In the 1900 December issue of Ladies Home Journal, a series of predictions were made for the next hundred years.
1. The population of the USA will be at least 350 million people, maximum - 500 million. America will build the Nicaraguan Canal, after which Nicaragua will express its desire to become another state of America. A little later, the United States will include Mexico and all other countries of Central America.
2. The average American will increase by 1 to 2 inches (actually three). This will be achieved by improving the general state of his health, associated with the development of medicine, good nutrition, regular sports, sanitary and hygienic measures. The average life expectancy for an American will reach 50 years against the current 35 (in fact, the average life expectancy in America in 1900 was about 47 years, and in 2000 - 76.8). People will live outside the city, and in the city itself there will be no housing at all - only places for work and leisure
3. People will play sports from childhood. Sports at school will become compulsory. An unsportsmanlike man or woman will be considered outcasts.
4. There will be no cars on the streets of large cities - they will move either underground or several tiers above the ground. There will be a metro in large cities. You can climb or descend from the tiers using a self-propelled staircase. Buses will become electric. In the city itself there will be silence.
5. The average speed of the train will be about 200 kilometers per hour, but there will also be super-speed trains - at 240 km / h. Thus, it will be possible to get from San Francisco to New York in a day. The locomotives will be streamlined, cigar-like. They will be electrically powered.
6. A car will cost less than a horse today. A car engine will weigh a pound. Children will ride in car sleds in winter.
7. There will be aircrafts, but they will not become widespread in the passenger transportation sector due to increased danger and overload. Their main purpose will be the military function.
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8. Aircraft and forts on wheels will be at war. Cannons of gigantic proportions will be created, capable of firing at a distance of 40 km or more. The power of the shells will be such that she is able to level a small town. The direction of the projectile will be corrected by special telescopes located at high altitudes. Entire air fleets of bomb-proof ships hiding behind artificial clouds will cruise over enemy territories. There will be no infantry troops at all. Large tanks will be able to develop train speeds. The sea will be dominated by submarines with a large autonomous range.
9. Photos can be transferred from any distance. For example, if there is a war in China, then pictures from it can be viewed in the newspaper an hour after they are taken.
10. A person will be able to look at distances of thousands of kilometers - with the help of special transmitting devices. For example, Americans will be able to watch how kings are crowned in Europe or an opera is given. The equipment will be accompanied by a special telephone, and it will be possible not only to see the image, but also to hear the sounds.
11. There will be no more harmful insects, they will all be exterminated. There will be no mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches
12. Peas and beans will be about the size of beets. Beets and cane will have twice the amount of sugar than today - thanks to special varieties developed by scientists. Plants will be protected from pests just as humans are now protected from smallpox. New plants will be bred, for example, annual rubber, which will be harvested by machine.
13. The strawberries will be about the size of an apple. Raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blackberries, too. Strawberries and cranberries will grow on the bushes. One melon can be eaten by a large family. Apples, pears, peaches and all berries will be pitted. Figs and citrus fruits will be regionalized throughout the United States.
14. Black, blue and green roses will appear the size of a cabbage roach. The violets will grow to the size of orchids. The pansies will be with a sunflower. Any flower of any color with any scent can be grown.
15. There will be no products for sale or advertising on the streets near shops. All products will be stored in refrigerators that maintain not only the desired temperature, but also the humidity. Sellers of stale or counterfeit goods will be arrested and tried.
16. The letters C, X and Q will disappear from the English alphabet. As unnecessary. The newspapers will be sound. English will be more concentrated and the most spoken language in the world. Russian will be in second place.
17. University education will be available to both men and women. Classes will be group. Poor students will be given free clothes, they will be provided with free meals, books, medical care, glasses, housing. They will be entitled to free travel from home to school, and back during the holidays. During the holidays, children will visit different countries of the world. A new subject will be introduced - home economics.
18. Telephones will be wireless, and the communication itself will be automatic, without the mediation of a young lady operator. The husband, being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, will be able to speak on the phone with his wife, who is in Chicago.
19. Opera can be heard on a special telephone in any home, and it will sound just as great as in a great concert hall. Musical instruments will become automatic, and this will allow anyone to play them using electric buttons.
20. Coal will no longer be used on the farm. It will be replaced by hydropower. Each river will have special equipment for generating electricity. Equipment will be installed along the coast of the seas and oceans that converts wave energy into electrical energy.
21. Hot and cold air will come from the tap. A special system will be created for heating or cooling the premises. The air temperature in it will be regulated. There will be no more pipes in the houses.
22. Instead of vans for the delivery of products and things, pneumatic tubes will be used. They will stretch 100-200 km from the central distribution systems. However, warehouses where trucks will be used will remain to supply large enterprises.
23. For the production of ready-made food, shops will be created similar to the current bakeries. This will make food cheaper, since wholesale food prices are always cheaper than retail prices. Food will be cooked in electric ovens. All dishes will be washed with a special solution that destroys microbes.
24. For farmers it will not matter whether the season is winter or summer. Winter will be artificially turned into summer, just like night after day. In cold weather, electrical wires laid under the garden soil will heat it up and the plants will be able to grow as they do during the warmer months. Large, glass-enclosed, electrically heated gardens will be created to provide the plants with as much light as they need. Seeds treated with electricity will produce new types of plants.
25. Oranges will grow in Philadelphia. Fast flying refrigerated trucks will deliver fresh fruit from the tropics in a matter of days. Farmers in South America, Africa, Australia and the South Sea islands (where it is summer, when we have winter) will supply us with fresh produce that cannot be grown in our climate. Melons and other fruits can be stored all winter like potatoes today. For the treatment of internal organs, medicines will be created that will need to be taken internally in small quantities. Internal organs will be transparent for research. Through special microscopes, it will be possible to view and obtain a photograph of any organ of a person or animal. This will be possible with the help of invisible rays.
27. Rats and mice will be exterminated. Horses will practically die out. Only a few breeds will be kept by the wealthy for racing and hunting. Cattle and sheep will not have horns.
28. Electric seagoing vessels will travel at speeds greater than 90 km / h. The vessels will not touch the surface of the water - there will be a thin layer of air between them and the water. They will not have any friction on the surface of the water. The ships will be equipped with electric propellers. During a strong storm, ships will submerge under water and wait out the storm there.