Science fiction postulates how the future might manifest, and by existing in the realm of imagination, sci-fi writers can come up with anything.
Sometimes the predictions get a bit eerie, calling out not just the invention but the general societal vibe accompanying it. Though the realm of science (and science fiction) is vast, and it’s hard to say who had what idea first, these are some examples of times when sci-fi stories predicted the future.
The Radio – Jules Verne, in The Year 2889 (1889)
When asked to imagine what the work would look like in a thousand years by a publisher, Verne came up with several predictions, many of which proved surprisingly accurate.
Verne had the idea of news delivered verbally to subscribers rather than read in a paper. He anticipated the advent of radio technology only a few years after scientists had discovered radio waves.
The Internet – Mark Twain, From The London Times in 1904 (1898)
Ostensibly about a man sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit, Twain packs much of his cynicism into this short story. Ultimately a condemnation of the legal system as it existed in its time, Twain still predicts a device that allows his protagonist to speak to people and view sites from all across the world as they occur. TV, anyone?
Personal Computers – The Eagle (1950)
A lesser-known entry, The Eagle was a British comic strip that ran for nearly two decades. With a concept that very much leaned into the possibility of new inventions, the series didn’t get everything right. That said, the comic did predict the PC.
Also, speculating that they would replace TVs as home entertainment devices, The Eagle predicted Netflix.
Video Calls – Hugo Gernsback, Ralph 124C 41+ (1911)
Released as a 12-part serial, this is a silly voyage that makes several predictions, many of which didn’t come to pass. However, it made one very accurate guess in its description of video calls, along with some nods to air travel and tape recorders. Later this would be more developed in sci-fi films like 2001, but for 1911, these ideas were well ahead of their time.
Cell Phones – H.G. Wells, The Shape of Things To Come (1933)
A war destroys Europe and leaves its remaining populace hanging by a thread until many technological advancements allow for leveling the playing field. A surprisingly optimistic view of a Utopian dictatorship run by the world’s best and brightest that works with the good of the people in mind, this story also introduces cell phones, or “wireless communication devices.”
Self-Driving Cars – Ray Bradbury, The Pedestrian (1951)
A writer travels around the city at night in a world where no one walks, and the sidewalks have fallen into decay. He never runs into anyone until a self-driving robotic police car stops him and arrests him, as it can’t understand a person walking around of his own free will.
This story introduces self-driving cars and also opens up a discussion of the importance of public transportation and walking routes.
Smartwatches – Arthur C. Clarke, 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
In a world where mysterious aliens influence the trajectory of humanity, the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey raises many questions about the potential dangers of technology.
This was far from the only time Arthur C. Clarke accurately predicted a technological development decades away from the fact, but characters often utilized smartwatches for communicating. No wonder readers consider it a landmark, and one time sci-fi stories predicted the future.
3D Printing – Star Trek (1966)
Ok, so nobody’s invented a transporter yet, but mankind does have 3D printing on lock. Not only did the original series of Star Trek show its crew utilizing devices that resembled flip phones, but it also gave us machines that could manifest certain items. 3D printing might not entirely be able to drop a warm cup of cocoa on the belt yet, but when it does, we can all say that Star Trek called it.
AI – Metropolis (1927)
Sci-fi films have long speculated about artificial intelligence, even in the silent era. Metropolis introduced a totalitarian, futuristic society in which a robot designed to emulate Maria (Brigitte Helm) sows dissent among workers. The evil creator uses his Machine to provoke an unprecedented uprising that threatens to destroy the city
Siri – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy (1979)
Leaning into the humor potential of a dystopian future, Hitchhiker’s Guide introduces us to Arthur Dent, who escapes from Earth as aliens bulldoze it to make room for a space highway. This series makes all kinds of predictions and commentary around the mundanity of progress and destruction. The Guide Dent acquires to help him in his travels is a small, book-like object with much in common with today’s tablets. Perhaps most notably, it can help answer questions, making it a predictor of Siri.
Earbuds – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
Fahrenheit 451 derives its name from the temperature at which paper burns (apparently, in truth, closer to 480), and nods to themes in the novel. A professional book burner discovers books for the first time, and his horizons expand to the point of questioning everything around him.
Meanwhile, everyone walks around wearing earbuds known as Seashell Radio, meant to indoctrinate the populace. This might qualify as a time sci-fi stories predicted the future…though not in a good way.
Smart Homes – Demon Seed (1977)
For a sci-fi take on Rosemary’s Baby, look no further than this cult classic. Demon Seed follows the disintegration of a marriage that occurs due to the husband’s fixation on robotics. Installing an autonomous computer system named Proteus in their home (that impregnates his wife, yikes!) the movie predicts Smart Homes…though, fortunately, not the future of fornication.
AR – Philip K. D., Minority Report (1956)
At his best, the author asked questions about personhood, interrogating how humans view sentience. His work is rife with AR (augmented reality) and AI, making this a somewhat arbitrary choice as most of his books tackle similar subject matter.
Yet, Minority Report makes all kinds of fascinating tech predictions, including augmented reality, so the book certainly is a time sci-fi stories predicted the future.
Military Drones – The Terminator (1984)
While we would have loved to have left most of the Terminator films in the realm of fantasy, their grim view of the future has occasionally come to pass. In the films, military drones create substantial barriers for the humans resisting the Terminators.
In reality, drones can be used for beneficial purposes, so everyone should hope the predictions end there.
Atomic Bomb – Action Comics #101 (1946)
Another one on the list of things we wish no one had predicted, an issue of Action Comics, showed the villainous Lex Luthor quite invent the Atom Bomb.
Rumors persist that the U.S. government asked DC Comics to delay the release until after the tragedy of Nagasaki and Hiroshima due to its creepy accuracy, down to showing a mushroom cloud rising when Superman activates the explosion.
Organ Transplants – Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
In the early-to-mid 1800s, many scientists dedicated their lives to bringing cadavers back to life by harnessing natural phenomena like electrical energy. Well ahead of her time in most respects, Shelley wrote of a creature revived to life due to mixing and matching some viable organs. Though scientists can’t resurrect the dead (as far as we know), they can perform organ transplants.
Genetic Engineering – Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932)
In this novel, scientists create a “perfect” society through genetic engineering. A subtle criticism of Henry Ford’s assembly line style of mass production, Brave New World predicted people as products. While bleak in terms of the possibilities of genetic engineering, it serves as a potent warning of a society that prioritizes consumption over connection.
Moon Landing – Jules Verne, From The Earth To The Moon (1865)
Trying to figure out which writer predicted men on the moon first is a dicey proposition, as the possibility loomed large in mythology and folklore long before modern sci-fi. Yet, as its title implies, From the Earth to the Moon follows the journey of trying to launch a rocket into space, with the sequel Around the Moon dealing with what the crew finds when they land. Talk about two sci-fi stories that predicted the future.
Cameras Everywhere – George Orwell, 1984 (1949)
Orwell would probably turn over in his grave if he knew how much he predicted in 1984. Still, his prediction of a “big brother” government, forever war, and a surveillance state turned out more than a little bit accurate. In 1984, protagonist Winston Smith interacted with a screen that sees everything in his home.
The Cult of Personality – Octavia Butler, The Parable Books (1993)
Butler’s books have so much insight into the state of things today that it feels surreal. Take the Parable novels, for example, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. An eerie prediction of late-stage capitalism in which a zealot claims to want to “make America great again,” Butler died before she could finish the series. As it stands, masks that allow their wearer to vanish into a “simpler” world and political upheaval predict the online bubbles that cause so much political polarization today.
Sara is a horror writer, a critic, a reporter, a filmmaker, and an artist that has written for many publications and platforms. She is the co-host of the Bitches On Comics podcast as well as the co-founder and editor of the Decoded Pride anthology which focuses on works of queer speculative fiction.
