Buzz
In today's 21st century, we take pride in our ability to innovate. However, authors from a hundred years ago faced many of the same challenges we do, and often, they proposed the very solutions we are now putting into practice.
10. Antidepressants
When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1933, he predicted the rise of genetic engineering and a recent development—antidepressants.
In the novel, characters freely use a drug called “soma.” They self-medicate depending on how tough their day has been. The drug elevates their mood to such an extent that they fail to recognize their dissatisfaction with the life they're destined to live. Despite this, the novel casts soma in a negative light, presenting it as a means to control the masses, rather than as a remedy for illness.
Recent studies from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reveal that we may be heading in a similar direction. In countries such as Canada, Australia, and Iceland, one in ten people are prescribed some form of antidepressant. Researchers suggest that, much like Huxley’s fictional world, these medications are more often used to treat unhappiness rather than the clinical depression they were originally intended to address.
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9. The Credit Card System
In 1888, Edward Bellamy published *Looking Backward*, a visionary look at the urgent need for social reform. The story follows a wealthy, privileged protagonist who, after being put into suspended animation following a house fire, is presumed dead and wakes up 113 years later in a dramatically different world. The novel addresses socioeconomics and offers a response to the class struggles of the time.
Bellamy considered the rapid growth of cities and the increasing reliance on industry, imagining how society would evolve if these trends continued. The resulting economic system should sound unsettlingly familiar. Corporations expanded exponentially until they controlled all the capital, which was then consolidated into a single centralized system. Paper money and coins became obsolete. Instead, each person was given a fixed amount of credit at the beginning of each year within this vast, unified credit system.
Instead of cash, people use a card to make purchases, with the cost deducted from the credit they are allotted for the year.
8. Trousers For Women
In the early 19th century, 17-year-old Jane Webb read Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein*. Disappointed by her portrayal of a non-existent divine power, Webb crafted her own response to the novel. *The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century* centered on the resurrection of a mummy rather than the creation of life from scratch. The novel wasn't merely a critique of divine power; it also provided a glimpse into the future that Webb (later Jane Loudon) imagined.
Along with predictions of future innovations like espresso and air conditioning, Webb envisioned a more feminist society. In her world, the monarchy is ruled and passed down through the female line. Perhaps most surprising for the time when the book was published in 1828 was the standard attire for women in Webb’s 22nd century. Women in her world wear trousers—often paired with long, flowing garments, but trousers nonetheless. One of the women's accessories also foretold another fashion trend that wasn’t widely accepted at the time: the Glo-stick.
7. A Global News Network
Jules Verne is widely recognized as a trailblazer in science fiction, credited with foreseeing numerous inventions that are now part of our everyday lives. One such prediction, often overlooked, appeared in a short story first published in *Forum* magazine in 1889, titled *In The Year 2889*.
Verne envisioned the future of journalism with remarkable accuracy. In his time, newspapers were the main source of news for the public. Looking ahead, he imagined all the world’s small newspapers merging into a single massive news agency based in the same city as the world’s central government. He named it the Earth Chronicle.
Rather than relying on printed news, Verne predicted that people would be able to listen to newsreaders deliver the latest updates through a device that could broadcast news instantly or store it for later listening. This device would provide interviews with politicians, statesmen, and scientists, ensuring that everyone could stay informed about global events with ease and efficiency. The head of the news agency would become a figure of immense power and fame, revered like royalty.
6. The Taser
It may be hard to believe, but the Taser actually finds its origins in a children’s book series from the early 20th century.
The first installment of the Tom Swift series debuted in 1910, and since then, over 100 books have chronicled the adventures of the teenage inventor. Rather than having a single author, the series was written under various pseudonyms and produced by a team of writers hired by the Stratemeyer Literary Syndicate.
Many inventors credit Tom Swift as their source of inspiration, including Jack Cover, the inventor of the Taser. The name Taser is an acronym for “Tom Swift’s Electric Rifle,” with the addition of an “a” for ease. Cover was inspired by an incident in which he saw a man collide with an electric fence and become paralyzed but otherwise unharmed, which reminded him of the electric rifle Tom Swift once invented.
5. The Internet
In 1898, Mark Twain wrote a short story titled “From the London Times of 1904,” in which he imagined a device called the telelectroscope. This “limitless-distance telephone” allowed people around the world to communicate instantly via video screens.
In the story, characters using the telelectroscope can call anywhere, learn about distant cultures, and observe the daily lives of people across the globe. The protagonist, sentenced to death for allegedly murdering a man he had argued with over the telelectroscope's value, uses the device in prison to explore the world he’ll never experience. Just before his execution, he sees his supposed victim alive and well on a news broadcast on the device.
4. Skype And Video Chat
Hugo Gernsback, the founder of Amazing Stories, the first magazine focused exclusively on science fiction, also gave his name to the prestigious Hugo Awards. At the dawn of the 20th century, he penned Ralph 124C 41+; A Romance of the Year 2660, which was published in Modern Electronics. While critics have not been kind to the story, claiming it lacked quality, it still holds a significant place as one of the earliest works of modern science fiction, inspiring future generations of writers.
In the novel, one of the initial gadgets used by the protagonist is the Telephot. This device functions as a screen that enables video calls, allowing the user to connect with anyone through video chat.
Besides enabling real-time conversations, the Telephot also comes equipped with an automatic language translation feature, allowing seamless communication between different languages. This futuristic technology is nearing realization today, thanks to a partnership between Skype and Microsoft, who are working to bring this century-old concept into the present.
3. Jet Packs
Jet packs, which appeared in numerous science fiction tales of the 1960s and 1970s, first debuted in a 1928 edition of Amazing Stories. The cover story featured Captain Anthony Rogers, a World War I aviator who used a jet pack to fight crime in the future. This character, who later became known as Buck Rogers, went on to star in his own comic series and movies.
It didn't take long for innovators, inspired by these stories, to attempt to turn them into reality. In 1930, the first patent for a jet pack (yet to be tested) was granted.
While jet packs aren't a common sight in most people's garages, functional versions do exist today, slowly gaining traction as their practicality improves. Researchers in New Zealand have been at the forefront of developing personal jet packs. After three decades of research, these packs now offer better maneuverability, reduced weight, and modest advancements in reducing the substantial fuel consumption required for takeoff.
The Martin Aircraft Company has recently introduced their Martin Jet Pack, a modern version designed for use by first responders. This single-person jet pack, powered by gasoline and oil, offers about 30 minutes of flight time, can reach speeds of up to 56 kilometers (34 miles) per hour, and can ascend to a height of 914 meters (3,000 feet). The company is also working on a model designed for personal, private use.
2. Self-Aware Machines
Robots have been around for quite some time now, but it is only in recent years that scientists have made significant strides in granting them a level of consciousness.
At Yale, researchers have created a robot capable of independent thinking, able to grasp fundamental ideas behind concepts like mirrors. These robots are specifically designed to learn on their own and are intended as independent companions for children with special needs. Meanwhile, at Cornell University, scientists have developed a multi-limbed robot that has not only learned to move but can also adapt to the loss of a limb or other bodily changes.
The concept of a self-aware robot was first explored in the play R.U.R. by Czech author Karel Capek. The play is often credited with coining the term 'robot,' derived from the Czech word 'robota,' meaning 'servitude.' The story centers on a young robot technician who observes robots gaining self-awareness and rebelling against their mindless labor. She begins creating robots specifically to help them develop consciousness. Naturally, these sentient robots conclude that the human race must be eliminated.
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1. Androids
As we’ve witnessed, science fiction has predicted much of the technology we now use daily. It has also introduced ideas that were once considered purely science fiction but are now starting to become a reality.
In 1868, Edward Ellis's tale 'The Huge Hunter' imagined an innovative use for steam power—a colossal mechanical man. Designed by the brilliant yet flawed inventor Johnny Brainerd, the steam-powered man was crafted from glossy black iron, with a boiler embedded in its chest, a menacing face, a whistle for a nose, and a top hat perched on its head. It was said to move as naturally as a human, controlled by a driver who steered it with reins, much like a horse.
When Johnny Brainerd's adventures and his creations were first published, they were seen as nothing more than whimsical tales for children, lacking any serious merit. Today, however, human-like robots are becoming more and more common.
BEAR, the Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot, features an upper body that combines human-like dexterity with the strength of machines. On the other hand, Actroid might just be one of the eeriest and most lifelike robotic creations yet—so realistic that some people fail to recognize it's actually mechanical.
