Just realized that old Popular Mechanics article from 1999 predicted we'd all have flying cars by 2020.

Was cleaning out my dad's garage last weekend and found a stack of old magazines. One had a piece saying personal aircraft would replace cars within 20 years. We can barely keep drones from crashing into trees. My buddy laughed and said we can't even get self-driving taxis to work right in Phoenix yet. Has anyone else stumbled on predictions that aged this badly?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.charles4d agoMost Upvoted

Found a 1970 issue once. Predicted jetpacks for everyone by 1995. Reality check: my neighbor's drone got stuck in a tree last week. Took three hours to get it down. Practical advice if you find old predictions like that - use them as a reality check for current forecasts. The guys selling flying cars now are the same ones who sold jetpacks back then. Keep your money in your pocket until you see actual working prototypes on the road. Not CGI videos. Real metal and engines.

ryan_carr594d ago

And the thing is, those old predictions usually ignored basic stuff like battery life and maintenance. My uncle actually bought one of those early personal hovercraft kits in the 70s, and it spent more time in his garage getting parts replaced than it ever did on the water. So yeah, I'd rather wait and see a flying car actually fly without catching fire before I get excited.