The 1939 World's Fair Predicted The Future (Sort Of)

A global exhibition of design and science, its crowning achievement was the General Motors exhibit, simply entitled, "Futurama." This is the future they expected for America...

1. Electric T.V.!

Via envisioningtheamericandream.com

Visitors could volunteer to have themselves projected on T.V. screens -- to the amazement of their families.

2. Seven-lane motorways!

Via google.com

Some argue this whole exhibit was an attempt to normalize, and drum up support for, highway expansion. GE envisioned the different lanes of traffic moving at different speeds--with the highest at 100 mph!

3. Electrical grids powering all of America!

Via envisioningtheamericandream.com

4. Amusement parks!

Via lib200lagcc.pbworks.com

5. Skyscrapers well over 1000 feet tall!

Via exhibitions.nypl.org

Designer Norman Bel Geddes (right) examines a city model. In 1940, the tallest building was the Empire State Building at 1250 ft.

6. Hydroelectric dams!

Via studyblue.com

7. Efficient city planning!

Via photosofwar.net

Visitors take an arial ride around the future cityscape.

8. Sleek, faster cars!

Via blog.hemmings.com

9. Very Sleek!

Via mashable.com

10. Ditto for buses!

Via blog.hemmings.com

11. Elevated sidewalks!

Via roadtrippersmex.blogspot.com

GE imagined that urban streets would be used exclusively by cars, with pedestrians safely walking above.

12. Cars that help drive themselves!

Via wired.com

They envisioned cars using "automatic radio control" to maintain safe distances from other drives.

13. Improved sporting!

Via blog.modernmechanix.com

14. Utopian, democratic living!

Via pinterest.com

The Perisphere housed the main attraction of the fair, a diorama depicting "Democracity," the future city of tomorrow.

I guess all that's left to say is...

Via amormundi.blogspot.com