When Science FICTION Becomes Science FACT!

Summary

This video explores how science fiction has remarkably predicted various technological advancements. From Isaac Asimov's vision of computers connected to vast libraries to Jules Verne's forecast of space travel, many sci-fi authors accurately foresaw inventions like the internet, geostationary satellites, and even the atomic bomb. The video highlights how the scientific knowledge of authors like Arthur C. Clarke and HG Wells helped shape their futuristic predictions. While not all predictions have come true, many were surprisingly spot-on, underscoring the connection between science and science fiction.

Takeaways

• 🖥️ Isaac Asimov in 1988 envisioned a future with computers connected to vast libraries, enabling personalized, on-demand learning.
• 🌐 Science fiction often serves as a platform for predicting future scientific advancements, despite not always being accurate.
• 🚀 Jules Verne's 1865 prediction about a moon mission aligned remarkably with the Apollo 11 mission over a century later.
• 📡 Arthur C. Clarke foresaw geostationary satellites and even influenced the naming of the 'Clarke Orbit' for satellites.
• 📚 Mark Twain and Douglas Adams predicted aspects of the internet and handheld devices containing vast repositories of knowledge.
• 📱 Robert Heinlein and Ray Bradbury predicted technologies like screensavers, flatscreen TVs, and ear-worn communication devices.
• 🤖 Philip K. Dick's works have influenced modern concepts of AI and surveillance, with some predictions reflecting current technological trends.
• 💡 H.G. Wells, known as 'the man who invented tomorrow,' made numerous accurate predictions about technology like the iPad and automatic doors.
• 🧬 H.G. Wells also touched on themes of genetic engineering and the ethical dilemmas of manipulating nature.
• 🔬 Many successful science fiction writers, such as Asimov, Clarke, and Wells, had strong scientific backgrounds, which likely contributed to their accurate predictions.
• 🔮 The ability to predict the future in science fiction is often rooted in a solid understanding of science, allowing authors to extrapolate technological advancements.

Q & A

What did Isaac Asimov predict in 1988 about personal computers and education?

In 1988, Isaac Asimov predicted that everyone would own computers connected to massive libraries, allowing access to digital teachers and reference materials on demand, enabling personalized learning at one's own pace, wherever and about whatever one chooses.

What is the significance of science fiction in predicting the future?

Science fiction often provides a 'tomorrow-y' perspective, allowing for predictions about future scientific advancements. While not all predictions are correct, many have been surprisingly accurate throughout history.

How did Jules Verne's 1865 prediction about space travel compare to the actual Apollo 11 mission?

Jules Verne predicted in 1865 that the US would send three men to the moon in a spaceship named Columbiad launched on a rocket weighing 20,000 pounds at a cost of 12.1 billion dollars. In reality, 104 years later, the US sent three men to the moon in a spaceship named Columbia on a rocket weighing 26,000 pounds at a cost of 14.4 billion dollars.

What did Mark Twain predict about a worldwide network in his 1898 story?

Mark Twain predicted a worldwide network of interconnected telephone devices in his 1898 story 'From the 'London Times' of 1904', which would allow people to share information and also foresaw that people would waste time looking at what others were doing.

What was Douglas Adams' prediction about a handheld device in 1979?

Douglas Adams wrote about a handheld device that was the standard repository for all knowledge and wisdom in the galaxy in 1979, which can be seen as a prediction of today's smartphones and the internet.

What did Arthur C. Clarke predict in his 1945 article about 'extra-terrestrial relays'?

Arthur C. Clarke predicted and laid out a plan for the modern system of geostationary communications satellites in his 1945 article. The particular altitude of space where those satellites operate is known as the 'Clarke Orbit'.

How did Hugo Gernsback's 1911 story predict the invention of radar?

In his 1911 story 'Ralph 124C 41+', Hugo Gernsback predicted that an emitted radio wave should reflect off distant objects and make them detectable like visible light, which is the principle behind radar, an invention that came nearly 25 years later.

What technological predictions did Ray Bradbury make in 'Fahrenheit 451'?

In 'Fahrenheit 451', Ray Bradbury predicted flatscreen television, 'seashells' (ear-worn devices), and 'thimble radios', which can be seen as early predictions of modern earbuds and wireless communication devices.

What future predictions did Isaac Asimov make during the 1964 World's Fair?

Isaac Asimov predicted in 1964 that by 2014 we would have some robots, nuclear and solar power would replace fossil fuels, self-driving cars, unmanned missions to Mars, and that people would wear distinctive sideburns and bolo ties.

What future predictions did Philip K. Dick make that have been related to modern science?

Philip K. Dick's 'Minority Report' featured 'Precogs', which have been related to modern efforts to use neuroscience in the courtroom. His work 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' predicted bio-inspired engineering and human-like artificial intelligence.

What is H.G. Wells known for predicting, and why is he called 'the man who invented tomorrow'?

H.G. Wells predicted the iPad, automatic sliding doors, the atomic bomb with its radioactive fallout, and the concept of a time machine. He is called 'the man who invented tomorrow' because of his uncanny ability to foresee and articulate future technologies and societal changes.

Why are some science fiction authors particularly good at predicting the future?

Many of the greatest science fiction authors also had serious scientific training, which provided them with a strong foundation in science. This, combined with their imaginative storytelling, allowed them to make accurate predictions about future technologies and societal changes.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Visions of Tomorrow: Sci-Fi Predictions

Isaac Asimov's 1988 prediction of a future with computers, digital libraries, and personalized learning is explored. The video discusses the difficulty of predicting the future but highlights the role of science fiction in envisioning it. It points out that while not all predictions are accurate, many have been surprisingly correct, such as Jules Verne's prediction of the moon landing and Mark Twain's foresight of the internet. The video also touches on the contributions of Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo Gernsback, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and their accurate predictions about technology and society.

05:00

📚 HG Wells: Prophet of Modern Inventions

This segment focuses on HG Wells, who is celebrated for his uncanny ability to predict future technologies and societal changes. His predictions include the iPad, automatic doors, the atomic bomb, and its radioactive consequences, as well as the concept of a time machine. Wells also foresaw airborne warfare, wireless communication, and the potential triumph of bacteria over advanced technology. His work in 'The Invisible Man' and 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' anticipated metamaterials and genetic engineering, respectively. The video suggests that the accuracy of these predictions is not mere luck but is often rooted in the authors' scientific backgrounds and their ability to extrapolate from existing scientific principles.

Keywords

💡Science Fiction

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, and extraterrestrial life. In the video, science fiction is highlighted as a medium that has often predicted technological advancements and societal changes with surprising accuracy, as seen in the examples of Jules Verne, Arthur C. Clarke, and HG Wells.

💡Prediction

A prediction is a statement about a future event or outcome, often based on analysis or trends. The video discusses how science fiction has made numerous predictions about the future, some of which have come true, such as the development of the internet, geostationary satellites, and flatscreen televisions.

💡Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. The video mentions AI's advancement, like winning at Jeopardy, and its portrayal in science fiction, suggesting its potential and ethical considerations.

💡Geostationary Communications Satellites

Geostationary communications satellites are satellites that orbit the Earth at the same rate that the Earth rotates, making them appear stationary from the surface. The video credits Arthur C. Clarke for predicting and outlining the concept of these satellites, which are crucial for modern global communications.

💡Radar

Radar is a system that uses radio waves to detect the position, speed, and other characteristics of objects. The video mentions Hugo Gernsback's prediction of radar in his 1911 story, which was later invented and is now used in various applications, including weather forecasting and air traffic control.

💡Flatscreen Television

A flatscreen television is a type of display that uses liquid crystals or other technologies to produce images. The video notes Ray Bradbury's prediction of flatscreen TVs in his novel Fahrenheit 451, which has since become a reality with the widespread use of LCD and LED screens.

💡Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are vehicles that are capable of sensing their environment and navigating without human input. The video references Isaac Asimov's prediction of self-driving cars by 2014, which, while not fully realized, is an ongoing area of technological development.

💡Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to generate electricity. The video discusses Asimov's prediction that nuclear power would replace fossil fuels, which is a topic of ongoing debate and development in the energy sector.

💡Human-like Artificial Intelligence

Human-like artificial intelligence refers to AI systems designed to mimic human cognition, emotions, and behavior. The video touches on this concept in relation to Philip K. Dick's work, where AI and bio-inspired engineering are central themes, reflecting ongoing discussions about the ethical implications of creating AI that closely resembles humans.

💡Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism's genes using biotechnology. The video mentions HG Wells' prediction of genetic engineering in The Island of Doctor Moreau, which has since become a reality with advancements in fields like CRISPR gene editing.

💡Invisibility

Invisibility refers to the ability to become undetectable to the human eye. The video discusses HG Wells' use of light-refracting metamaterials for invisibility in The Invisible Man, which aligns with modern research into materials that can bend light around objects, making them appear invisible.

Highlights

Isaac Asimov predicted in 1988 that we would have computers connected to massive libraries and digital teachers.

Science fiction often predicts the science of tomorrow.

Science is a historical study, while science fiction looks towards the future.

Jules Verne's 1865 prediction of a moon mission was strikingly close to the Apollo 11 mission.

Mark Twain predicted a worldwide network of interconnected telephone devices in 1898.

Douglas Adams envisioned a handheld device as a repository for all knowledge in 1979.

Arthur C. Clarke predicted geostationary communications satellites in 1945.

Hugo Gernsback predicted radar in his 1911 story 'Ralph 124C 41+'.

Robert Heinlein predicted screensavers in 'Stranger In A Strange Land'.

Ray Bradbury predicted flatscreen television and wearable radios in 'Fahrenheit 451'.

Isaac Asimov predicted robots, nuclear and solar power, self-driving cars, and unmanned Mars missions in 1964.

Philip K. Dick's 'Minority Report' has parallels with modern neuroscience in the courtroom.

HG Wells predicted the iPad and automatic sliding doors in 'When The Sleeper Wakes'.

HG Wells also predicted the atomic bomb and its radioactive fallout in 'The World Set Free'.

HG Wells foresaw wireless communications in 'Men Like Gods'.

HG Wells used light refracting metamaterials for invisibility in 'The Invisible Man', before they were known.

HG Wells predicted genetic engineering and raised ethical questions in 'The Island of Doctor Moreau'.

Many great sci-fi writers had serious scientific training, which contributed to their accurate predictions.

Science fiction's accuracy in predicting the future is often due to a strong foundation in science.

Isaac Asimov discussed the predictability of simple things in science versus the chaos of human history.

Science fiction is a way of documenting what we see into the future through the lens of science.

Transcripts

In 1988, Isaac Asimov predicted that we would all own computers connected to massive libraries

and be able to access digital teachers and reference materials on demand, allowing us

to learn at our own pace, wherever we want, about whatever we choose.

So . . . basically this?

[MUSIC]

You know what's frustrating about tomorrow?

. . . that it's not today.

That makes it very hard to predict.

But that doesn't stop us from trying.

And lots of our predictions about the science of TOMORROW come in the form of science FICTION.

Science SCIENCE is, for the most part, a historical study, built on observations of things that

have already happened.

But science FICTION has a decidedly tomorrow-y bent to it.

Not all predictions are CORRECT, I mean you'd have to be a pretty big bojo to think that

we're actually going to have hoverboards by October 21, 2015, but throughout the history

of science fiction, people have gotten a lot of things amazingly RIGHT.

Like in 1865, Jules Verne predicted that the US would send three men to the moon in a spaceship

named Columbiad launched on a rocket weighing 20,000 pounds at a cost of 12.1 billion dollars.

104 years later, the U.S. sent three men to the moon in a spaceship named Columbia on

a rocket weighing 26,000 pounds at a cost of 14.4 billion dollars.

NOT BAD.

Mark Twain, in his 1898 story "From the 'London Times' of 1904" predicted a worldwide network

of interconnected telephone devices that would let people share information and he even predicted

we would just waste time looking at what everyone else was doing.

He wasn't the only one to predict the internet.

Douglas Adams wrote about a handheld device that was the standard repository for all knowledge

and wisdom in the galaxy, but that was in 1979, and the internet was already being built,

so I don't know if it counts.

But hey, you can read books on it!

Arthur C. Clarke is also on the list of people who predicted internet-type computer things

[ARTHUR C CLARKE TALKING]

but his BOOKS got so many things right that you'd

think he had access to some superior form of artificial intelligence.

"Siri can you open the pod bay doors please?"

Today artificial intelligence has advanced enough to win at Jeopardy, but so far no one

has died from it . . . I think.

Before Arthur C. Clarke wrote stories, he worked on radar for the Royal Air Force.

In 1945, he wrote an article describing "extra-terrestrial relays", which essentially predicted AND laid

out a plan for our entire modern system of geostationary communications satellites.

To this day, the particular altitude of space that those satellites live is known as the

"Clarke Orbit"

In the 1911 story "Ralph 124C 41+", Hugo Gernsback, the namesake of science fiction's annual "Hugo

awards", predicted that an emitted radio wave should reflect off distant objects and make

them detectable like visible light, which we call radar, something that wasn't invented

until almost 25 years later.

In 1961's "Stranger In A Strange Land" Robert Heinlein predicted screensavers, although

I'm not sure he knew we'd use flying toasters.

In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury predicted flatscreen television, as well as "seashells"

and "thimble radios" worn in the ears which I think we've all HEARD of.

50 years ago, during the 1964 world's fair, Isaac Asimov predicted that in 2014 we would

have some robots, but they wouldn't be very good yet, that nuclear and solar power would

replace fossil fuels, we'd have self-driving cars, we'd have unmanned missions to Mars,

and everyone would wear killer sideburns and bolo ties

Philip K. Dick is a decidedly more pessimistic predictor of the future, but he was . . . RIGHT.

Maybe it's not all sunshine and roses out there.

Minority Report's "Precogs" have been related by some to modern efforts to use neuroscience

in the courtroom.

Total Recall-level memory implantation is nowhere close to being real, but experiments

in mice suggest that brain-to-brain neural linkage is not complete fiction.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep predicts a world full of bio-inspired engineering and

human-like artificial intelligence, while A Scanner Darkly predicted a level of high-tech

government surveillance that I think we all WISH was fiction, but I love the NSA, the

NSA is our friend.

But nobody, NOBODY, holds a Nostradmus-y candle to HG Wells.

He, too predicted the iPad, oh AND automatic sliding doors, in 1899's When The Sleeper

Wakes.

He predicted the atomic bomb, in scary detail, including all of the radioactive fallout horror

that it would bring, in 1914's "The World Set Free", even down to some of the nuclear

PHYSICS involved.

He even called it an "atomic bomb" which was not even a term that existed before that.

In The Time Machine he predicted, well, the time machine (although he didn't explain how

it works, so maybe we shouldn't count that one).

The Shape of Things to Come predicted airborne warfare.

Men Like Gods saw wireless communications.

War of the Worlds (SPOILERS) reminded us that faced with man or even alien technology, bacteria

will ALWAYS win.

The Invisible Man used light refracting metamaterials for invisibility nearly a century BEFORE we

even knew what metamaterials were.

In The Island of Doctor Moreau he not only predicted genetic engineering, but asked a

question that we still haven't answered: How does man safely manipulate nature when he

is PART of nature?

HG Wells was so good, and so often correct, about predicting the future, that he is called

"the man who invented tomorrow".

Or today.

Of course, not all sci-fi is good at predicting the future, and sci-fi gets lots of stuff

wrong, but you have to admit that some of these predictions are so spot on that you'd

almost expect one of the authors to be from Gallifrey.

One right prediction in any one body of work would be lucky, but this many right answers

can't be luck.

Clearly something sets these people apart.

Many of the greatest sci-fi writers also had serious scientific training.

Isaac Asimov had a PhD in biochemistry.

Arthur C. Clarke degree in math and physics.

HG Wells had a degree in biology.

Of course it also helps to hang out with people like Carl Sagan.

At its core, good science fiction must rest on good SCIENCE.

It seems obvious, but this, I think, is why the best sci-fi authors are also the most

frequently right when it comes to predicting the future.

How far can we see into the future?

It depends on what we're looking for.

Isaac Asimov said that when we look at stars, or galaxies, or DNA we are looking at simple

things, things that follow nice neat rules and equations.

But when we look at human history, it's chaotic, it's unpredictable, our vision is limited.

Science transforms the complex into the simple, it's how we explain the chaos.

Science is how we see farther, and science fiction is where we write down what we see.

I would like to know what YOU think down in the comments.

Why makes some science fiction SO GOOD at predicting the future.

And I PREDICT that I missed a TON of awesome science fiction that has become reality, so

PLEASE leave a comment and tell me what I missed.

Stay curious.