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Art_from_Ark

(27,247 posts)
Mon Dec 2, 2013, 10:12 AM Dec 2013

The 21st Century-- as seen from 1967

This is really cool. Back in the late '60s, Walter Cronkite narrated a TV program called The 21st Century which was filled with predictions of what life would be like today. This particular episode examines the house and family of the future, which is now. Some of its predictions hit the mark-- like nearly every home would have a computer in the 21st century. Other predictions weren't so prescient-- like the average American worker would get 30 days of paid vacation a year.

At any rate, here's a glimpse of what some people back in 1967 were expecting life in the 21st century would be like:

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The 21st Century-- as seen from 1967 (Original Post) Art_from_Ark Dec 2013 OP
I have some Weekly Readers from elementary school in the late '40s. RebelOne Dec 2013 #1
I have a set of National Geographics from the immediate post-war era Art_from_Ark Dec 2013 #3
Postalgia Ron Obvious Dec 2013 #2

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
1. I have some Weekly Readers from elementary school in the late '40s.
Mon Dec 2, 2013, 03:27 PM
Dec 2013

Super highways (freeways) were predicted along with flying cars, fast passenger airliners and much else that we take for granted today.

Art_from_Ark

(27,247 posts)
3. I have a set of National Geographics from the immediate post-war era
Mon Dec 2, 2013, 04:48 PM
Dec 2013

Greyhound Bus Company had ads in which they predicted they would be offering helicopter service in the future.

 

Ron Obvious

(6,261 posts)
2. Postalgia
Mon Dec 2, 2013, 03:34 PM
Dec 2013

On one of my favourite podcasts, A Way With Words, I've heard the word Postalgia coined to describe that feeling of nostalgia for the optimism of the 1950's and 1960's when it came to the future. That automatic assumption that things were going to continue to get better and better.

So different from the (probably more realistic) cynicism of today which assumes it'll be awful in the future...

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