It would be interesting to know

I think people in the 1890s wanted to know what would happen in the 21st century, more than the 1990s.

I think people in the 1890s wanted to know what would happen in the 21st century, more than the 1990s.


More like millions of years in the future:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2f/Timemachinebook.JPG

A few months ago, I came across exactly this while I was looking for something else (1970s visions of the future).

It was a series of pictures showing what people in either the late 19th century or early 20th century thought the year 2000 would look like.  Unfortunately I can't remember where.  There were a lot of flying machines and complex mechanical gadgets.

Oh, here it is:

http://gajitz.com/ooh-la-la-1910-french-cards-predict-life-in-the-year-2000/

http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Flying-Firemen.jpg

http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/In-the-School.jpg

http://gajitz.com/forecasting-the-future-7-past-visions-of-21st-century-life/

http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/moving-sidewalk.jpg

Oh, here it is:

http://gajitz.com/ooh-la-la-1910-french-cards-predict-life-in-the-year-2000/

http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Flying-Firemen.jpg

http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/In-the-School.jpg

http://gajitz.com/forecasting-the-future-7-past-visions-of-21st-century-life/

http://gajitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/moving-sidewalk.jpg


So this is what they predicted?

So this is what they predicted?


Note that all of these actually came true, in some fashion or to some degree!

First picture:  Flying machines have been routinely aiding firefighters for many years now.  Drones or UAV might be coming soon, too.  The part which hasn't come true yet is rescuing people from burning buildings with aircraft.

Second picture:  That contraption seems to take books and read them to students.  We effectively have this technology today.  OCR scanners can convert printed text to digital text and text-to-speech software can convert digital text to audio format.  The reason the picture seems so strange today is that these two processes are usually completely separate.  Google and others have taken on the massive project of digitizing old books.  Newer books have already been produced digitally.  So, there's not much need to feed paper books into reading machines today.  Books have also been released in (analog) audio format anyway since the 1970s.

Third picture:  This seems to be something akin to a moving sidewalk like you find today in airports.

I remember reading somewhere that one of the biggest scientists of the time claimed that technology in 1900 was as advanced as it would ever get. I wonder what he would make of 2016...

I can't answer the question, but I read a book recently where the author describes his grandfather who was born in 1892 and passed away in 1993. I thought what his grandfather said on his deathbed was fascinating. He described his passage of time as "I started out with a horse and buggy, but I would grow up to see man travel far distances in cars, I would see man take flight over vast oceans, and then I would see man land on the moon."

I'm paraphrasing, but I thought, wow, what amazing times to be alive for.

I remember reading somewhere that one of the biggest scientists of the time claimed that technology in 1900 was as advanced as it would ever get. I wonder what he would make of 2016...


Yes, William Thomson, Baron Kelvin said in 1900 "There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement".

That was before Einstein would postulate his theory of special relativity in 1905, as well as his light-quanta theory, and upend Physics.

It would be interesting to know


I am not sure.  I will go and ask someone who was born in 1890

I am not sure.  I will go and ask someone who was born in 1890
...with the use of a medium?

I am not sure.  I will go and ask someone who was born in 1890


You need your time machine.

You need your time machine.


I couldn't get a hold of Doc Brown, so I asked Oda Mae Brown to talk with Sam Wheat and see if any of his friends up there had an answer, and they told him to tell her to tell me that decadeology sucks

I couldn't get a hold of Doc Brown, so I asked Oda Mae Brown to talk with Sam Wheat and see if any of his friends up there had an answer, and they told him to tell her to tell me that decadeology sucks


;D