Paleofuture.com
Paleofuture.com is a website about past visions of the future. Written by paleofuture.bsky.social (Matt Novak)
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- 1970s Doctor Predicted Elderly Would Have 'First Class Status' By 2025
1970s Doctor Predicted Elderly Would Have 'First Class Status' By 2025 — Paleofuture
Back in 1975, life expectancy in the U.S. was just 63.6 years for men and 72.3 for women, according to government statistics . The country has made significant progress since then, with the latest fi...paleofuture.com - 'I Think in 2025 Furbys Will Try to Conquer the Universe': How 1990s Kids Imagined the Year 2025
'I Think in 2025 Furbys Will Try to Conquer the Universe': How 1990s Kids Imagined the Year 2025 — Paleofuture
What will the future look like in the year 2025? It was a question about the distant future for those of us who were alive to remember the 20th century. But now that we’re a few weeks into that year, ...paleofuture.com - How Newspapers Talked About Bitcoin in the Early 2010s
How Newspapers Talked About Bitcoin in the Early 2010s — Paleofuture
Back in 2014, I gave a talk at UCLA about the future of money that’s funny to think about now. Well, technically it was about the paleo -future of money. But the topic was particularly relevant in th...paleofuture.com - The Follyphone and Our Ridiculous Future
The Follyphone and Our Ridiculous Future — Paleofuture
The future can be presented in a lot of ways. Sometimes we imagine it in the darkest of terms, a dystopian hellscape that shocks our sense of safety, making us fearful about what’s to come. Other time...paleofuture.com - Elon Musk and the Political Profile That Did Not Age Well
Elon Musk and the Political Profile That Did Not Age Well — Paleofuture
Elon Musk spent at least $250 million to help re-elect Donald Trump as president this year, making him one of the most powerful oligarchs the U.S. has ever seen. Trump is a fascist and Musk unabashe...paleofuture.com - This Airship Went Missing in 1889 and Was Never Seen Again
This Airship Went Missing in 1889 and Was Never Seen Again — Paleofuture
On the morning of July 18, 1889, Professor Edward D. Hogan went up in what can only be described for the time as a futuristic piece of airship technology, launching from Brooklyn, New York. Hogan had ...paleofuture.com - Sterilization of 'Undesirables' Had Overwhelming Public Approval in the U.S. During the 1930s
Sterilization of 'Undesirables' Had Overwhelming Public Approval in the U.S. During the 1930s — Paleofuture
The U.S. and Canada both have long histories of forced sterilizations for people deemed “undesirable.” Roughly 70,000 Americans were sterilized in the 20th century, according to official figures , wi...paleofuture.com - This Futuristic 'Water Sport Wheel' Doesn't Make Any Sense But It Sure Looks Fun Anyway
This Futuristic 'Water Sport Wheel' Doesn't Make Any Sense But It Sure Looks Fun Anyway — Paleofuture
Old futures are filled with ridiculous contraptions for getting around. You’ve got the automobile-powered yacht , the enormous four-legged mech-pedicab , and the gyroscopic rocket car , just to nam...paleofuture.com - “Cooking perhaps will not be done at all on any large scale at home. At any rate it will be a much less disgusting process than it is to-day.”
A Thanksgiving Meal (in-a-pill) — Paleofuture
Many Americans celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow will have a meal centered around Ben Franklin’s favorite bird — the turkey. But if this cartoon from the September 19, 1926 Ogden Sta...paleofuture.com - Amazing 1960s Predictions About Satellites, Email, and the Internet
Amazing 1960s Predictions About Satellites, Email, and the Internet — Paleofuture
The February 17, 1962 issue of the Sunday comic strip Our New Age envisioned the fantastic advancements that the introduction of satellites would allow.paleofuture.com - Reposted by Paleofuture.comI wrote about some of the time capsules scheduled to be opened in 2025. One has a 1975 Chevy Vega inside.
U.S. Time Capsules Scheduled to be Opened in 2025, Filled with Pogs, Money, and Even a Car — Paleofuture
Time capsules are fascinating to me. They can be incredibly boring, as people often stuff them with rather mundane items like coins, American flags, and bibles. But every once in a while they can be t...paleofuture.com - U.S. Time Capsules Scheduled to be Opened in 2025, Filled with Pogs, Money, and Even a Car
U.S. Time Capsules Scheduled to be Opened in 2025, Filled with Pogs, Money, and Even a Car — Paleofuture
Time capsules are fascinating to me. They can be incredibly boring, as people often stuff them with rather mundane items like coins, American flags, and bibles. But every once in a while they can be t...paleofuture.com - Reposted by Paleofuture.comReplying to Matt NovakI love that some of the first in-flight movies had live orchestras playing on the ground via radio to accompany the silent movies passengers were watching
The First In-Flight Movies Had a Live Orchestra — Paleofuture
Soaring through the clouds in 1925, passengers on an Imperial Airways flight traveling over Germany were treated to a brand new novelty—one of the first in-flight movies. Even more astounding? The fil...paleofuture.com - 5 Old Ideas for the Internet That Can Help Us Imagine a Better Future
5 Old Ideas for the Internet That Can Help Us Imagine a Better Future — Paleofuture
We often think of the internet as a piece of infrastructure that cannot be changed. But people built the internet and all the devices we use to connect ourselves to it. People made conscious choices a...paleofuture.com - What Tech Did Millennials Predict Would Be Obsolete by Now?
What Tech Did Millennials Predict Would Be Obsolete by Now? — Paleofuture
The year 2006 wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things. But when you look back at the predictions of that time, it’s an interesting year, if only because it was just before the mainstream ex...paleofuture.com - 150 Years of Predictions About America's First Woman President
150 Years of Predictions About America's First Woman President — Paleofuture
U.S. senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was asked on the radio program “Who Said That?” in 1949 what she’d do if she woke up in the White House one day. The senator replied: “Well, I’d go straig...paleofuture.com - What Inspired the Creators of The Jetsons?
What Inspired the Creators of The Jetsons? — Paleofuture
When I look back at the The Jetsons, a show that debuted in 1962 and lasted just one season during its first run, it’s easy to see how it inspired so many visions of the future that would occur in t...paleofuture.com - Euphonia, the Incredible Speaking Machine of the 1840s (Which I Hope Is Real)
Euphonia, the Incredible Speaking Machine of the 1840s (Which I Hope Is Real) — Paleofuture
Last week OpenAI rolled out its new virtual assistant, dubbed Advanced Voice Mode, that allows users to have a conversation with an AI bot. There’s some controversy about the technology, not least b...paleofuture.com - The 'Vaguely Ominous' Coffee Robot of 1967 That Was Going to Take Your Job
The 'Vaguely Ominous' Coffee Robot of 1967 That Was Going to Take Your Job — Paleofuture
When the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles featured a new “coffee robot” in October 1967, the newspapers covering it sounded both excited and terrified.paleofuture.com - Have Astronauts Ever Voted for Donald Trump From Space?
Have Astronauts Ever Voted for Donald Trump From Space? — Paleofuture
The astronauts who are currently stuck in space thanks to Boeing's little mishaps will soon be voting in the upcoming U.S. presidential election between vice president Kamala Harris and convicted fe...paleofuture.com - What the Failure of 3D-TV Can Tell Us About the Future of Tech Inevitability
What the Failure of 3D-TV Can Tell Us About the Future of Tech Inevitability — Paleofuture
When companies rolled out their latest technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2010, the most exciting new product on offer was the 3D-TV. Sony showed off the 3D-TV like it was the...paleofuture.com - Was This 1943's Crime-Fighting Vehicle of the Future or Just a 'Glorified Jukebox'?
Was This 1943's Crime-Fighting Vehicle of the Future or Just a 'Glorified Jukebox'? — Paleofuture
The state of Illinois’ mobile crime lab was a 16-ton law enforcement vehicle that traveled the state in the 1940s, showing off the latest technology to police that was supposedly going to help them ...paleofuture.com - Fixing the Broken Body of the Future, According to the 1980s
Fixing the Broken Body of the Future, According to the 1980s — Paleofuture
The world of organ transplants has come so far since the year 1954 when a kidney was transplanted between twins. But if you take a look at the predictions of the late 20th century, we’re not nearly ...paleofuture.com - Every Prediction is a Rorschach Test
Every Prediction is a Rorschach Test — Paleofuture
Back in 1995, astronomer Carl Sagan wrote a book called Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, about rational thinking and his fears for the future of the U.S. and the world. One of S...paleofuture.com - This Ball-Wheel Train of 1933 Was the Future of Transportation
This Ball-Wheel Train of 1933 Was the Future of Transportation — Paleofuture
It can be easy to forget just how popular the monorail was as an idea long before the 1950s and 60s. The second half of the 19th century saw plenty of experiments with single-track mass transportati...paleofuture.com - Denver Was Supposed to be America's Movie Broadcasting Capital of the Future
Denver Was Supposed to be America's Movie Broadcasting Capital of the Future — Paleofuture
From the perspective of the 2020s, it’s easy to believe the internet was the most revolutionary technology ever invented. But I’d argue that the tech being developed 100 years ago was just as exciti...paleofuture.com - Hope and the Visceral Feeling of Tomorrow
Hope and the Visceral Feeling of Tomorrow — Paleofuture
It’s a weird feeling to suddenly have hope. And given the incredible vibe shift in American politics during the past week, it’s helping me better understand visions of the future. Hope is a strange ...paleofuture.com - What the Future Looked Like in 2004
What the Future Looked Like in 2004 — Paleofuture
It was a chilly winter’s day on January 14, 2004 when President George W. Bush gave a speech at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC to lay out his administration’s latest goals for the future of spa...paleofuture.com - Future Dogs Will be Small, Short-Haired, and Better at Dodging Traffic According to This 1935 Article
Future Dogs Will be Small, Short-Haired, and Better at Dodging Traffic According to This 1935 Article — Paleofuture
Humans have loved their dogs ever since they were first domesticated roughly 18,000 years ago. But that incredibly long journey through time has given us a wide variety of dog breeds, from enormous ...paleofuture.com - 5 Predictions for the Future of the U.S. Legal System in 1956
5 Predictions for the Future of the U.S. Legal System in 1956 — Paleofuture
What will the legal system of the future look like? That was the question tackled in a 1950s article about the future. And while they didn’t predict just how extreme America’s legal landscape would ...paleofuture.com - This Video From the End of the Cold War Told Top Secret Nuclear Lab Workers to Not Let Down Their Guard
This Video From the End of the Cold War Told Top Secret Nuclear Lab Workers to Not Let Down Their Guard — Paleofuture
The fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a very odd event for Americans who had grown up spending all or most of their lives worried about the Communist threat. Suddenly ma...paleofuture.com - G. Gordon Liddy's 1989 Predictions About Terrorism, the Soviets, and an Attack on the U.S. Capitol
G. Gordon Liddy's 1989 Predictions About Terrorism, the Soviets, and an Attack on the U.S. Capitol — Paleofuture
G. Gordon Liddy is best remembered today as an architect of the Watergate break-in who, after a few years in prison, turned his infamy into a lucrative conservative media career. But Liddy seemed to...paleofuture.com - What the Future Looked Like on One Given Day in 1965
What the Future Looked Like on One Given Day in 1965 — Paleofuture
I was recently doing some quick searches through Newspapers.com in an effort to track down information about an old newspaper comic. And then I found myself distracted by what seemed like an odd con...paleofuture.com - This 1984 Article About Meritocracy and Who Would Be Running the U.S. in 2024 Was Depressingly Accurate
This 1984 Article About Meritocracy and Who Would Be Running the U.S. in 2024 Was Depressingly Accurate — Paleofuture
Going to the right college is the surest shot at American success. The group most likely to be making America’s decisions in the year 2024 are the freshmen entering Harvard, Yale and a few other sch...paleofuture.com - Paying College Athletes, Cures for Cancer, and Transatlantic Flying: How Teachers of 1930 Imagined the Future
Paying College Athletes, Cures for Cancer, and Transatlantic Flying: How Teachers of 1930 Imagined the Future — Paleofuture
What will the world look like 50 years into the future? That was the question posed in 1930 to 25 faculty members at Long Island University, along with five student leaders. Their responses were an ...paleofuture.com - Things to Come: The 1940s Newspaper Comic That Gave Americans a Humorous Peek at Tomorrow
Things to Come: The 1940s Newspaper Comic That Gave Americans a Humorous Peek at Tomorrow — Paleofuture
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of futuristic newspaper comics from the 20th century. Strips like Our New Age by Athelstan Spilhaus and Closer Than We Think by Arthur Radebaugh are absolutely fas...paleofuture.com - Listen to the Synanon Cult Leader's Most Infamous Radio Broadast
Listen to the Synanon Cult Leader's Most Infamous Radio Broadast — Paleofuture
I’ve long been interested in utopian societies and the way that cults often develop as people try to build a more perfect way to organize their lives. Back in 2014, I wrote two articles about Synano...paleofuture.com - A Future With Indoor Smoking Might Be the Oddest Choice in the New Movie 'Civil War'
A Future With Indoor Smoking Might Be the Oddest Choice in the New Movie 'Civil War' — Paleofuture
There’s a scene early in the new film Civil War that probably won’t strike many people as weird, but it stuck out to me like a sore thumb. Journalists are sitting in the lobby of a New York hotel ta...paleofuture.com - Scientists of 1941 Predicted We'd Be Watching the Eclipse From the Moon With Atomic-Powered Spaceships
Scientists of 1941 Predicted We'd Be Watching the Eclipse From the Moon With Atomic-Powered Spaceships — Paleofuture
The January 5, 1941 issue of American Weekly magazine, which was included with the Sunday edition of many newspapers across the U.S., made a pretty bold promise about how people of the 21st century ...paleofuture.com - The Movies U.S. Politicians Really Didn't Want the World to See in the 1950s
The Movies U.S. Politicians Really Didn't Want the World to See in the 1950s — Paleofuture
From the perspective of 2024, The Case Against Brooklyn (1958) isn’t a particularly scandalous movie. But it was so hated by American politicians that they wanted to make sure people outside the U.S...paleofuture.com - RIP Vernor Vinge, Sci-Fi Writer Who Popularized the Tech Singularity in the 1980s
RIP Vernor Vinge, Sci-Fi Writer Who Popularized the Tech Singularity in the 1980s — Paleofuture
Vernor Vinge, a sci-fi author and former math professor at San Diego State University, died on Wednesday at the age of 79. Vinge will be remembered for his sci-fi novels, including Fire Upon the Dee...paleofuture.com - 'The Second TV Revolution': TV Guide's Predictions From 1964 About the Future of Television
'The Second TV Revolution': TV Guide's Predictions From 1964 About the Future of Television — Paleofuture
What will TV technology look like in 20 years? That was the question tackled by TV Guide in 1964, when it imagined enormous flat-screen monitors, up-to-the-minute “instant news,” and user-created me...paleofuture.com - Thomas Edison Had Quite a Few Misses In These Tech Predictions From 1910
Thomas Edison Had Quite a Few Misses In These Tech Predictions From 1910 — Paleofuture
Thomas Edison was a celebrated inventor who was constantly asked by members of the press about his thoughts on technology and the future. And while Edison was often filled with predictions that turn...paleofuture.com - There's No Guarantee That 'News' As You Know It Will Exist in the Future
There's No Guarantee That 'News' As You Know It Will Exist in the Future — Paleofuture
What happens to news in the future if all the media outlets you used to watch, read, and listen to go away? What will replace the newspapers and the websites and your local TV channel? Those are the...paleofuture.com - Every American Will Be Independently Wealthy: Overly Optimistic Predictions From Experts of 1966 About the Year 2000
Every American Will Be Independently Wealthy: Overly Optimistic Predictions From Experts of 1966 About the Year 2000 — Paleofuture
The February 25, 1966 issue of Time magazine included predictions for the year 2000. And with the benefit of of some distance, the article is an incredible artifact of prognostication. The predictio...paleofuture.com - The Movies 100 Years From Now, According to Director D.W. Griffith in 1924
The Movies 100 Years From Now, According to Director D.W. Griffith in 1924 — Paleofuture
What will movies be like 100 years into the future? That was the question tackled in 1924 by D.W. Griffith, the director of Birth of a Nation (1915), a movie that was both a huge hit in the U.S. and...paleofuture.com - Can It Be Done? This 1930s Comic Strip Imagined a Gadget-Filled Future
Can It Be Done? This 1930s Comic Strip Imagined a Gadget-Filled Future — Paleofuture
In the mid-1930s, inventor Ray Gross wrote a newspaper comic focused on gadgets of the future titled Can It Be Done? And while its vision was decidedly more humble than the flying cars and jetpacks ...paleofuture.com - Economists Predicted the Chances of a Recession Were 100%
Economists Predicted the Chances of a Recession Were 100% — Paleofuture
Do you remember late 2022 when just about everyone was confident the U.S. would see a recession within the next year? Economists predicted unemployment would have to soar if we really wanted to tack...paleofuture.com - This TV Ad From 1999 Promised Every Movie Ever Made At Your Fingertips
This TV Ad From 1999 Promised Every Movie Ever Made At Your Fingertips — Paleofuture
Back in 1999, the best way to watch a movie outside of a theater was on DVD. But as the internet became more popular, some futurists imagined a world where everyone would be watching movies through ...paleofuture.com - Reposted by Paleofuture.comIf you're interested in the history of technology and want to support my work, please consider a subscription to Paleofuture+ at $5 per month or $50 per year.
Paleofuture+ — Paleofuture
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