At the time when most of these predictions were formulated, they seemed nothing more than a figment of a sick imagination. But all, surprisingly, came true.
From the 1660s: "The time will come when people will transplant internal organs from one body to another."
A manuscript by the famous physicist, chemist and theologian Robert Boyle, dating back to the 1660s, speaks of a future when "diseases will be healed at a distance, or at least through organ transplants."
Considering that Boyle lived before the Enlightenment, in an era of magic and superstition, the idea of organ transplantation was an expression of incredibly progressive thinking.
Boyle also owns a number of amazing predictions - including, he spoke of a device reminiscent of the modern GPS system - "a way to find the desired longitude."
From 1840: Alexis de Tocqueville predicted the Cold War
Promotional video:
“There are now two great nations on Earth that started from opposite positions and seem to be moving towards the same goal: the Russians and the Anglo-Americans … They have different starting points and they follow different paths; nevertheless, each of them secretly cherishes the dream of taking into their own hands the fate of half of the world, wrote the French politician Alexis de Tocqueville in 1840 in his Democracy in America.
In a nutshell, Tocqueville believed that the two largest states were hungry for power and would eventually fight for it. And that this rivalry will somehow affect the fate of the whole world.
From 1863: At a time when only 60 elements were known, a Russian chemist created a periodic table in which he accurately predicted the existence of 40+ more unknown elements with their weight and properties
Dmitry Mendeleev predicted the discovery of chemical elements unknown in his time with amazing accuracy. He began his research in 1863, when science knew about the existence of about 60 elements. Since then, more than 40 more have been discovered.
Arranging chemical elements in the table according to their weight and properties, Mendeleev found empty cells in it, which, in his opinion, should have been filled.
For example, Mendeleev foresaw the discovery of germanium, and even came up with the name "eco-silicone". This element was discovered in 1886.
From 1865: Jules Verne predicted the landing of a man on the moon
In 1865, 100 years before the flight of Apollo 11, the French writer Jules Verne wrote a science fiction novel entitled From the Earth to the Moon Directly in 97 Hours 20 Minutes.
This book described the details with amazing accuracy predicting the real details of the flight: the launch of the spacecraft from Florida, its name, the number of astronauts on board, and the feeling of weightlessness that they experienced. In 1865, Verne had no way of knowing how gravity felt in outer space.
From 1898: The Novella That Predicted the Death of the Titanic
In 1898, the prolific novelist Morgan Robertson wrote a short story called Futility or the Crash of the Titan. The book accurately predicts both the size of the ship and its death from a collision with an iceberg, and the name is very similar.
The Titanic sank 14 years after the publication of this book by Robertson.
From 1909: Nikola Tesla Predicted the Invention of Wireless Personal Devices
»It will soon be possible to send messages around the world wirelessly. It will be so easy that an ordinary person can own and operate his own apparatus, Nikola Tesla told the New York Times in 1909.
From 1914: H. G. Wells predicted the invention of the atomic bomb
In 1914, H. G. Wells wrote the novella World Unleashed, in which he described the destruction of the city by the "atomic bomb." At the time, Wells could not have known what the explosion of a real atomic bomb might actually be, although he had some idea of radioactive elements.
From 1988: Isaac Asimov Predicted We Will Learn Through the Internet
In an interview that science fiction writer Isaac Asimov gave in 1988, he practically predicted the emergence of the Internet. More precisely, he described a system in which students will have access to a universal source of information.
Azimov suggested that through computers a person will be able to get into any library in the world, and that he (a computer) will become "a teacher in the form of access to all the knowledge accumulated by humanity."
Azimov was very concerned with improving the education system and saw the ideal solution to this problem in online learning.
“What people call training today is just coaching. Children are forced to learn the same thing, according to the same scenario, at the same pace and at the same time. But they are all different. One perceives information very quickly, the other - slowly, the third may need additional explanations …"
From 1993: An AT&T broadcast predicted the tablet as we know it today
In 1993, the American television company AT&T released a series of commercials with imaginary technological devices under the general name "You Will", which seemed completely incredible. Among them was a device that could send a fax from the beach.
This device, as you can see in the picture, looks exactly like a tablet today. 20 years later.
From 2006: Euro Pacific Capital CEO predicted the 2008 crisis
During a debate on Fox News on May 16, 2006, Peter Schiff, CEO and strategist at Euro Pacific Capital, accurately predicted that the US real estate market was a bubble that was about to burst.
At the time, most analysts believed that the American economy was in excellent shape and not in danger.