Predictions From the Past

Picture this: It’s the year 1900. Dazzling inventions are changing people’s lives. The telephone lets friends who live far apart talk to each other. Moving staircases called escalators bring people up and down buildings. And the first electric lights are glowing. 

What changes will come next? Journalists interviewed experts to find out. In 1900, they printed articles with predictions of what the future might be like. As you read, ask yourself: Did these predictions come true? 

Picture this: It’s the year 1900. New inventions are changing people’s lives. Friends who live far apart can talk to each other. They use the telephone. There are moving staircases called escalators. They bring people up and down buildings. And the first electric lights are shining. 

What changes will come next? Journalists asked experts to find out. In 1900, they printed articles. The articles had predictions of what the future might be like. As you read, ask yourself: Did these predictions come true? 

Some of these airships will carry goods across oceans. Some will carry passengers. And others will be used by scientists to study Earth from high above.

TRUE! By the 1920s, airships (like the zeppelin shown here) became an exciting new way to travel. By the 1950s, traveling by airplane became popular. Today the U.S. space agency sends ships to outer space to study Earth!

Some of these airships will carry items across oceans. Some airships will carry passengers. And others will be used by scientists to study Earth from high above. 

TRUE! By the 1920s, airships became an exciting new way to travel. The one shown here is called a zeppelin. By the 1950s, traveling by airplane became popular. Today the U.S. space agency sends ships to outer space to study Earth!

There will be only 23 letters in the English alphabet. We won’t use the letters X, C, and Q anymore. Why? Words will get shorter, so we won’t need as many letters. Kids will learn their “A-B-Ds”!

FALSE. We still use those letters in our alphabet. But thanks to texting and emojis, many people communicate using fewer letters and words. 

There will be only 23 letters in the English alphabet. We won’t use the letters X, C, and Q anymore. Why? Words will get shorter. So we won’t need as many letters. Kids will learn their “A-B-Ds”! 

FALSE. We still use those letters in our alphabet. But thanks to texting and emojis, many people communicate using fewer letters and words. 

With the push of a button, we’ll be able to receive our mail, food, laundry, and anything else we need. How? Through a system of tubes!

FALSE. The world isn’t covered in package-delivering tubes. But thanks to the internet, we can order items for delivery with the click of a button. Plus, planes and drones make deliveries quicker than ever.

First we’ll press a button. Then we’ll receive our mail, food, laundry, and anything else we need. How? Through a system of tubes!

FALSE. The world isn’t covered in tubes that deliver packages. But we can order items to our homes by clicking a button on the internet. Plus, planes and drones make deliveries quicker than ever.

People will be able to watch live events on a screen! Cameras will send pictures and videos to screens thousands of miles away. The screens will be in theaters and homes. 

TRUE! In the 1950s, TVs started bringing images from around the world into millions of homes. Today people watch live videos on phones, tablets, and computers.

People will be able to watch live events on a screen! Cameras will send pictures and videos to screens thousands of miles away. The screens will be in theaters and homes.

TRUE! In the 1950s, TVs started bringing images from around the world into millions of homes. Today people watch live videos on phones, tablets, and computers.

Close your eyes. Imagine that you’ve traveled 100 years into the future. What do you see? Kids riding to school in flying cars? Robots delivering doughnuts? Talking dogs?

People have dreamed about what the future might be like for years. Some of these dreams have been accurate. Other predictions have been wacky and weird.

Guessing the future isn’t as hard as it once was. In fact, it’s become an important area of study. Experts called futurists look at patterns in the world today. Then they guess what might happen in the future.

Read on to find out what life might be like in 100 years. Which predictions do you think will come true?

Close your eyes. Imagine that you’ve traveled 100 years into the future. What do you see? Kids riding to school in flying cars? Robots delivering doughnuts? Talking dogs? People have dreamed about what the future might be like for years. Some of these dreams have been accurate. Other predictions have been wacky and weird. 

Guessing the future isn’t as hard as it once was. In fact, it’s become an important topic people study. Experts called futurists look at patterns in the world today. Then they guess what might happen in the future. 

Read on to find out what life might be like in 100 years. Which predictions do you think will come true?

Need a new notebook for school? What about a new shirt? You won’t need to run to the store! We’ll be able to print whatever we want—even food—on 3-D printers. Instead of ink and paper, these special machines use materials like plastic, metal, and food. They create solid, three-dimensional objects. Every home will have one!

Need a new notebook for school? What about a new shirt? You won’t need to run to the store! We’ll be able to print whatever we want on 3-D printers . . . even food! Instead of ink and paper, these special machines use materials like plastic, metal, and food. They create solid objects. Every home will have one! 

We’ll cheer for machines that have been taught to play a sport—just like we cheer for human athletes today. The games will be as thrilling as the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl! Robo-Olympics anyone? 

Robots will play sports! We’ll cheer for these robots just like we cheer for human athletes today. The games will be as exciting as the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl! Robo-Olympics anyone?  

Life beyond planet Earth will be discovered. It might be a tiny speck found on a space rock. It could be floating purple slime on a faraway planet. It’s unlikely that life on other planets will look like us. But who knows? Whatever this alien life is, we’ll learn about it in science class. 

We will find life in places other than Earth. It might be a small speck found on a space rock. It could be floating purple slime on a planet far away. It’s unlikely that life on other planets will look like us. But who knows? We’ll learn about this alien life in science class.  

Toilets will monitor our health by testing our waste. They will tell us when we’re not drinking enough water or getting enough vitamins. They’ll even tell us when we’re about to get sick. Thanks for the heads up, toilet!  

Toilets will monitor our health by testing our waste. They will tell us when we’re not drinking enough water. They will tell us when we’re not getting enough vitamins. They’ll even tell us when we’re about to get sick. Thanks for the heads-up, toilet!