Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Are We Heading Toward the Day Everything Stops? (1968)

My friend Brian Horrigan, co-author of the retro-futurism bible Yesterday’s Tomorrows, writes a blog for the Minnesota Historical Society called Covering 1968. Brian recently blogged about the cover of the December 14, 1968 Saturday Evening Post. Its headline, “Are We Heading Toward the Day Everything Stops?” is an odd juxtaposition against the colorful (though certainly…

Tech News Matt Novak

Miss Futurama (1940)

Wearing a dress of the year 1960, Miss Futurama, Betty Crain, presents Harvey D. Gibson, chairman of the board of the New York World’s Fair, with the General Motors streamlined car of 1960 in these photos from 1940. The top photo is from the book Exit to Tomorrow: World’s Fair Architecture, Design, Fashion 1933-2005. The…

Tech News Matt Novak

Coshocton County (1961-2011)

This time capsule was buried in a waterproof cement vault in Court Square in Coshocton, MO. The vault is supposed to be opened in the year 2011. 1961 July 18 Coshocton Tribune – Coshocton OH Time Capsuled Contents: Sesquicentennial book Special edition of The Coshocton Tribune Stories and photos of Coshocton county Scroll with names…

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Drury University – Turner Hall Cornerstone (1948-2010)

Demolition crews discovered a time capsule in the cornerstone of Turner Hall at Drury University (Springfield, MO) The time capsule was inside a cornerstone dated 1948, but the time capsule itself cannot be dated until it is opened. “There’s not anything officially scheduled, but the talk was to have a ceremony to open it up…

Tech News Matt Novak

Video Resumes of the Future (1989)

Imagine LinkedIn, with fewer networking tools and more VHS tapes of you performing awkward magic tricks. That seems to be the future of job-hunting according to this article from the October, 1989 issue of Omni magazine. I mean, even Arthur Radebaugh’s prediction 40 years earlier of interviews via videophone was closer to the mark. A…

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Marion Middle School (1986-2010)

This 1986 time capsule from Marion Middle School (Marion, TX) is supposed to be unearthed in 2010. Contents: Pictures of Marion, TX Picture of the school band Taped survey of questions and answers from the Marion student body and faculty The book 2010 Location: 506 South Center Street, Marion, TX 78124 Source: October 2, 1986…

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Montreal, U.S.A. (1901)

According to the February 11, 1901 Akron Daily Democrat (Akron, OH) the official program of President McKinley‘s inauguration in 1901 was to leave no ambiguity about the ambitions of the United States; complete domination of the western hemisphere. After doing some quick research it seems likely that this “futuristic” inaugural program described in the article,…

Tech News Matt Novak

DIY Media of the Future (1981)

What we now call user-generated content was predicted in the 1981 book Tomorrow’s Home by Neil Ardley. I dare say that this is the most accurate prediction we’ve looked at in 2009 (provided we ignore that robot arm, offering up delicious Christmas treats before it slaughters the entire family in a bloody rampage). Enjoy! The…

Tech News Matt Novak

Looking Forward to 2010 (1910)

The 1910 film Looking Forward, directed by Theodore Marston, imagines a crazy dystopia where women rule the world. Because, as this film accurately predicted, women naturally became a political majority after getting the vote. The description below of Looking Forward is excerpted from Eric Dewberry’s paper, “A Happy Medium: Women’s Suffrage Portrayals in Thanhouser Films,…

Tech News Matt Novak

Quick-Change Car Colors (1958)

Imagine a Hypercolor t-shirt. Now, instead of a t-shirt, imagine a car. And instead of a lame 90’s fashion fad, imagine a lame 90’s automotive fad. The September 21, 1958 edition of Arthur Radebaugh’s Closer Than We Think illustrated just such a possible fad. I mean… innovation. The automobile industry is studying a new kind…

Tech News Matt Novak

Burglars of the Future (1910)

This illustration, from the September 10, 1910 New York Tribune, imagines the rooftop burglars of the future. BURGLARS LEARN TO HANDLE THE AEROPLANE WITH PRECISION AND SILENCE: Our artist takes a look into the future and foresees the time when roofs must be secured as carefully as any other part of the home. Previously on…

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Jet Set in 1999 A.D. (1967)

Though commercial aviation has become a tedious exercise in repeatedly proving that your shampoo is not actually made of C-4, it’s easy to forget that air travel used to be too expensive for the average American. Flying was an event, something you dressed up for. It wasn’t so easy to book a relatively inexpensive flight…

Tech News Matt Novak

A Whole World of Metal Men? (1937)

This image was lost some time after publication. Reading about robots as envisioned in the 1920s and 30s, it is always a question of when robots would replace humans in every facet of life, rather than if. This article from the October 17, 1937 San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX) paints a pretty bleak picture…

Tech News Matt Novak

Pets of the Year 2000 As Living Robots (1974)

Most people of the 20th century imagined humanoid robots as the domestic servants of the future. But one curious article from the March 1, 1974 Record-Eagle (Traverse City, MI) described the year 2000 as a world of cyborg Fidos awaiting your next command; be it closing the window, or bombing an insurgent hideout. LONDON (UPI)…

Tech News Matt Novak

Doomsday 1999 A.D. (1981)

While perusing the shelves of a great Portland bookstore (Portland, OR really has the best used book stores in the country) I stumbled across the book Doomsday 1999 A.D. by Charles Berlitz and immediately flipped to the last chapter. In the “apocalypse porn” genre you’ll find that the final chapter is where the author either…

Tech News Matt Novak

Crime Will No Longer Exist in 2007 (1907)

You know what’s awesome about living in the future? Not having to worry about crime of any kind. The March 17, 1907 Washington Post ran a piece from the Chicago Tribune titled “How Our Progeny Will Live One Hundred Years From Now.” An excerpt, which imagines a world where crime is extremely rare, appears below.…

Tech News Matt Novak

16-Hour Work Week by Year 2020 (1967)

The idea that advanced 21st century technology would lead to ridiculously short work weeks was incredibly popular in the 20th century. And why not? Improved efficiency meant we’d obviously be working less, right? Seems like common sense. I don’t need to tell you that things didn’t quite work out as the futurists had hoped. You’re…

Tech News Matt Novak

Tomorrowland Is Trip Into Future (1955)

The July 15, 1955 Independent Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA) ran a special section devoted to the Disneyland park, which was to be opened just three days later. A short piece devoted to Tomorrowland is featured below. For those who’d like to read the entire 16-page special section, I’ve uploaded that as well. This post originally…

Tech News Matt Novak

24-Hour Daylight (1960)

I’d put this retro-futuristic prediction in the “why the hell would you do that?” file. The August 7, 1960 Chicago Tribune ran this panel of Arthur Radebaugh’s Closer Than We Think, titled “24-Hour Daylight.” It imagines a world in which miniature artificial suns illuminate cities of the future. To be fair, those people look like…

Tech News Matt Novak

Have You a Little Robot? (1929)

You like robots? Well, just hold your horses. They’re not here yet. And until they are, you better ride our damn street cars. That seems to be the gist of an ad the San Antonio Public Service Company took out in the February 17, 1929 San Antonio Light. There’s an attitude of inevitability in the…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

Are We Heading Toward the Day Everything Stops? (1968)

Miss Futurama (1940)

Coshocton County (1961-2011)

Drury University – Turner Hall Cornerstone (1948-2010)

Video Resumes of the Future (1989)

Marion Middle School (1986-2010)

Montreal, U.S.A. (1901)

DIY Media of the Future (1981)

Looking Forward to 2010 (1910)

Quick-Change Car Colors (1958)

Burglars of the Future (1910)

Jet Set in 1999 A.D. (1967)

A Whole World of Metal Men? (1937)

Pets of the Year 2000 As Living Robots (1974)

Doomsday 1999 A.D. (1981)

Crime Will No Longer Exist in 2007 (1907)

16-Hour Work Week by Year 2020 (1967)

Tomorrowland Is Trip Into Future (1955)

24-Hour Daylight (1960)

Have You a Little Robot? (1929)

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