15 Historical Photos That Feel Like Somebody Accidentally Invented the Future
People were dreaming up some pretty wild technology long before smartphones and electric cars became everyday purchases. A few inventions were genuinely useful. Others looked spectacular in photographs but had little chance of catching on. There were flying machines you could strap to your back, enormous robots capable of pouring coffee, and early attempts at making phone calls without being tied to a desk. Some of these experiments date back more than a century, which makes the pictures even stranger. It’s also funny how familiar certain ideas look, despite the bulky equipment and old-fashioned clothes. These 15 historical photos capture inventions that arrived surprisingly early.
Electric Cars Were Already on the Road in 1895
An early electric automobile associated with inventor William Morrison appears in this 1895 photograph. The vehicle was modified for competition at a time when gasoline cars were still relatively new.
Watching Television Was a Complicated Business
Bell Labs researcher Frank Gray demonstrates an experimental mechanical television device in 1930. The equipment looks closer to a laboratory instrument than a living room appliance.
Buenos Aires Had Electric Cars in 1910
An electric automobile photographed in Buenos Aires in 1910 shows that battery-powered transportation wasn’t limited to experiments in Europe and the United States.
Los Angeles Had an Underground Railway
Passengers board a Pacific Electric railcar at Los Angeles’s Subway Terminal around 1930. The underground station served electric trains beneath the city’s increasingly busy streets.
The Empire State Building Was a Television Tower
An experimental television antenna appears atop the Empire State Building in 1939, when broadcasters were still working out how to transmit pictures across New York.
Even Vacuum Cleaners Were Getting a Futuristic Makeover
Designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1956, the compact Spalter vacuum cleaner looked more like a piece of modern industrial design than an ordinary household appliance.
A Solar Car Was Already Driving Around Amsterdam
A solar-powered vehicle attracted attention on the streets of Amsterdam in July 1960. Its unusual design made for quite a sight among the city’s conventional traffic.
Flying Around With a Rocket Belt
A demonstration at San Francisco’s Presidio Army Base in 1962 shows the Bell Rocket Belt in action. The pilot lifts off with the entire propulsion system strapped to his back.
Seattle’s Monorail Looked Like Something From Tomorrow
The elevated monorail introduced for Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair carried passengers above the streets in sleek trains designed to complement the fair’s futuristic theme.
A Hospital Had a Portable Telephone in 1964
A New Zealand hospital booklet from 1964 features a portable call-out telephone. The device offered staff another way to communicate without relying entirely on fixed telephones.
NASA Was Experimenting With Rocket Packs
Geologist Eugene Shoemaker tested an experimental rocket pack in Arizona in 1966. The equipment was part of research connected to the Apollo program.
This Robot Could Pour Your Coffee
At the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles in 1967, a 3,500-pound Unimate robot demonstrated its serving skills by pouring coffee for Betty Myrah.
Video Calls Were Happening in 1968
Finnish President Urho Kekkonen tried an Ericsson videophone in 1968, speaking face-to-face with company executive Björn Lundvall through an early video communication system.
The Computer Mouse Was Making Its Debut
Engineer Bill English prepared equipment for Douglas Engelbart’s famous 1968 computer demonstration, which featured an early mouse alongside several other experimental computing tools.
MIT Students Were Already Wearing Computers
Members of MIT’s Wearable Computing Project posed with computers strapped to their bodies in the mid-1990s. The equipment was hardly discreet, with components attached to their clothing.