It ’s 2015 . But sometimes it feels like our futuristic dreams are stick in the 1950s and 60 . And there ’s actually a good reason for that .
The period between 1958 and 1963 might be described as a Golden Age of American Futurism , if not the gilded Age of American Futurism . Bookended by the founding of NASA in 1958 and the goal of The Jetsons in 1963 , these few years were fill with some of the tempestuous techno - utopian dreaming that American futurists had to proffer . It also materialize to be the accurate timespan for the greatest futuristic risible airstrip to ever beautify the Sunday comic strip : nearer Than We Think .
Jetpacks , meal pills , wing railcar — they were all there , beautifully illustrated byArthur Radebaugh , a commercial artist establish in Detroit well known for his study in the auto diligence . Radebaugh would help influence unnumerable Baby Boomers and shape their expectations for the futurity . The influence of Closer Than We conceive can still be felt up today .
How many of these imaginativeness of the time to come are we still hold back on ?
1)Solar-Powered Cars
motorcar have made tremendous strides in fuel efficiency over the past half one C . But we ’re still waiting for this sunray sedan — a solar - power car that was promise from no less an sureness than a vice president at Chrysler .
2)Glass Domed Houses
People of the 1950s and 60s seemed to be obsessed with protecting their habitation from the weather . Even if it meant literally living in a bubble , like this suburban utopia , which was protected from the elements by a giant , meth dome .
3)Super-sized Crops
How does one begin to exhaust a cob of corn as grown as a school bus ? That question was n’t answered in this 1962 edition of the comic strip . But just think of the vast popcorn it would produce ! ( Yeah , I still have no theme how you ’d eat it . )
4)Robot Warehouses
If you ’ve seen the inside of an Amazon warehouse recently , you do it that the futuristic automaton storage warehouse is kind of here . But sadly , they ’re not quite as cool looking as these robo - helper from Closer Than We Think .
5)Push-Button Education
As the Baby Boomers started to go to schooltime in the 1950s America ’s educator were faced with the crisis of overcrowding . One solution they envisioned for the electronic computer - fill up future ? More mechanization , including push - button desks to keep bettor tabs on kids .
6)Walking Machines
These walking machine were meant to be a versatile solution for getting masses out of metropolis during a potential crisis . This venire did n’t describe what had fall out , but it does n’t search good .
7)Flying Carpet Car
The future was speculate to be fill with cars and aviate and hover . But the big question that this “ flying carpet machine ” poses seems to be where the brakes would be . Seriously , how do you stop a vacillate car like that ?
8)Jetpack Mailmen
The postal obstetrical delivery worker of the future would get his very own jetpack ! It ’s just too bad that he did n’t see that whole electronic post thing coming .
9)Highway to Russia
The idea for a main road to Russia is n’t as unhinged as it sound . In fact , citizenry were imagining it long before this 1959 edition of Closer Than We Think went to print .
10)Space Mayflowers
Who need to preserve sprightliness on Earth when we can just pack up and move to the next inhabitable planet ? The August 16 , 1959 edition of Closer Than We conceive envisage that Space Mayflowers would take adventuresome traveller to distant planets once we ’d have on out Mother Earth .
11)Wristwatch TV
Everybody is wondering if smartwatches and other clothing are the Next Big Thing ™ . That remains to be date in the aftermath of Google Glass , but we ca n’t say that we have n’t been wait for generations .
12)Pogo Cop Cars
The police railway car of tomorrow would allow copper a height advantage so particular that one wonder if it ’s an vantage at all . Were they supposed to be able-bodied to go up out of that thing to give hoi polloi tickets ?
13)One World Job Market
The videophone would be incredibly ubiquitous in the future of Closer Than We Think . So much so that enforce for a line would be just a videophone call off , as we can see in this example picture a human beings in Philadelphia taking an interview with a likely employer in Buenos Aires .
14)Driverless Cars
The driverless cable car of tomorrow would let people loosen up and play cards . Or I pretend that was the estimate . Can you imagine this scenario in the yr 2015 ? It ’s hard to think that anyone would be making center contact since their faces would be no doubt buried in their phones .
15)Electronic Home Library
The media depository library of the future was go to be rich and varied . But there ’s something a mo off about this prevision from 1959 . Maybe it ’s the cinema canisters lining the shelf . Or maybe it ’s the 3D - TV sans glass that Pop is see . Or maybe it ’s the fact that Mother is register a book on the ceiling in what attend like the most uncomfortable style to read a Quran of all time .
16)Weather Control
multitude of midcentury seemed to have a particular obsession with controlling the weather in the future tense . Some of it had to do with war scheme . But it seems the bulk of it had to do with controlling the seemingly last matter that human beings had any dominance over .
17)Electronic Christmas Cards
A facsimile Christmas card bounce off the moon to be delivered from Boston to Honolulu ? How futuristic ! Except for that whole composition matter , I guess .
18)Wall-to-Wall TV
I ’m still waiting on rampart - to - wall idiot box sets . But more frustratingly , I ’m still wait on sincerely globular television . The net has indeed opened up the world of media so that more people can savour TV shows from countries they do n’t live in . But the complex web of international licensing agreements makes legally watching some shows from overseas an overly complex task .
19)The Jetscalator
The concepts for moving hoi polloi from one station to another are decadently plush in Closer Than We Think . Even induce between airport terminals would be a pleasure . But we ’re still hold back on this picky version of tomorrow ’s airports to arrive .
20)Robot Butlers
This automaton Samuel Butler may not have the personality of Rosey , but it seems to get the job done . ( If that job include observe you and your family while you sleep with its “ All - Seeing TV Eyes . ” )
21)Tranquilizer Warfare
During the Cold War both the U.S. and Soviet Union were work on dissimilar drug - induced methods of keep down foeman populations . And frankly these “ happy victims ” and “ psycho - gassed diplomats ” do n’t await so upset . BRING ON THE HAPPY GAS , RUSKIES !
22)Combination Bathroom Lounge
Do you ever wonder why Americans call it a public convenience ? Because we like to sit down in there and rest . This combination bathroom - sofa was really extend to take our resting to a new stratum .
23)Electric Car
The in full galvanizing car is begin to dispatch the mainstream . But it was a farseeing time coming . This futurist electrical car runner was supposed to be perfect for quick jaunts to the farmer ’s market .
24)Computerized Desk for the Home
This desk was going to fix the Baby Boomers ’ school day overcrowding trouble for good — by hold open those rugrats at home , where they belong to !
25)Disaster Response Vehicle
Whenever catastrophe hits in Radebaugh ’s worldly concern of Closer Than We mean , we never learn what destroy the macrocosm . But given the mountain of people fleeing a burned out casing of a metropolis , this one ca n’t be good .
26)Cash Registers That Understand Speech
The checkout robot now so mutual at major supermarket chains are a huge pain . But just imagine if you could swear at them and they ’d understand you !
27)Sno-Melter
I used to live in Minnesota , so I know how objectionable snow can be . But I also know that aim a flame - thrower to the road probably is n’t a great thought . I guess the animals or people stuck under that C. P. Snow would at least die a relatively painless ( if fervent ) death .
28)All-Seeing Eye Police Department
The authorities really seem to have an eye on things in this law dispatch centre of the future . Serve , protect , and watch everything that moves .
29)Bloodless Surgery
The surgery of tomorrow would be painless and knife - less . At least that ’s what Closer Than We Think promised . Some version of “ white surgery ” have indeed come to die . But chemotherapy is n’t a walk in the park , as any cancer survivor can secernate you .
30)Factory Farms
Remember when “ manufactory farm ” was n’t a dirty musical phrase ? Me neither . But in the world of Closer Than We Think , giant tomatoes being come in with mystery substance by a man in a white lab coat is n’t something to fear .
31)Fire-fighting Missiles
There ’s a forest blast lecture out of control ! nimble , flunk it into entry !
This planetary house of the time to come was supposed to turn and “ follow the sun ” to provide energy . But one has to imagine that the energy it would take to swivel an entire might make this design impractical ? But I do n’t know , I ’m no house scientist .
33)Motopia
The concept is rather ironically named , but Motopia was supposed to be a pedestrian ’s paradise . go pavement , and car segregated from the walker - level dealings ? It actually vocalize like a pretty coolheaded exercise set - up .
34)Circular Runways
This vision for a circular runway never quite take off . I allege , this vision for a rotary track never quite remove off . Took off .
35)Fat Plants and Meat Beets
Finding alternate source of protein was a compress concern for the people of the fifties and 60 . With the ascent of the halfway class and people gobbling down more and more meat , harvesting bizarre protein - packed plant and make faux - pith stunner seemed like the only logical solution .
36)24-Hour Daylight
Why would someone want 24 day ? I have no idea . Frankly it vocalise like an episode of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror or something . But Closer Than We cogitate promise that one twenty-four hour period you ’d savor it . Because why not !
37)Space Hospitals
evidently in the fifties and 60s people earnestly trust that place traveling would become so common that people suffering from various illness would just zip up to hospital in the sky for the skillful treatment .
38)Flying Fire Engines
As skyscrapers became popular at the turn of the 20th century , one of the biggest hurdle race facing builders was figuring out how to put out any fires that might start . In the world of Closer Than We reckon , flying fervour engine economize the day .
39)Office of the Future
The desk of the future sure looked more space age than was warranted . But that really was the integral level of techno - utopian futurism , I suppose .
40)Robot Railroading
Not only were the motorcar rifle to be driverless , the wagon train of tomorrow would be as well . The porters ? Well , those guy rope were still human body and blood .
41)Rejuvenated Downtowns
Urban reclamation was a hot push button topic of the 1950s and 60s . Many cities experiment with build pedestrian malls . Some worked out well than others .
42)Quick-Change Car Colors
What ’s the height of futurist postwar decadence ? Maybe change your car gloss every day via “ electromagnetic gun ” just because you may . With the stylish people of colour changing so frequently here in the world of the time to come , you ’re much misplace money if you do n’t .
arthur radebaugh
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