The future is such a mysterious topic to think about. By doing so, we willingly throw ourselves into the unknown and fill our minds with all kinds of "what-ifs."
All throughout history, the idea of predicting what the future would look like has been scary and equally exciting.
Some of the greatest minds have guessed what our lives would be like today, though sadly, many missed the mark by a long shot. Some people's predictions involved teleportation, hover boards, and a society where we wouldn't have to lift a finger, but these were fairly common. There were many assumptions that don't make any sense to us today, yet they seemed perfectly plausible at the time.
There were even a handful of predictions that were so off, they even seem laughable.
Check out the list below to see what outlandish ideas people used to have about the future, and let us know if we forgot any out-there predictions in the comments.
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Thumbnail Sources: Wikimedia Commons, Flickr
1. We Would Live Underwater
Isaac Asimov told the New York Times, "Population pressure will force increasing penetration of desert and polar areas. Most surprising and, in some ways, heartening, 2014 will see a good beginning made in the colonization of the continental shelves."
He felt that humans would be forced to move underwater, creating our own living ecosystems. His 1964 prediction has yet to come true, but the science behind it isn't too far-fetched.
2. Everything Would Be Made Of Steel
Good old Thomas Edison made many predictions about the future, especially when it came to technology. One assumption that he didn't quite get right was about the home of the future.
Thomas said, "The baby of the 21st century will be rocked in a steel cradle; his father will sit in a steel chair at a steel dining table, and his mother’s boudoir will be sumptuously equipped with steel furnishings, converted by cunning varnishes to the semblance of rosewood, or mahogany, or any other wood her ladyship fancies."
That's a lot more steel than we see on a daily basis!
3. Our Kitchens Would Cook Breakfast For Us
Here's another one from Isaac Asimov! In the same 1964 New York Times article, he predicted, "Kitchen units will be devised that will prepare 'automeals,' heating water and converting it to coffee; toasting bread; frying, poaching or scrambling eggs, grilling bacon, and so on.
"Breakfasts will be 'ordered' the night before to be ready by a specified hour the next morning."
Our kitchens would do all of the work for us on a strict time schedule. Even though this isn't a reality, I can't help but think about how nice it would be to have bacon waiting for me in the morning.
4. We Would Use Nuclear-Powered Vacuums
Alex Lewyt, the president of Lewyt Vacuum Cleaner Company, predicted in 1955 that "nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years." Sounds more dangerous than clean.
5. We Would Watch “Smell-O-Vision”
In 1922, Nicholas Negroponte stated in a Time Magazine article that we would have "full-color, large-scale, holographic TV with force feedback and olfactory output."
Basically, we should be smelling and feeling what goes on in our televisions today, according to the director of M.I.T.'s Media Lab. If that were the case, we would probably never skip a pizza commercial again.
6. Machines Would Replace Us Entirely
Being replaced by robots has always been a scary fear that many people have had about the future. In 1965, Herbert A. Simon of Carnegie Mellon University predicted that "machines will be capable of doing any work we can do" by 1985.
It's safe to say that we're in still in charge — for now!
7. “Rejuvenations” Would Help Us Live To Be 150 Years Old
The BBC reports that according to F.E. Smith, a lawyer and friend of Winston Churchill, "Scientists would create injections containing an unspecified substance bringing 'rejuvenations,' which would be used to prolong the average lifespan to as much as 150 years."
This would also create issues with overpopulation and food supply.
8. Rock-And-Roll Would Be Dead
In 1955, Variety Magazine thought that rock-and-roll would by "gone by June" of that year. Even now, fans know this beloved music genre isn't on its way out anytime soon.
9. A Loaf Of Bread Would Cost $8
The 1982 Omni Future Almanac claimed that the future would be a time of great development and prosperity. Unfortunately, along with a boost in the economy and higher wages, prices would skyrocket as well.
They thought that by 2010, a simple loaf of bread would cost $8 and a pound of coffee would cost $25, all due to inflation.
10. We Would Choose Mates Based On Odor
In 1924, Hugo Gernsback wrote an article in Science and Invention Magazine in which he claimed that couples would submit to a series of tests to see if both parties were compatible.
Among the several assessments, there would be a "Body Odor Test," where the couple would smell each other and devices would measure if they found it to be a pleasing or gross experience.
There would also be a "Nervous Disorder Test," where a gunshot would be fired. If both the man and woman were frightened by the sound, “marriage should not take place.”
As it turns out, we aren't as "advanced" as people thought we would be, but that's all right with us. Please SHARE these out there predictions with your friends and family to give them a good laugh!
