicles.
Horses continue to be loved and used in a variety of fields, from agriculture to recreation, just not as a means of transportation.
Horses will no longer exist pic.twitter.com/eBGjp42Agu
— Paul Fairie (@paulisci) January 1, 2024
Apartment buildings with a height of 100 floors
Another prediction concerned apartment buildings. “We’ll climb 100 floors and dig down to pay for the return ticket. Our beehive city, with an enormous population, will swallow up the farms of one-fifth of the nation.’
Of course, not many of these skyscrapers exist today, but more than 20 buildings around the world meet or exceed this height.
Personal aesthetics
Another remarkably accurate prediction concerns personal aesthetics. Last year, a YouGov poll highlighted that over a quarter of people in the UK have tattoos.
This aligns with the 1924 prediction that “people will paint their skin all the colors of the rainbow,” envisioning a future where personal expression through body art will become dominant.
The case of radios
Radio entertainment in 1924 was considered a pipe dream, leading to the prediction that “Americans will laugh at radios.”
Americans will laugh at radios pic.twitter.com/1GwBaBirJb
— Paul Fairie (@paulisci) January 1, 2024
Coming to 2024 it is not only the radio that has evolved into a source of entertainment.
The rise of podcasts has transformed entertainment, making it an important source of humor and information for millions of people worldwide.
Looking back at these predictions, the mix of accuracy and fanciful optimism offers a unique lens through which to view the present.
It’s a testament to the human imagination and our relentless pursuit of progress, even if the path to the future takes unexpected turns.
The movies about world peace
However, not all predictions were always so prescient. In a prediction that went horribly wrong, the newspapers wrote that the movies would bring world peace and help eliminate conflicts worldwide.
However, another prediction about movies, that people would spend more time watching them in the comfort of their homes, has been proven true as streaming platforms now have their due.
Other strange predictions involved beds that children jump out of bed in the morning, people jumping from planet to planet and flying clothes.
Beds will automatically fling children out in the morning pic.twitter.com/OJx8Nj3Hy0
— Paul Fairie (@paulisci) January 1, 2024
