Century-old predictions come true and others raise eyebrows
As we ring in a new year, we find ourselves contemplating our future, but what if we went back a century to see how our ancestors envisioned the year 2025? In the 1920s, prominent thinkers expressed diverse and imaginative visions, some of which seemed fanciful at the time, but today raise curiosity and question their accuracy.
American psychologist Albert E. Whigham predicted that human beauty might be declining, based on his belief that ordinary people produce more than beautiful people. “If we continue this trend,” he said in 1925, “we will not find a beautiful girl in 100 years.”
On the brighter side, Nobel Prize-winning British physician Sir Ronald Ross dreamed of medicine’s ability to extend human lifespans to 150 years and perhaps achieve immortality.
Novelist H.G. Wells imagined a world made up of three major entities: the United States, Europe, and China. For him, 2025 was a meeting point between great powers rather than independent countries.
Scientist Archibald predicted the emergence of advanced devices such as television, breakfast tubes, and wireless banking services. He also talked about women competing with men on equal footing, and smooth flights from airports on rooftops.
In turn, Professor Lowell J. Reid saw food shortages as a result of population growth, while others predicted the creation of sleep substitutes and small pocket-sized communication devices.
Sophie Irene Loeb presented her vision for a poverty-free future for children, stressing the importance of caring for future generations to ensure a better future.
