How Does Past Predictions of the Future Every Decade Work?

Every decade, people guess what will happen 10 years from now, just like you might guess how tall you'll be when you're 10.

Predictions are like a fun game where grown-ups try to imagine the future, and they do this every 10 years. It's like saying, “I think in 10 years, we’ll all have robots helping us with homework.”

How it works

Each time, people look at what has already happened, past events, and use that to help them guess the future.

For example, if you’ve been growing taller every year, you might say, “I think I’ll be really tall when I’m 10!” That’s like how grown-ups see patterns from before and make a smart guess about what will happen next.

Why it's fun

It’s kind of like playing "Guess the Picture" with your friends. You look at parts of the picture, maybe a nose or an eye, and then you try to imagine the whole thing. Grown-ups do the same, but instead of a picture, they’re guessing about the world in 10 years.

So every decade, people play this fun game of guessing using clues from the past, just like you guess how tall you’ll be using clues from your growth! Every decade, people guess what will happen 10 years from now, just like you might guess how tall you'll be when you're 10.

Predictions are like a fun game where grown-ups try to imagine the future, and they do this every 10 years. It's like saying, “I think in 10 years, we’ll all have robots helping us with homework.”

How it works

Each time, people look at what has already happened, past events, and use that to help them guess the future.

For example, if you’ve been growing taller every year, you might say, “I think I’ll be really tall when I’m 10!” That’s like how grown-ups see patterns from before and make a smart guess about what will happen next.

Why it's fun

It’s kind of like playing "Guess the Picture" with your friends. You look at parts of the picture, maybe a nose or an eye, and then you try to imagine the whole thing. Grown-ups do the same, but instead of a picture, they’re guessing about the world in 10 years.

So every decade, people play this fun game of guessing using clues from the past, just like you guess how tall you’ll be using clues from your growth!

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A child in the 1980s predicted flying cars by 2020, but we still have traffic jams.
  2. In the 2000s, people thought everyone would be using a single social media platform forever.
  3. The 1970s prediction that humans would live on Mars by 2025 didn’t quite come true.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity