Hello and welcome back to picsandportraits.
Today, we are going to be continuing our look at the history of the future by exploring
an aspect of retrofuturism which is very apparent but something we really haven’t discussed
in detail and that is just how absurd some predictions or depictions of the future were
in the past.
Now we are going to be doing this mostly through the lens of illustrations that appeared in
the magazines Popular Science and Popular Mechanics.
I’d like to obviously talk about what they were but also some reasons why these predictions
may have been considered plausible at all.
Before we get into that though, this and every video on this channel was made possible by
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With that plug out of the way.
Let’s head back to the future.
So I’d like to start with the preface that although these designs may be absurd and goofy,
the people who created them were still thoughtful and intelligent people.
It’s easy to take for granted the information and resources we have available to us that
the people in the past just didn’t have.
These also were not necessarily attempting to be accurate.
It’s possible an artist was told to make something fantastic and just let their imagination
run wild.
And lastly, just because some of these were frivolous or elaborate, doesn’t mean they
didn’t come to fruition in some way or another.
Retrofuturism is about the past.
That’s what I find fascinating about it.
This world was imagined within the framework of a specific period in time and that’s
reflected in the predictions.
Both of these magazines marketed themselves as presenting science and technology to a
casual audience.
They were both extremely sensational and much of what we see is a response to what is currently
happening.
Like in the Albert Robida video, massive developments in aviation in the early 20th century resulted
in a lot of speculative aircraft.
Some from as early as 1905, that allegedly went to space.
The designs are somewhat conventional on some of these.
The only thing that is off or weird is they way they are propelled.
Others are pretty out there, in both ways.
I understand the thinking behind certain means of propulsion but pilot comfort is definitely
discounted, especially if your craft is powered by spinning.
The nausea.
I’m not the most scientifically inclined, admittedly, but I have no idea how some of
these are even supposed to get off the ground.
For alternative modes of transportation, it seems like the belief was all anything needed
to be better was propellers.
Propellers would move us into the future.
They would not be limited to planes.
They would be put on boats, trains an even cars to make them go faster.
Some with wings, as seen on this boat and train.
Also, hoops.
There were multiple designs for the motor hoop, which is pretty awesome.
It was also predicted that we would all eventually have our own helicopters.
Somehow, these would be stored in just an average garage.
The cars of the future.
Domed wind shields, which are a staple of retrofuturism.
We see these all the time.
Self-driving cars as well.
Cars that drive themselves.
Hover cars.
Flying cars.
This one here is promised to be a decade away.
The past’s obsession with flying cars in the future I think can be boiled down to two
things: optimism and convenience.
For centuries, people have attempted to fly.
With the invention of the car, it’s only natural the sky would be the next step for
a personal vehicle, regardless of safety or practicality.
This would allow greater ease of travel but opens up a lot of logistical issues we don’t
need to get into here, but at the time, technology had advanced so quickly, that I’m sure a
lot of things seemed possible in just a few years.
The monorail, and similar people movers, were another obsession.
There were so many different cool and interesting designs for mass transit but the idea would
never take off like these artists imagined.
During wars, combat basically consumed both Popular Science and Popular Mechanics.
We see futuristic or prototypical weapons, like this unicycle gun contraption hoop thing.
Sure you go fast, but aiming would be a nightmare.
Also, defensive advancements such as a piece of metal you could hide in.
This is from the First World War.
How you would safely see out of this, I don’t really know.
This idea was recycled or revisited in 1933, only instead of protecting you from weapon
fire, it supposed you could withstand the heat of regular fire inside a volcano.
Again, I’m not the most scientific but I feel like this would be a good way to get
cooked.
This mechanical suit from 1965 would apparently give you superhuman strength.
All you had to do was put it on and you could lift a tonne.
Interactive entertainment will soon be coming to your home.
You will be able fish in your living room through a TV screen.
Proto-video games, though these of course would be shot on film.
A $50 sun port.
A kind of glass dome that would allow you to enjoy summer weather, even in the winter.
This would cost just over $500 USD today.
Just like space, the deep sea was once believed to potentially be inhabitable in the future.
Ocean exploration is shown as both an intrepid and leisurely thing.
You could break new ground or just simply take the pleasure craft for a spin, if you
wanted to take a nice Sunday dive with your sweetheart.
And that’s just about going to do it for today.
Let me know what you think.
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We also have a series looking at retrofuturism in video games.
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See you in the future.