26 Times History's Predictions About The Future Turned Out Uncannily True

Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev developed the foundational structure of the modern periodic table in the 1860s. Working with the approximately 60 elements known at the time, he arranged them based on atomic weight and observed recurring properties, leaving gaps where he believed undiscovered elements should sit. Remarkably, Mendeleev predicted the existence and characteristics of several elements yet to be found, such as Germanium, which he tentatively named "ekasilicon" long before its actual discovery in 1886.

In a 1917 National Geographic article, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell warned that the unchecked burning of fossil fuels would create a "sort of greenhouse effect," eventually turning the Earth into "a sort of hot-house." Foreshadowing modern climate concerns, he questioned what energy sources would replace finite coal and oil, suggesting alcohol fuels and solar power devices. His century-old warning about global warming and potential solutions are remarkably relevant today.

French novelist Jules Verne, known for works like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, predicted the moon landing with surprising accuracy in his 1865 book, From the Earth to the Moon. Written over a century before the actual Apollo 11 mission, Verne's story included several details that later became reality. He correctly placed the launch site in Florida, the future home of the Kennedy Space Center, and described a crew of three astronauts. Furthermore, Verne named his fictional spacecraft the Columbiad, remarkably close to the real Apollo 11 command module, Columbia, and even depicted the crew returning to Earth by splashing down in the ocean with parachutes, just as the Apollo 11 astronauts did.

In his classic 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, science fiction author Ray Bradbury accurately described a technology remarkably similar to modern earbuds, decades before their widespread use. He painted a vivid picture of people listening to audio through small devices worn in their ears, writing: “And in her ears, the little seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in...” Bradbury not only foresaw the technology itself but also hinted at the potential for such devices to isolate individuals.

Journalist and psychic William Thomas Stead wrote fictional stories years before the Titanic disaster that eerily mirrored the event, describing a ship sinking due to insufficient lifeboats and another hitting an Atlantic iceberg. These narratives tragically came to fruition with the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, which lacked adequate lifeboats after striking an iceberg. In a striking twist of fate, Stead himself was aboard the Titanic and was among the roughly 1,500 people who lost their lives.

Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was born in November 1835, shortly after Halley's Comet graced the skies. In 1909, he made a remarkably accurate prediction about his own demise, telling his biographer, 'I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.' True to his words, Mark Twain died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910, just one day after Halley's Comet made its predicted return appearance.

As the Supreme Allied Commander during World War I, French General Ferdinand Foch was a key figure in the peace negotiations following Germany's defeat. He strongly disagreed with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, arguing that failing to fully occupy the Rhineland left France vulnerable to future aggression. Voicing his dissatisfaction, Foch stated prophetically during the treaty's signing, ‘This is not a peace. It is an armistice for twenty years’. True to his prediction, global conflict erupted again with the start of World War II almost precisely twenty years later.

After touring the United States in the early 19th century, French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville predicted a future rivalry between America and Russia in his famous book, Democracy in America. He wrote that these two nations would one day "hold the destinies of half the world in its hands," a surprising view at a time when both countries saw Great Britain as the main rival and were geographically distant. Tocqueville believed their different ways of thinking would inevitably lead to conflict, a prediction proven correct over a century later with the onset of the Cold War between the two superpowers.

Decades before Apple launched the iPad, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke described a very similar device in his 1968 novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke called this device a "newspad" and detailed how a character would use it to access information, writing, "[He] would plug his... Newspad into the ship’s information circuit and scan the latest reports... The postage-stamp-size rectangle would expand until it neatly filled the screen." This fictional "newspad," imagined 42 years before the real iPad, closely resembled the tablet computer and its app interface that would eventually become commonplace technology.

Robert Boyle, a key figure in modern chemistry, created a list of scientific predictions back in the 1660s, a time when science was still developing. Among his forward-thinking ideas was the concept of organ transplantation, which he described as "The cure of diseases at a distance or at least by transplantation." This remarkable prediction came true nearly 300 years later, with the first successful organ transplant taking place in 1954.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 1967, electronics company Philco-Ford created a short film, Year 1999 A.D., speculating on future technology. Despite its 1960s style, the film accurately depicted concepts like online shopping, electronic bill paying, home laser printers, and even a form of email, described as "instant written communication between individuals anywhere in the world." The authenticity of this prescient film, which foresaw these innovations decades before the internet age, was later confirmed by Snopes after it resurfaced online and was initially suspected of being a hoax.

In his 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift made a remarkably accurate prediction about Mars, writing about "two lesser stars, or satellites, which revolve about Mars." This description predated the actual discovery of Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos, by over a century. Even more impressively, Swift's fictional account included details about their size and speed of rotation that were surprisingly close to reality, despite the lack of technology to observe such features at the time.

In a 1909 interview with the New York Times, renowned electrical engineer Nikola Tesla remarkably predicted technologies resembling modern cell phones and Wi-Fi, decades before their invention. He envisioned a future where "It will soon be possible to transmit wireless messages all over the world so simply that any individual can carry and operate his own apparatus." This foresight into personal, portable wireless communication devices was truly groundbreaking for the early 20th century.

In his 1888 utopian novel Looking Backward, 2000-1887, author Edward Bellamy described a futuristic system remarkably similar to modern credit cards. Bellamy envisioned citizens receiving a "credit corresponding to his share of the annual product of the nation... and a credit card issued him with which he procures... whatever he desires." As detailed in the novel, he actually coined the term "credit card" more than 60 years before their widespread introduction, foreseeing a world where transactions were based on credit rather than cash.

In his 1911 science fiction novel Ralph 124C 41+, inventor Hugo Gernsback described the practical use of solar energy, among other technological advancements like television and space flight. Although his story was set far in the future (2660), the real-world application of solar power began much sooner, with the first solar-powered device appearing in 1978. Gernsback's foresight highlighted the potential of harnessing the sun's energy long before it became a significant part of modern technology.

In a 1900 article titled ‘What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years’, American engineer John Elfreth Watkins made several striking predictions about future technology. He foresaw advancements in photography, writing, 'Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance.' Watkins imagined scenarios where 'If there be a battle in China a hundred years hence, snapshots of its most striking events will be published in the newspapers an hour later.' He further predicted that 'photographs will reproduce all of nature's colours,' a remarkable insight considering color photography was rudimentary and the concept of instantly transmitting images worldwide was revolutionary for the time.

In his 1931 novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley imagined a future society where the government keeps citizens compliant and happy through a medicament called "Soma." Huxley described Soma as creating "a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds," effectively eliminating sadness and anger, resulting in faces breaking out "in happy, friendly smiles." This fictional medicament has drawn comparisons to modern antidepressants, with the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons noting in 2016 that Huxley's novel "set the stage for our love affair with mind-altering pharmaceuticals."

While many of Nostradamus's 16th-century prophecies are considered vague, his prediction regarding the Great Fire of London stands out for its specificity.

Written a century before the event, his verses stated: “The blood of the just will be lacking in London / Burnt up in the fire of ’66 / The ancient Lady will topple from her high place / Many of the same sect will be k****d.” This accurately pinpointed both the city and the year (1666) of the devastating fire.

Additionally, the line about the "ancient Lady" potentially corresponds to the death of Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, who also died in 1666.

In his 1835 novel Year 4338, Russian writer Vladimir Odoevsky envisioned a future where people communicated instantly, sharing brief updates akin to modern tweeting and longer, journal-like entries resembling blog posts. This prediction is particularly noteworthy because Odoevsky conceived of these concepts more than a decade before the telegraph's invention, lacking any contemporary basis for rapid, long-distance communication.