Most accurate predictions of all time
In 1989, the great-grandson of a famous 19th century author sold his ancestor’s house. While clearing out the place, he had to get rid of an old, bronze safe, the keys to which had been lost, and which was believed to be empty anyways.
They cracked it with a blowtorch and, to their surprise, found a stack of papers inside. Tucked beneath a few sheets of linen lay an unpublished manuscript and it was time for the world to see it.
Paris in the Twentieth Century was written by Jules Verne in 1863. Even before his eerily accurate prediction of the Apollo moon landing, he thought of a Paris in 1960 that could have hardly come any closer to the reality that followed:
- A circular metro train system would take people through the vastly spread-out city on separate tracks, using a mix of compressed air and magnetic levitation - like a modern subway or even a Hyperloop.
- Colleges hosted hundreds of thousands of students, mostly with the goal of them pursuing careers in science, business, and technology. Arts were somewhat forgotten.
- Street lanterns came on automatically at night, thanks to electric light.
- Gas cabs would run on a pressured mix of air and hydrogen, which was lit to power an engine with a drive shaft, replaced horse-drawn carriages. And you could fill up at gas hydrants at parking spots.
- Elevators carried clerks at large bookstores up and down through endless aisles of shelves, even relieved people from taking the stairs at home.
- The mass production of everything has made life comfortable, luxurious, and cheap, if somewhat dull.
Furthermore, he talks about skyscrapers, fax machines, even simple computers and a network that sounds like the internet. He mentions alarm systems, wind energy, weapons of mass destruction and the electric chair. It’s a dystopian vision, but a precise one nonetheless.
What’s most astonishing is that Verne didn’t pull any of these out of his imaginary hat. All he did was to mentally fast forward the best science and technology had to offer at the time. The man was a master extrapolator.
That’s why he missed some rather basic things, like the typewriter, invented in 1867. But those are nothing compared to the giant, Copernican mistake his publisher made when Verne showed him his initial draft.
Like many of us, when confronted with the wild dreams of visionaries, he said:
“No one today will believe your prophecy.”
Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library.
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