Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Predictions for 1993 (1893)

The March 25, 1893 Newark Daily Advocate (Newark, OH) ran predictions of what the world of 1993 would look like. Excerpts from each of the four journalists (George Alfred Townson, Kate Field, Nym Crinkle, and John Swinton) appear below. The entire article is embedded below, or you can read it here. Substitute the word "blog"…

Tech News Matt Novak

Aerial War of the Not-Distant Future (1900)

This illustration of an “aerial battle of the not-distant future” appeared in the November 20, 1900 Duluth Evening Herald (Duluth, MN). As with most of my posts involving newspapers from Minnesota, this image was found in the microfilm library of the Minnesota History Center. A special thank you to the MNHS for keeping their facilities…

Tech News Matt Novak

“Factory” Farms of the Future (1961)

Remember when the term “factory farm” was synonymous with a positive way to produce food? Neither do I. But this April 9, 1961 edition of Closer Than We Think (which appeared in the Chicago Tribune) treats the phrase as a part of humanity’s natural progression in the advancement of science. I imagine what a different…

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Toroidal Space Colony of the Future (1982)

This image appears in the 1982 book Walt Disney’s Epcot Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow. One thing I find curious about the illustration is that it appears to be of a toroidal (or circular) space station, but you can see what looks like sailboats in the water. My simplistic (child-like, really) understanding of…

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Futuristic Pollution Deflector (1968)

The February 23, 1968 Bridgeport Telegram ran this picture of the futuristic urban woman of the year 2000. Her futuristic body paint naturally deflects air pollutants and radioactivity! Happy Earth Day! IS THIS WHAT LIES AHEAD? – A Los Angeles engineer thinks women living in an urban environment in 2000 will look like Vicki Dunlap,…

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Steel Time Capsule for 2056 A.D. (1956)

In 1956 the American Iron and Steel Institute placed a time capsule inside the cornerstone of an office building at 150 East 42nd St, New York City. To mark the occasion the Institute took out an advertisement in newspapers throughout Steel Country. This version of the ad was found in the October 30, 1956 Lebanon…

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Stupid Kids Imagine the Year 2075 (1975)

You know what’s almost as fun as looking at past predictions of the future? Looking at what stupid kids thought the future would be like. Now, you may take issue with me calling these kids stupid, but this article is from 1975 and all these kids are in their mid-40s now. So take that kid-40-year-olds!…

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Space Colonies of the Year 2000 (1979)

In the 1979 book Star Wars Question and Answer Book About Space R2-D2 and C-3PO take young readers through space, explaining different types of telescopes, the search for UFOs, exploding stars, and future space colonies! The image below is described as a space colony that humans could be living in by the year 2000! The…

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U.S. Senate Monorail (1912)

1912 Senate Monorail (Library of Congress) From 1912-61 tunnels below the U.S. Senate building were filled with monorail cars carrying senators on the “shortest and most exclusive railway in the world.” A short history about the monorail system appears on the Senate.gov website and is excerpted below. I’m fascinated with early ideas of what “the…

Tech News Matt Novak

Utne Reader Podcast

I sat down with Jeff Steverns Guntzel and Bennett Gordon at the Utne Reader offices in Minneapolis to talk about the Paleo-Future blog. You can listen to the podcast here. The year 2009 looked very different when seen from the 1950s. Nuclear powered cars roamed the streets and people feasted on meal pills for dinner.…

Tech News Matt Novak

“Aerocar” Hits the Road (1950)

The April 25, 1950 Yuma Daily Sun (Yuma, AZ) ran this picture of Moulton Taylor’s “Aerocar” which could be converted into an airship “even by a woman, without soiling her gloves.” So easy, a woman could do it! “AEROCAR” HITS THE ROAD – With its wings folded back against the fuselage, his flying auto is…

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Corner Grocermat (1959)

The January 4, 1959 edition of Closer Than We Think illustrated the corner grocermat of the future. The modular/mobile nature of the whole idea is reminiscent of the “farm to market” trains featured in Magic Highway, U.S.A. They certainly could have inspired the “mobile malls” of 1981 we looked at a while back. Here’s an…

Tech News Matt Novak

London to New York in 2 Days! (1919)

This September 21, 1919 piece in the Nevada State Journal (Reno, NV) was titled “Giant Air Cruisers To Link Cities of World, Predicts British Expert.” The most interesting part of the article is by far the “Aerial Time Table.” Just 7 days from London to Perth? Amazing! The Daily Chronicle, which indulges in a bit…

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Age Wars! The Coming Battle Between Young and Old (1986)

The article "Age Wars: The Coming Battle Between Young and Old" is from the January/February, 1986 issue of The Futurist magazine. Though the content isn’t necessarily funny, the piece makes me laugh every time I look at it, thanks to the amazing picture that complements the headline so well. 1986 Jan-Feb Futurist "Age Wars" 1986…

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The Gyroscope Monorail System (1912)

August 15, 1912 Fort Wayne Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN) The August 15, 1912 Fort Wayne Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN) ran a short piece about how the gyroscope monorail system was the mass transit wave of the future. An excerpt as well as the full article appear below: On the left, a common scene when the…

Tech News Matt Novak

The Future of the Helicopter (1955)

Flying Platform – 1955 The April 30, 1955 issue of Pacific Stars and Stripes (Tokyo, Japan) ran this short piece about the future of the helicopter. While it’s certainly up for debate, I think the “hoppi-copter” pictured in the article below may be the most dangerous flying machine this side of a flying Ford Pinto.…

Tech News Matt Novak

General Motors Trucks of the Future (1982)

In 1982-83 Geoff Lawson created these concept paintings for General Motors. Stumbling upon great pieces of transportation futurism from the past certainly makes me wonder if a current lack of imagination is what has doomed the American auto industry. (via BigLorryBlog) Previously on Paleo-Future: GM’s Shopping Cart Car (1964) Transportation of the Future (1992) GM…

Tech News Matt Novak

Computer Criminals of the Future (1981)

The 1981 book School, Work and Play (World of Tomorrow) features this beautiful two-page spread. Apparently, thanks to computers, there’s no crime in the future outside of the computerized variety. The “computer criminal” pictured really doesn’t appear to be running very fast. Maybe they’re playing a game of freeze-tag. Or maybe that policeman’s gun has…

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The Prophets of Misery and Robotism (1956)

Victor Cohn, in his 1956 book 1999: Our Hopeful Future, addresses those who romanticize the past and those with a general distaste for technology playing any positive role in humanity’s future. The prophets of misery and robotism too often focus their sights on the cocktail party instead of the school. They describe the life of…

Tech News Matt Novak

Radio-Newspaper Receiver for Home Use (1939)

With so much talk of late about how old media outlets are dying, it may be time to look at past visions of the media future. Not that they worked. Don’t get any crazy ideas guys. The image above is from the excellent blog Modern Mechanix and was featured in the May, 1939 issue of…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

Predictions for 1993 (1893)

Aerial War of the Not-Distant Future (1900)

“Factory” Farms of the Future (1961)

Toroidal Space Colony of the Future (1982)

Futuristic Pollution Deflector (1968)

Steel Time Capsule for 2056 A.D. (1956)

Stupid Kids Imagine the Year 2075 (1975)

Space Colonies of the Year 2000 (1979)

U.S. Senate Monorail (1912)

Utne Reader Podcast

“Aerocar” Hits the Road (1950)

Corner Grocermat (1959)

London to New York in 2 Days! (1919)

Age Wars! The Coming Battle Between Young and Old (1986)

The Gyroscope Monorail System (1912)

The Future of the Helicopter (1955)

General Motors Trucks of the Future (1982)

Computer Criminals of the Future (1981)

The Prophets of Misery and Robotism (1956)

Radio-Newspaper Receiver for Home Use (1939)

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