As we embark on a new year, contemplating the future is a natural inclination. But what did people a century ago envision for our present day? In the 1920s, several prominent thinkers offered predictions about the year 2025, some remarkably prescient, others delightfully off the mark. A review of these forecasts, as reported by the Akron Beacon Journal, reveals a fascinating glimpse into the anxieties and aspirations of a bygone era.
One striking prediction came from American psychologist Albert E. Wiggam, who posited a decline in physical beauty. He argued that the higher birth rate among less attractive individuals would lead to a noticeable shift in overall aesthetics over time. In a Brooklyn address, he dramatically declared, “If we keep progressing in the wrong direction, as we have been doing, American beauty is bound to decline and there won’t be a good-looking girl to be found 100 years from now.”
In contrast, advancements in medicine offered a more optimistic outlook. Sir Ronald Ross, the Nobel Prize-winning British doctor, predicted significantly extended lifespans, even hinting at the possibility of immortality. He stated, “A famous American doctor has suggested to me that we should all be immortal. Who can tell what scientific investigation may bring? No one can say how long we may live when we are free from the ravages of germs.” His prediction centered on the eradication of diseases as a key factor in reaching lifespans of up to 150 years.
H.G. Wells, the celebrated science fiction author, offered a geopolitical prediction, envisioning a world dominated by powerful confederations. Speaking at London’s Hotel Cecil, he foresaw a future with only three major global entities: “In a hundred years, there will not be numerous nations, but only three great masses of people — the United States of America, the United States of Europe and China.”
E.E. Fournier d’Albe, an Irish physicist and chemist, painted a utopian picture in his 1925 book. He envisioned a world governed by a single unified government, speaking a universal language, and boasting medical advancements capable of eliminating age-related ailments and treating virtually any injury. He further anticipated the invention of revolutionary new fabrics.
Archibald M. Low, a British scientist, provided a more technologically detailed vision. His predictions included television, automated sleeping beds, wireless banking, moving sidewalks, one-piece artificial felt suits, and women competing equally with men in the workforce. He even imagined rooftop airport terminals facilitating swift, comfortable air travel.
However, not all predictions were so rosy. Professor Lowell J. Reed foresaw a food shortage in the United States by 2025 due to population growth. Conversely, Dr. A.R. Wentz anticipated a sleep substitute and the widespread use of a “pocket-sized apparatus for communications.” Sophie Irene Loeb, president of the Child Welfare Committee of America, offered a hopeful prediction of an end to child poverty. She passionately declared, “There should be no pauper child in this country, and no able-bodied child should be anywhere except in its home. The children — our future citizens — need, and are entitled to, not charity, but a chance.”
These diverse predictions, ranging from the mundane to the fantastical, offer a captivating glimpse into the hopes, fears, and technological imaginings of the 1920s, reminding us that the future, even a century ahead, remains a tapestry woven with both accuracy and surprise.