The most impressive prognostications usually sound ridiculous at the time — but come true in the end.
As science fiction writer Arthur Clarke said, "If by some miracle, a prophet could describe the future exactly as it was going to take place, his predictions would so sound so far-fetched, so absurd, that everyone would laugh him to scorn."
This Quora post inspired us to put together a list of the greatest predictions ever made.
From the 1660s: One day humans would transplant organs from one body to another.
In a handwritten list from the 1660s, Robert Boyle made a number of guesses about what the future would hold including "the cure of diseases at a distance or at least by transplantation."
Considering he lived in the pre-Enlightenment era of magic and superstition, the idea of organ transplantation is incredibly forward-thinking. He also predicted GPS "the practicable and certain way of finding longitudes," and other modern innovations.
Source: The Royal Society
From 1783: The U.S. population will reach 300 million by 1983.
By analyzing population growth in Europe, Ezra Stiles, then president of Yale University, predicted in 1783 that America's population would reach 300 million in 200 years. Almost 200 years later to the day, U.S. population hit 300 million.
Source: David Thomson
From 1840: Alexis de Tocqueville predicted the Cold War.
"There are now two great nations in the world which, starting from different points, seem to be advancing toward the same goal: the Russians and the Anglo-Americans .... Their point of departure is different and their paths diverse; nevertheless, each seems called by some secret desire of Providence one day to hold in its hands the destinies of half the world," wrote Alexis de Tocqueville in "Democracy in America" in 1840.
In layman's terms, the two biggest societies thirsted for power and would eventually battle to obtain it. And that fight would affect everyone.
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