On February 26, 1977 in Steubenville, Ohio, the Herald Star asked people to make their predictions of the year 2000. Most of the letters predicting the future came from 10-12 year old kids still in primary school. What’s amazing is how right some of them actually were.
1977 is not too far off from where we are now, it is only 35 years ago after all. But it was still much, much different back then. We saw the seeds of technology but it would be really hard to imagine something like the iPhone or Twitter or Kinect becoming reality. Most of the kids actually focused on social and environmental issues, issues we still have um, issues with today.
Here are a few letters kids wrote to the Herald-Star back in 1977:
In the year 2000, we will have all round buildings. We will have a robot teacher, a robot maid, and all workers will be robots, too. We will have a pocket computer that has everything you can name. We will even be able to push a button to get anything you want!
Marty Bohen, Age 10 (Harding School)
Not bad Marty Bohen or should I call you Marty… McFly?
The year 2000 might have everybody walking instead of riding in their cars because there might be a gas shortage by then, and the cars give out a lot of pollution. Or there might even be electric cars instead of gas cars. The year 2000 may send ladies to the moon to explore and look and see if there are people living on the moon. And when you work you will push buttons and robots will come out and do the work for you. And there will be lower prices and taxes, I hope.
Tim Villies, 10 (Harding School)
Tim, you are the most reasonable 10-year-old I have ever heard. Ever.
I think by the year 2000 we will be riding bikes or driving solar-energised cars. By then more younger people will be unemployed. The price of gas will go up and so will the price of coal, silver, gold and oil.
Pietro Sincropi, 10 (Harding School)
Holy crap Pietro. Hopefully you invested your allowance right!
Read more kid predictions over at Smithsonian Mag. I imagine if we asked kids today what the year 2035 would looked like, they would just look at you crazy and go back to playing their iPads. [Smithsonian Mag]