Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

American Version of Postcards Showing the Year 2000 (circa 1900)

The image above is an American version of the German postcards from the late 19th and early 20th century. The postcard was found in the book Out of Time: Designs for the Twentieth-Century Future. The text on the left reads, “Compliments of Maher and Crosh Cutlery Co.” while the text on the right reads, “Toledo,…

Tech News Matt Novak

Outer Space Furniture (1964)

OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE features chairs with push-button comfort control and walnut-topped desk which is anchored to the floor. Boing Boing just turned me on to the news photography archive of the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News, run by UCLA. It has an amazing collection of photos from a vast array of…

Tech News Matt Novak

Automobiles Without Wheels (1958)

The October 15, 1958 Lethbridge Herald (Lethbridge, Alberta) ran a story describing the transportation options of the future. Below are excerpts as well as the piece in its entirety. The kind of automobile that futuristic artists have portrayed since the late 1920’s and science fiction writers dream about may be closer than we think. [The…

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Tablet Newspaper (1994)

Knight-Ridder produced a video in 1994 demonstrating their faith in the tablet newspaper of the future. Below is the video in its entirety. We may still use computers to create information but we’ll use the tablet to interact with information. The expert of the video insists that newspaper loyalty will not disappear with the digital…

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Speed is Key to Future Travel (1965)

An editorial in the April 11, 1965 Modesto Bee and News-Herald (Modesto, California) describes the future of transportation. Below is an excerpt as well as the original piece in its entirety. The US News & World Report of Washington, DC, in a recent article summed up some of the plans which will be in actual…

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Disney’s Magic Highway, U.S.A. (1958)

On May 14, 1958 the Disneyland TV program ran an episode called “Magic Highway, U.S.A.” It examined the past, present and (paleo)future of transportation. The 2719 Hyperion blog has a great breakdown of the episode. Below is a short clip of the episode as well as some paleo-futuristic still images. Many thanks to Paul at…

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Waitress of the Year 2000 (1939)

The photo below ran in the May 7, 1939 Chicago Daily Tribune. What the waitress of the year 2000 may wear. Marjorie Hannon, W-G-N actress, models this costume, designed by the National Restaurant association for exhibit during Restaurant week, May 8 to 14. That metallic hair ribbon is an antenna for ultra shortwave radio which…

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Commuter Helicopter (1947)

This painting by Alexis V. Lapteff (1905-1991) is titled “Family Departing Visit with Grandparents in their Commuter Helicopter.” It was produced in 1947 and is featured in the Petersen Automotive Museum book, Driving Through Futures Past. See also: Flying Car Patent (1991)

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Project 2000 – Apple Computer (1988)

In 1987 Apple Computer held a competition called Project 2000. Apple asked student research teams to submit papers detailing what the computing technology of the year 2000 would look like. In early 1988 Steve Wozniak, Alvin Toffler and Ray Bradbury, among others, sat on the judge’s panel. The winning team was from the University of…

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The Mechanical Man of the Future (1928)

On December 9, 1928 The Ogden Standard-Examiner (Ogden City, Utah), along with many other papers, ran a syndicated story about the mechanical man of the future. Much like the insistence that giant robots would soon fight our wars, this article clearly must be taken with a grain of salt. The mechanical man, brazen-lunged creature of…

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Online Shopping (1967)

The most accurate prediction of the 1967 film 1999 A.D. was that of “fingertip shopping”. With a video console channeled into the store of your choice you could (gasp!) shop from home. The “electronic correspondence machine” (or “home post office”) was also quite visionary, although it seems no one was betting on the QWERTY keyboard.…

Tech News Matt Novak

In the Twentieth Century (Newark Daily Advocate, 1901)

The piece below ran on the first page of the January 1, 1901 Newark Daily Advocate (Newark, Ohio). The second to last sentence beautifully expresses humanity’s fascination with futurism: Now, candidly, wouldn’t you like to know what sayers will be saying, thinkers thinking, writers writing, doers doing and plotters plotting at the end of the…

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Spacecraft of 2004 (1978)

The 1978 book Spacecraft 2000-2100 A.D. tells the story of futuristic spacecrafts in the past tense. That is to say, the book tells the “history” of the 21st century through different types of space vehicles. The image below is of the TTA Colonial III spacecraft from page 49. The Colonial was the first of the…

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Future Without Football (Daily Review, 1976)

An article in the April 6, 1976 Daily Review (Hayward, California) ran with the headline, “Students see future without football.” The 21st century will see the demise of football, a cure for cancer and cities under the sea, according to some bright ninth grade students. A special “futurology” class at suburban Milford Junior High School…

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Governor Knight and the Videophone (Oakland Tribune, 1955)

This photo ran in the September 3, 1955 Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) with the caption, “Knight ‘Looks’ Hello – The new Videophone is employed by Governor Knight and his wife at State Fair.” See also: Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993) Face-to-Face Telephones on the Way (New York Times, 1968)

Tech News Matt Novak

A Wonderful Day to Fly (1980)

The 1980 textbook Building Dreams contains a story called, “A Wonderful Day to Fly.” With picturephones, weather control and jet packs, the kids of the 1980s had quite a future ahead of them. Someday, you may look outside on a clear day. Then you may call a friend and say, “It’s not going to rain…

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Envision Odd Styles in 1950 (Hammond Times, 1939)

The June 9, 1939 Hammond Times (Hammond, Indiana) ran a story titled, “Envision Odd Styles in 1950.” Below is the article in its entirety. Harvey T. Noyes, self-styled “man of 1950,” publicly wears definitely futuristic clothes which he confidently predicts will be all the rage among men-about-town 11 years hence. His ultra modern wardrobe was…

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Future Shock – Electrical Stimulation (1972)

This clip from the 1972 film Future Shock depicts a man of the future starting his day with IQ pills and anti-depressant electrical shocks. A number of years from now, perhaps when a person gets up in the morning and has to take the drug to bring his IQ up to the appropriate level, slap…

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Space Colony Possible (The News, 1975)

On August 22, 1975 The News (Frederick, Maryland) ran an article titled, “Space colony possible,” which advocated the building of a space city. Below are excerpts from the piece. A $100 billion city in space that would house 10,000 people and beam solar energy to earth could be a reality within 20 years, according to…

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Language of the Future (1982)

The Kids’ Whole Future Catalog, published in 1982, contains this illustration of future communication. In the future, you won’t have to learn a foreign language in order to talk to people from other countries. You’ll just get out your electronic language translator. If you want to speak in Japanese, you’ll just snap a tiny Japanese…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

American Version of Postcards Showing the Year 2000 (circa 1900)

Outer Space Furniture (1964)

Automobiles Without Wheels (1958)

Tablet Newspaper (1994)

Speed is Key to Future Travel (1965)

Disney’s Magic Highway, U.S.A. (1958)

Waitress of the Year 2000 (1939)

Commuter Helicopter (1947)

Project 2000 – Apple Computer (1988)

The Mechanical Man of the Future (1928)

Online Shopping (1967)

In the Twentieth Century (Newark Daily Advocate, 1901)

Spacecraft of 2004 (1978)

Future Without Football (Daily Review, 1976)

Governor Knight and the Videophone (Oakland Tribune, 1955)

A Wonderful Day to Fly (1980)

Envision Odd Styles in 1950 (Hammond Times, 1939)

Future Shock – Electrical Stimulation (1972)

Space Colony Possible (The News, 1975)

Language of the Future (1982)

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