Back in 1902, silent film pioneer George Méliès wrote, directed, and produced Le Voyage dans la Lune. It featured the iconic image of the Man in the Moon with a rocket in his eye.
In 1914, meanwhile, HG Wells’ The World Set Free told the story of a future war waged using powerful weapons fuelled by atomic energy.
From writers and filmmakers to satirists and scientists, the human race has long looked to predict its own future. In the case of the moon landings and the atomic bomb, these predictions proved almost alarmingly prescient. Other forecasters, though, have failed to hit the mark.
Keep reading for a fascinating look at some of the wild, wacky, and surprisingly accurate predictions of bygone soothsayers, from steam-powered robot horses to the humble pedalo.
1. British Satirist William Heath predicted delivery drones, long haul flights… and steam-powered horses
Housed at the British Museum, though not currently on display, William Heath’s satirical illustration ‘The March of Intellect’ (1829), features any number of impressive predictions.
A giant vacuum tube conveys passengers directly to Bengal in a remarkable, if impractical, anticipation of long-haul flights and the London Underground. An automatic boot cleaner predicts the modern washing machine, while a bat-winged postman might be the first ever depiction of Amazon’s promised delivery drones.
Interestingly, Heath’s ‘Scheme for the Payment of the National Debt’ is depicted as a literal sandcastle in the sky. Even the illustrator, though, would surely baulk at today’s astronomical figure – as of 2024, the UK’s national debt stands at £2.8 trillion.
Heath didn’t get everything right. His illustration also features “Velocity”, a steam-powered horse-robot hybrid that promises “no stoppages on the road”.
2. One of cinema’s first science fiction films provided the archetype for our robot template
Expressionist filmmaker Fritz Lang made his science-fiction masterpiece Metropolis in 1927.
Set in the year 2000, the film is an urban dystopia featuring a drone-like and unappreciated underclass tasked with keeping the sprawling city moving. The privileged upper class live in a Heaven-like sanctuary above the hot and busy underlayers.
The film also features a robot that would become the archetype for the genre. The world of robotics has come a long way in the almost 100 years since the film’s release, but it’s vision remains defining.
3. The 1900 Paris Exposition asked illustrators to create their vision of the year 2000, with varying results
The first World’s Fair took place in Prague in 1791. The Great Expedition, though – held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851 – is usually thought of as the first international exhibition of manufactured products. It set the template for the expositions that followed.
In 1900, it was the turn of Paris. The city celebrated its innovation by commissioning cigarette card designers to imagine what life might look like in the year 2000.
Around 76 cigarette cards and postcards were produced, featuring visions of the future that predicted armoured tanks, home cinema, and combined harvesters, among other innovations.
Some visions of the future, though, have failed to come to fruition. The robot arms and levers of the futuristic bathroom might pre-empt hairdryers and foot spas, but underwater croquet, whale buses, and hippo cavalry have failed to materialise, so far.
4. Jules Verne’s most impressive predictions were deemed too far-fetched by his publisher
The illustrators behind the images for the 1900 Paris Exposition may well have taken some of their inspiration from the work of Jules Verne.
Verne’s ‘Voyages Extraordinaires’ is a collection of 54 novels published between 1863 and 1905. Included in this sequence are some of his most famous works, including Journey to the Centre of the Earth, From Earth to the Moon, and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.
Despite these tales of space travel, giant sea squids, and subterranean worlds, it was Paris in the Twentieth Century that Verne’s publisher rejected.
In the novel, deemed too far-fetched, Verne prophesied the existence of photocopiers, electronic dance music, motorised cars, and asphalt roads lined with electric lights.
His future society is based on some incredible predictions of technological advancement. It is a bleak vision too, though. Verne’s sprawling 1960s Paris has fallen foul of capitalism, with homelessness rife, art degraded, and history all but forgotten.
5. Hildebrand chocolate boxes feature predictions that might still prove accurate
Founded in 1817, German chocolate makers Hildebrand produced a series of trading cards imagining life in the future. Many of their predictions have already come true.
Buildings that can be moved on rails might well be a precursor to modern motorhomes, while the water penny-farthing bears more than a passing resemblance to a pedalo.
Summer holidays at the North Pole might also soon be commonplace. Scientists have recently warned about the threat to Antarctica as the continent becomes a bucket list destination for intrepid tourists.
While many impressive 100-year-old predictions have come true, there are some that we might not want to come to pass.
