50s predictions about the future
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50s Predictions About the Future — Daily trivia Saturday, April 18, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01In the 1950s, many futurists imagined homes of the future controlled by what primary interface?
- ARemote sensors
- BPush-button panels
- CVoice commands
- DCentralized artificial intelligence
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Push-button panels
Push-button panels ran everything: in 1954's Design for Leaving, Daffy Duck turns Elmer Fudd's house into a malfunctioning Push-Button Home of Tomorrow.
Q 02Which newly harnessed power source was widely predicted in the 1950s to run everything from cars to homes?
- AAtomic energy
- BSolar energy
- CGeothermal energy
- DFusion power
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Atomic energy
Atomic energy was the great hope: in 1954 the head of the US Atomic Energy Commission promised power 'too cheap to meter', and Ford's Nucleon concept car was to run on a small reactor.
Q 03Which mode of transport was a staple of mid-century American futurism, immortalised by 'The Jetsons'?
- APersonal jetpacks
- BUnderwater submersibles
- CHigh-speed maglev trains
- DFlying cars
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Flying cars
Flying cars were everywhere: George Jetson commuted in a bubble-topped aerocar, and Arthur Radebaugh's Sunday strip Closer Than We Think, launched in 1958, was full of floating cars.
Q 04In the 1950s, what change to leisure was predicted from automated homes and robot servants?
- AA decrease in recreational activities
- BA substantial increase in available free time
- CThe professionalization of hobbies
- DA shift towards virtual reality entertainment
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A substantial increase in available free time
A substantial increase in available free time was the dream: in 1956 Vice President Richard Nixon promised Americans a four-day work week 'in the not-too-distant future'.
Q 05Which pedestrian transport system, now mostly seen in airports, was predicted to revolutionise 1950s-60s cities?
- APersonal hoverboards
- BTeleportation booths
- CMoving sidewalks
- DUnderground pneumatic tubes
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Moving sidewalks
Moving sidewalks were forecast for whole cities, but the first airport walkway opened in 1958 at Dallas Love Field, and airports are where they mostly stayed.
Q 06What compact form of sustenance was a common 1950s prediction for the future of nutrition?
- AMeal pills or capsules
- BGenetically engineered superfoods
- CDehydrated food packets
- DNutrient-rich liquid meals
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Meal pills or capsules
Meal pills or capsules were a staple of old forecasts and science fiction: whole dinners, from roast to dessert, squeezed into something the size of a fingernail.
Q 07Under what protective structure did 1950s visions of the future often encase whole neighbourhoods?
- AForce fields
- BUnderground bunkers
- CGlass domes
- DSelf-repairing energy shields
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Glass domes
Glass domes were seriously imagined: a 1959 newspaper strip proposed Arctic cities under great domes of transparent plastic or glass, with springlike temperatures inside.
Q 08A 1958 newspaper strip predicted future TV sets built around what display characteristic?
- AHolographic projections
- BPicture-thin wall screens
- CInteractive touch interfaces
- DIntegrated 3D capabilities
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Picture-thin wall screens
The 23 March 1958 instalment of Closer Than We Think promised "picture-thin" screens of electroluminescent crystals, hung "wall to wall if you wish" — an unusually accurate call, decades before flat panels.
Q 09Which everyday ailment did some 1950s futurists expect to be eradicated by the year 2000?
- ABaldness
- BHeart disease
- CCancer
- DThe common cold
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The common cold
A 1950s prediction suggested that advancements in public health would make the air as safe from disease-spreading as water and food, leading to the eradication of the common cold.
Q 10A 'Closer Than We Think' strip suggested doing what with used throwaway clothes?
- AKindle a campfire with them
- BBury them to enrich the soil
- CPost them back to the maker
- DDissolve them in a stream
Show answer
Kindle a campfire with them
Kindle a campfire with them: the October 25, 1959 strip said tomorrow's clothes might be treated paper, 'intended for use a few times, then for discard.'
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