15 Predictions From the 1800s That Came True
The 19th century was a remarkable time of innovation and imagination. While steam engines powered industry and telegraphs connected continents, forward-thinking minds of the era looked beyond their present day to envision technologies and events that seemed impossible at the time.
Amazingly, many of their wild predictions eventually materialized in ways that would astonish even their original creators. Here is a list of 15 incredible predictions from the 1800s that actually came true.
The Moon Landing
In 1865, Jules Verne published his novel ‘From the Earth to the Moon,’ describing a mission where three astronauts were launched from Florida in a spacecraft called Columbiad. Over a century later, the Apollo 11 mission mirrored his vision with astonishing accuracy.
The real-life mission featured three astronauts, launched from Florida, with a command module named Columbia. Verne even correctly predicted the sensation of weightlessness astronauts would experience, despite having no concept of zero gravity.
Electric Submarines
Captain Nemo’s electric submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ (1870) was considered pure fantasy when published. The submarine featured a main cabin, navigational devices, living quarters, and was entirely powered by electricity.
Modern submarines now use similar propulsion systems and designs, making Verne’s detailed imagination remarkably prescient for his time.
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Credit Cards
Edward Bellamy’s 1888 novel ‘Looking Backward: 2000-1887’ introduced the concept of a card that allowed people to make purchases without physical money. In the story, characters used a “credit card” to procure items from public storehouses.
Though Bellamy’s vision functioned more like modern debit cards, the core concept of cashless payments has become universal in today’s financial landscape.
Wireless Communication
Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla predicted wireless communication devices in 1909, telling the New York Times it would soon be possible to transmit wireless messages so simply that any individual could operate their own apparatus. This vision materialized decades later with the development of mobile phones and wireless networks that now connect billions of people globally.
Video Calls
In the early 1900s, a number of publications projected that people would be able to see someone while speaking to them remotely. A gadget known as the “telephot” was described in 1918 by Electrical Experimenter magazine.
It would enable individuals to view a realistic image of someone while speaking to them, regardless of how far away they were—five blocks or a thousand miles. The video calling technology of today was correctly predicted by this prediction.
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The Internet
Jules Verne’s 1863 novel ‘Paris in the Twentieth Century’ described a world where people could interact via a “worldwide telegraph” network. This concept bears a striking resemblance to our modern internet, with its global connectivity and instant information exchange.
Verne envisioned this more than 130 years before the World Wide Web became accessible to the general public.
Modern Warfare
H.G. Wells predicted the development of atomic weapons in his 1914 novel ‘The World Set Free,’ decades before the first nuclear bomb was detonated. He even used the term “atomic bombs” and described their devastating power, radiation effects, and the resulting arms race.
These predictions proved eerily accurate during World War II and the Cold War that followed.
Climate Change Concerns
In 1896, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius calculated that doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide would raise global temperatures. While his time estimate was off, his fundamental insight about human industrial activity affecting global climate patterns was correct.
His early work formed the foundation for modern climate science and the understanding of greenhouse gas effects.
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Television
John Elfreth Watkins Jr. wrote an article in 1900 titled “What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years” for Ladies’ Home Journal. Among his predictions was that people would see around the world through cameras connected electrically with screens thousands of miles apart.
This accurately described television technology, which wouldn’t be commercially available until decades later.
The Periodic Table
In 1869, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev published his periodic table with gaps for then-unknown elements. Based on the patterns he observed, he predicted the properties of seven yet-to-be-discovered elements.
Remarkably, these elements were later found with properties nearly matching his predictions, validating his understanding of atomic structures before atoms were fully understood.
Electric Carsv
Jules Verne described electric vehicles powered by batteries in his 1875 novel ‘The Mysterious Island,’ long before they became feasible. Today, electric vehicles from companies around the world are transforming transportation, much as Verne imagined.
His vision of battery-powered transportation has become an integral part of our strategy to reduce fossil fuel dependence.
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Digital News
In a story attributed to Jules Verne called ‘In the Year 2889,’ he predicted alternatives to traditional newspapers. The concept described resembles modern digital news delivery, where information is continuously updated and available through various electronic means.
This prediction came true with the rise of online news platforms and real-time information services.
Solar Sails
Jules Verne mentioned using light to propel objects in space in his 1865 novel ‘From the Earth to the Moon.’ This concept materialized with Japan’s IKAROS mission in 2010, which successfully deployed solar sails for spacecraft propulsion.
This technology continues to be developed for potential future deep space missions.
World Superpowers
French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville toured America in the early 19th century and afterward predicted that the United States and Russia would one day become global superpowers. He foresaw that these two nations would “hold the destinies of half the world” despite them being on opposite sides of the planet at the time.
This prediction came true during the Cold War era when these nations indeed became the world’s dominant powers.
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Organ Transplantation
In the 17th century, when medical science was barely developing, Robert Boyle predicted that the “transplantation of organs” would someday be possible. Though this prediction came slightly earlier than the 1800s, the 19th century saw the groundwork laid for modern transplant medicine through improved understanding of anatomy and physiology.
The first successful organ transplants would eventually occur in the mid-20th century.
Looking Forward Through the Past
These remarkable predictions remind us of humanity’s incredible foresight and imagination. While today we marvel at how accurately these 19th-century visionaries foresaw our modern world, their predictions weren’t merely lucky guesses.
They were founded on careful observation of emerging trends, scientific principles, and human needs that continue to drive innovation today. The visionaries of the 1800s teach us that by understanding the trajectory of current developments, we might glimpse the shape of things to come in our own future.
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