“Unbelievable Forecasts: 10 Futuristic Predictions That Crashed and Burned!”
As we sit here, pondering the future, one can’t help but chuckle at the audacity of past predictions. Seriously, have you ever wondered what past visionaries thought life would be like? Well, spoiler alert—many of them were spectacularly wrong! Humans have this quirky habit of peering into tomorrow like it’s a crystal ball, and while some hit the nail on the head, others… well, let’s just say they missed the mark by a country mile. From the belief that recorded music would spell doom for musical talent to wild ideas about life expectancy that sound like they’re straight out of a sci-fi flick—these predictions not only reflect the quirks of their times but also make us think about how right—or hilariously wrong—we can get things. So grab your popcorn, because it’s time to dive into a parade of past predictions that couldn’t be further from the truth. LEARN MOREAs human beings, we are always looking forward to the future whether it’s a few hours from the current time or even hundreds of years. We like to make predictions about what the world will be like, especially since technology continues to evolve at such an exponential rate. Well, plenty of people from the past made their own predictions about what the future would behold. Some hit the nail on the head while others, let’s say, missed their mark. These are some past predictions that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Recorded Music Will Eliminate All Musical Skill
Back in 1906, composer John Philip Sousa published an article titled “The Menace of Mechanical Music.” In his writings, he stressed the dangers of people bringing machines into their homes to listen to music. He explained that fewer lutes were being produced “all because the automatic music devices are usurping their places.”
He predicted that if people had access to listen to music whenever without needing to study or understand the techniques, “it will be simply a question of time when the amateur disappears entirely.” Of course, today, it seems that recorded music has had the opposite effect.
All Women Would Be Six Feet Tall
In 1950, Associated Press writer Dorothy Roe claimed that by 2000, all women would be at least six feet tall. She came to this conclusion using what she considered to be scientific evidence.
Roe wrote, “Her proportions will be perfect, though Amazonian because science will have perfected a balanced ration of vitamins, proteins, and minerals that will produce the maximum bodily efficiency, the minimum of fat.” Although not all women are six feet tall — in fact, not even close — the average height has risen. So maybe she was partially right.
Telephones Would Never Be More Than A Toy
In 1976, William Orton, the president of the Western Union, described the newly emerging telephone as a toy. This was after Alexander Graham Bell offered to sell him the patent for $100,000, a deal he would later wish he had taken Bell up on.
An internal Western Union memo revealed Orton’s true thoughts on the phone when he reported, “The idea is idiotic on the face of it. Furthermore, why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to the telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States?” If only he could have seen an iPhone.
Cars Would Only Be Popular For A Short Time
Back in 1903, the president of Michigan Savings Bank advised Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, that he better start saving his money if he was working with Ford. He told Rackham that “The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.”
Although we all wish that this was the case and there were fewer cars on the road, it’s clear that’s not true. Cars completely transformed society and while it may have taken them some time to become the norm, they’re here to stay.
Everything Would Be Made of Steel
Thomas Edison may have invented the light bulb, but that doesn’t mean he was right about everything, especially when it came to the future. In 1911, he gave an interview with the Miami Metropolis where he discussed the booming steel industry.
He went on to predict that “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.” While we do use a lot of steel, it’s certainly not to this extent.
Electricity Was Just A Fad
Supposedly, when J.P. Morgan hired Thomas Edison to wire his mansion with electricity, his father, Junius Morgan, warned him that electricity was nothing more than a fad. J.P. Morgan ended up ignoring his father’s cautioning, and his home became the first residence in New York with electric lighting.
