Predicting the future is deemed by most to be impossible, but throughout history, some people were able to get it right. From predicting wars that would change the world, stark warnings that were foolishly ignored, or inventions spoken of long before their time, here are 15 predictions that turned out to be closer to reality than we could’ve ever imagined.
World War 2 – Ferdinand Foch
When the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, a French Marshal named Ferdinand Foch warned all those present. His message read, “This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years.” Twenty years later, World War II would erupt, one of the most devastating wars in human history. Not only was Marshal Foch’s prediction accurate, but it also showed how the treaty made little effort to secure lasting peace in Europe.
Organ Transplants – Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle was a 17th-century chemist who made a list outlining scientific breakthroughs that would benefit the world if they existed. One of the items on the list was organ transplants, a theory that was never even considered due to its complexities. More than two centuries later, in 1954, the first organ transplant occurred, proving that Boyle’s wish was a visionary idea ahead of its time.
Moon Landing – Jules Verne
The novel “From the Earth to the Moon,” written by Jules Verne in 1865, predicted the moon landing with astonishing accuracy. It described a lunar journey that would be launched from Florida, even guessing the region where NASA’s Space Center would be built in the future. Though the novel was science fiction, its accurate descriptions of the Apollo 11 mission show his insight into space exploration and foreshadowing predictions.
The Internet, Mobile Phones, and Wi-Fi – Nikola Tesla
When Nikola Tesla was interviewed in 1926, he predicted that people would soon be able to wirelessly communicate with each other all over the globe. He said it would be done with small devices that could fit in your pocket, long before mobile phones existed. Without knowing it, Tesla’s vision laid the conceptual foundation for a world dominated by the internet, Wi-Fi, and smartphones.
The Cold War – Alexis de Tocqueville
The French historian Alexis de Tocqueville foresaw that the United States and Russia would at some point become global superpowers. They would not use the same means, but would eventually reach the same goal. More than a century later, when the Cold War started, it seemed Tocqueville’s prediction was true. Both sides, although ideologically different, were the dominant powers in the world and were locked in many geopolitical rivalries that shaped the 20th century.
Credit Cards – Edward Bellamy
A novel set in a utopian world called “Looking Backward” was written by Edward Bellamy and described a credit card system. It showed the denizens of the novel making seamless cashless purchases without much hassle. The book might have been purely fiction at the time, but little did Bellamy know he was predicting one of the largest financial changes in history.
Great Fire of London – Nostradamus
The Great Fire of London happened in 1666, but was predicted by Nostradamus more than a century earlier. In his texts, he wrote that a “burning fire” would completely devastate a portion of the “ancient lady,” which many interpret as London. While there are different interpretations of his message, his words aligned with a major historical event.
President Obama – John Brunner
John Brunner’s sci-fi novel “Stand on Zanzibar,” written in 1969, followed a U.S. president with the name “Obomi.” The president hailed from Africa, and decades later, the first Black American senator, who also hailed from Africa, Barack Obama, would become president. Not only is the name alike, but the origins of the president accurately predicted the rise of Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency.
Photographic Technology – John Elfreth Watkins
The “Ladies Home Journal” in 1900 published the predictions of John Elfreth Watkins. Watkins foresaw the ability to capture an image with color photography and added that you would be able to do it from almost any distance. This prediction can be attributed not only to basic color photography, but also to photojournalism and satellite photography.
The Atomic Bomb – H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells’ 1914 novel, “The World Set Free,” described a weapon of mass destruction eerily similar to the atomic bomb. His weapon would use nuclear reactions and create long-lasting effects after it was used, spreading radioactivity over a large area and making it uninhabitable for many years. Only a few decades after his book, America developed and dropped the first atomic bomb, which resembled the weapon described in his novel.
Earbuds – Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury’s book “Fahrenheit 451” described “thimble radios,” small earpieces that would constantly stream audio into a person’s ears. His idea perfectly mirrored modern wireless headphones and earbuds, which have become an everyday piece of technology. Bradbury’s world was said to be immersed in constant digital noise, and today we have a very similar reality.
Mark Twain’s Death – Mark Twain
Mark Twain was born with Halley’s Comet in 1835, and he remarked that because he came in with the comet, he would also die with the comet when it returned. Less than a day after the comet’s closest approach to Earth, Mark Twain passed away. His prediction of his death is considered one of the most uncanny in history.
Instant Messaging – Vladimir Odoevsky
Vladimir Odoevsky was a Russian philosopher who predicted a form of instant messaging in his 1835 book “The Year 4338.” He spoke of devices that allowed people to instantly send and receive messages across great distances. More than a century and a half later, Odoevsky’s prediction aligned perfectly with the creation of instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Instagram.
iPad – Arthur C. Clarke
In “2001: A Space Odyssey,” written by Arthur C. Clarke, the use of “newspads” was mentioned as devices to receive and read news and other messages. He described the device as thin, with a portable screen that allowed the reader to easily view and manage information. Although his book was written in 1968, a few decades later, the birth of the iPad changed the way people interacted with technology, ultimately respecting his technological insight.
40 Elements of the Periodic Table – Dmitri Mendeleev
Not only did Dmitri Mendeleev develop the periodic table in 1869, but he also left gaps for elements that had not yet been discovered. He predicted the properties as well as the existence of around 40 of these elements, including gallium and germanium, two elements that fit the description perfectly. His foresight shaped future science and demonstrated that brilliant minds can predict the future if enough predictive logic is applied.
