By Laine Penney
Did you know that George Jetson from The Jetsons was born in 2022. This year, he would be turning 4. That means we’ve only got 36 years to make flying cars and personal jetpacks possible before we reach the year where the show takes place.
When you think of the future, what kind of technology do you visualize? How does the world work by then? A long time ago, people thought that by now we would have flying cars. Obviously, we do not, but there have been many unique predictions as to what today would look like.
A plethora of these predictions come from scientists. For example, British scientist Archibald M. Low believed that machinery and technology would take care of basic needs. “To get his breakfast he took down a tube like a piece of hosepiping from the wall, inserted the nozzle in his mouth, and imbibed two fluid ounces of concentrated food,” Low said when describing a future man’s morning routine.
Another scientist, Arthur G. McCall predicted that overpopulation would force the United States to become vegetarian. However, the U.S. population is around 50% larger than it was presumed to be, and only 5% of the population is vegetarian.
Many women of the 1920s had ideas as to how marriage would transform in the future. Author Alice M. Williamson predicted that married couples would live in adjoined houses, while Rosita Forbes, an English travel writer and explorer, believed that marriage would become a business to merge companies.
Sociologist Hornell Hart believed that old age and disease would no longer be an issue in 2026, with the average lifespan becoming 100. “Unless we wreck our civilization in the next 75 years, which is unlikely, many a baby will be born with 200 years of life before it, and men and women 100 years of age will be the normal thing, but instead of being wrinkled and crippled, they will still be in their vigorous prime,” Hart explained.
Though many predictions made seem quite far off from reality, some ended up being true. The world has made many strides in beating disease, and author Cyril H. Bretherton predicted that the motor car, or automobile, would become the universal travel method.
There’s also no telling as to when these predictions will end up being true in the very far future. All we can do is wait 36 years for George Jetson to turn 40 to see if we get anywhere.
beniciapaw.com 