10 Modern Things That Were Actually Predicted Way Before They Appeared
10 Modern Things That Were Actually Predicted Way Before They Appeared
It’s fascinating to think that many of the modern technologies and concepts we use today were imagined long before they were ever realized. From science fiction writers to visionary thinkers, here are 10 examples of modern inventions that were predicted well in advance of their actual appearance.
1. The Internet
•Prediction by: Mark Twain (1898)
•Modern equivalent: The World Wide Web
•Where predicted: In his short story “From the ‘London Times’ of 1904,” Twain describes a global communication network that sounds remarkably like the internet. He called it the “telectroscope,” and it allowed people to instantly communicate and share information across vast distances, much like we do today with the internet.
2. Video Calls
•Prediction by: Hugo Gernsback (1911)
•Modern equivalent: Zoom, FaceTime, Skype
•Where predicted: In his science fiction novel Ralph 124C 41+, Gernsback introduced the concept of the “telephot,” a device that allowed people to see each other while speaking over long distances. This was a precursor to modern video calls, which are now a staple of communication.
3. Credit Cards
•Prediction by: Edward Bellamy (1888)
•Modern equivalent: Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay
•Where predicted: In his utopian novel Looking Backward, Bellamy describes a future society where people use a card to make purchases, replacing the need for cash. This is eerily similar to today’s credit and debit cards.
4. Self-Driving Cars
•Prediction by: Isaac Asimov (1964)
•Modern equivalent: Tesla Autopilot, Waymo
•Where predicted: In his essay Visit to the World’s Fair of 2014, Asimov predicted autonomous cars that would navigate themselves, saying, “Much effort will be put into the design of vehicles with ‘robot-brains,’ vehicles that can be set for particular destinations and will then proceed there without interference by the slow reflexes of a human driver.”
5. Mobile Phones
•Prediction by: Martin Cooper (1973), Arthur C. Clarke (1964)
•Modern equivalent: Smartphones
•Where predicted: Though Martin Cooper invented the first mobile phone, Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction writer, predicted their existence in a 1964 BBC interview. He envisioned personal transceivers small enough to carry, allowing global communication—a clear forecast of modern smartphones.
6. Smart Homes
•Prediction by: Ray Bradbury (1950)
•Modern equivalent: Smart home technology (Alexa, Google Home)
•Where predicted: In his short story “There Will Come Soft Rains,” Bradbury describes an automated house that takes care of its inhabitants’ needs. This story, written decades ago, reflects many features of today’s smart homes, where devices like thermostats, lights, and speakers are controlled by AI systems.
7. Tablets
•Prediction by: Arthur C. Clarke (1968)
•Modern equivalent: iPad, Android Tablets
•Where predicted: In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, co-written by Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, astronauts are shown using flat, handheld computers that resemble modern-day tablets. They even had touchscreens and were used for reading and communication, just like the tablets we use today.
8. Artificial Intelligence
•Prediction by: Alan Turing (1950), Karel Čapek (1920)
•Modern equivalent: AI systems like ChatGPT, Siri, and autonomous robots
•Where predicted: The term “robot” was first used by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R. In 1950, Alan Turing wrote a paper that proposed a test to determine whether a machine could think like a human, laying the groundwork for modern artificial intelligence. Today, AI powers everything from virtual assistants to autonomous machines.
9. Space Travel and Moon Landing
•Prediction by: Jules Verne (1865)
•Modern equivalent: Apollo 11, SpaceX missions
•Where predicted: Verne’s novel From the Earth to the Moon predicted human space travel almost a century before it became reality. His description of a spacecraft launched from Florida to the moon, carrying a crew of three astronauts, has uncanny similarities to NASA’s Apollo missions.
10. 3D Printing
•Prediction by: Arthur C. Clarke (1964)
•Modern equivalent: 3D printers
•Where predicted: Clarke predicted in his 1964 BBC documentary that “Replicators” would one day be able to manufacture items on demand, resembling today’s 3D printers, which can create complex objects layer by layer from digital designs.
Conclusion
Visionary thinkers and authors often have an uncanny ability to predict the future, as demonstrated by these 10 modern inventions. Whether through careful scientific foresight or wild imagination, their predictions reflect our current reality, reminding us of the close relationship between fiction and future technology.
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