Category:
New Year
New Year
The Year 2025, as foreseen in 1925
Welcome to 2025!The scientist Archibald Montgomery Low (1888-1956) is remembered as a pioneer of drone aircraft. He also liked to make predictions about the future. Back in the early 1920s he published a book titled The Future in which he speculated about what the world would look like in 2025, as well as in the year 3000.
Some of his predictions were quite accurate. Others were more bizarre.
What I judge to be his accurate predictions:
"Signatures to checks may be sent by wireless to the bank while the cashier watches by 'television'"
"The average man of 2025 will be awakened by a radio alarm clock."
"At breakfast... a loud speaker will take the place of a morning paper, giving him all the news, while a 'television' machine will replace the daily pictorial newspapers."
"automatic telephones will be everywhere and will get the right number at all times"
"In the evening when a business man goes to the movies he will see half a dozen films being shown at the same time on the same screen. He will glance at the program and by setting his observation apparatus to the key number of the film he wishes to see, he will cut out all but that one."
"The average man of 2025 will be awakened by a radio alarm clock."
"At breakfast... a loud speaker will take the place of a morning paper, giving him all the news, while a 'television' machine will replace the daily pictorial newspapers."
"automatic telephones will be everywhere and will get the right number at all times"
"In the evening when a business man goes to the movies he will see half a dozen films being shown at the same time on the same screen. He will glance at the program and by setting his observation apparatus to the key number of the film he wishes to see, he will cut out all but that one."
And his inaccurate ones:
"women will at last dress logically in a one-piece hygienic suit, warmed by wireless"
"baldness will be almost universal"
"[The man of 2025] will then go to his office in his own car, which will be carried by an elevator to the door of his office. If he has to go anywhere on foot moving sidewalks will convey him without exertion."
"baldness will be almost universal"
"[The man of 2025] will then go to his office in his own car, which will be carried by an elevator to the door of his office. If he has to go anywhere on foot moving sidewalks will convey him without exertion."
News of Cumberland County - Sep 15, 1925
You can read Low's book at the Internet Archive. I think he would have liked the fact that his book is available on-demand via "wireless."
Below are some illustrations from the book.
More info: "Scientist's 'ruthlessly imaginative' 1925 predictions for the future come true – mostly" (The Guardian)
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jan 01, 2025 -
Comments (6)
Category: 1920s, New Year, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Welcome to 2024, the year of ‘A Boy and his Dog’
We've now got AI, but still no telepathic dogs.
Based on the poster below, I think the French version of the movie was titled, "Apocalypse 2024". Hope that's not prophetic.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 01, 2024 -
Comments (5)
Category: Movies, Science Fiction, New Year
The Unhappy Mr. Happy Newyear
Happy Newyear was a carpenter who lived in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. Technically his first name was 'Emil', but everyone, including his parents, had been calling him Happy since he was a child .The media found out about his unusual name sometime in the early 1940s, and from that point on Newyear would be hounded by reporters every New Year.
Minneapolis Star - Dec 31, 1943
Brantford Expositor - Jan 4, 1947
At first he reluctantly played along with it all. In 1947, he and his wife even participated in a New Year's show in Toronto. But as the years went by, it's evident he had had enough. By the 1960s, when reporters were still seeking him out each year, he would simply close the door in their face.
Sioux City Journal - Jan 2, 1960
I think 'Happy' or 'Hap' must be a fairly common nickname among people whose last name is Newyear. A quick search of cemetery records found two Newyears with the nickname 'Hap': Francis "Hap" Newyear and Harold "Hap" Newyear.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 31, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Odd Names, New Year
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