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35 Future Predictions That Aged So Poorly, They’re Almost Comical
Interview With Expert
The future is unpredictable, but that hasn’t stopped people from making bold claims about what’s to come. From failed technology predictions to outrageous statements about culture and society, some of these guesses aged so poorly, they’re laughable today.
Today, the Bored Panda team scoured the internet to find exactly that. Whether it’s outdated scientific forecasts or overconfident business takes, these moments prove that even the smartest minds can get it wrong. Keep reading to see some of the worst predictions that didn’t stand the test of time!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Found This In The Supply Closet(It’s A Box Of Plastic Bags)
RELATED:
#2
Google In 1999 And Today Its Completely Opposite
#3
Kevin...you Sweet, Sweet Summer Child
While many of us joke about what the future holds, there are people who take it very seriously—and even make a career out of it. Whether it’s astrologers, fortune tellers, or numerologists, predicting the future has fascinated humanity for centuries.
Some people swear by it, while others remain skeptical, but there’s no denying that astrology has remained a part of cultures worldwide.
#4
Classic Daily Mail
#5
The Last Page Of This Book From 1981…
#6
This Old Cartoon About Transportation
Astrology is based on the belief that planetary movements and positions influence human behavior and events on Earth. It’s a practice that has been studied and refined over thousands of years, with different schools of thought emerging across the world. While some see it as a science of the stars, others view it as a guiding tool for self-awareness and decision-making.
#7
Lady Gaga Had A Hater Group
#8
50 Years Isn't That Long
#9
Happy New Year!
To gain a deeper understanding, Bored Panda spoke with Acharya Anju Agarwal, a MahaVastu consultant and expert in Vaastu & Astrology, who provides both home and online consultations from Mumbai, India.
With years of experience, she helps people understand how astrology influences various aspects of their lives—from relationships to career choices.
#10
"There Is No Reason Anyone Would Want A Computer In Their Home." --Ken Olson, President, Chain-Nan And Founder Of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
#11
‘King Charles & Queen Diana’ - Well This One Tops The Cake
A prediction of the future about Prince Charles and Lady Diana from a 1992 royal magazine.
#12
Well This Didn’t Age Well
Chihuahua Mama 9 months ago
This has 'grouchy old person who shakes fist at young hooligans' written all over
“An astrological chart is a wheel divided into 12 zodiac signs, which correspond to 12 different houses—each representing a specific area of life,” Acharya Anju explained.
“These houses are influenced by planetary placements, and the interactions between these planets shape a person’s unique astrological profile.”
#13
An Old "Helpful" Tip In A Magazine
#14
"If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one." - W.C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954
#15
"Everything That Can Be Invented Has Been Invented." - Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office Of Patents, 1899
Over the centuries, astrologers have studied these planetary movements and developed interpretations that range from understanding individual personalities to analyzing world events. “There are different branches of astrology,” she shared.
“Like the branches of a tree, they all stem from the same core but take different directions—some focus on personal traits, while others predict larger events in politics, economics, or natural disasters.”
#16
"A Rocket Will Never Be Able To Leave The Earth's Atmosphere." New York Times, 1936
TotallyNOTAFox 9 months ago
Werner von Braun: Halt mal mein Bier (The Aggregat 4 "V2" was the first man made rocket do reach space in WW2)
#17
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - A memo at Western Union, 1878 (or 1876).
StrangeOne 9 months ago
This reminds me of a Little House On The Prairie episode, when Walnut Grove got a telephone line. All calls had to go through the switchboard, that happened to be in the nosey Mrs. Oleson, who ended up using the switchboard lines to eavesdrop on people's phone calls.
#18
Not Sure Why He Deleted This Comment From November?
keyboardtek 9 months ago
New job openings coming soon for MAGAs: requires working long hard days in the sun harvesting our fruit and vegetables for less than minimum wage.
So how does astrology actually work? “It’s all about the alignment of celestial bodies at a given time,” she explained. “Your birth chart, for instance, is a snapshot of the sky at the exact moment and location of your birth. It’s like your cosmic blueprint, revealing your strengths, challenges, and tendencies.”
Astrology isn’t one-size-fits-all—there are different types, each offering a unique perspective. Some focus on personal insight, while others examine broader societal changes. “For example, mundane astrology is used to predict global events, while medical astrology looks at health patterns based on planetary alignments,” she added.
#19
Welp, This Aged Like Milk Now, Didn’t It?
#20
This Meme I Sent To A Friend On 21/12/19
#21
Found This In My Photos Recently
One of the most common types is natal astrology, which revolves around an individual’s birth chart. “It highlights everything from career tendencies to relationship dynamics,” Acharya Anju said. “Then there’s relationship astrology, which compares two or more birth charts to analyze compatibility and connection between individuals.”
Of course, astrology has its fair share of critics. “Some people believe in it deeply, while others dismiss it as pure superstition,” she admitted. “And that’s completely fine—everyone has the right to their own beliefs.”
#22
Sorry Man
#23
There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. Steve Ballmer, USA Today, April 30, 2007.
#24
They Had To End Him In The End
Beak Hookage 9 months ago (edited)
Of course, fans know he was chosen BECAUSE he had played a comically inept dad character. Reminds me of what Sir Anthony Hopkins said about being cast as Hannibal Lector. The director told him it was because of his performance as Dr Treves in The Elephant Man. Hopkins said "but Treves is a good man" and was told "yeah, that's what I want for Lector; a good man locked in an insane mind". And boy did it ever pay off.
“We don’t claim to be God,” she emphasized. “Astrology isn’t about controlling fate, but rather understanding patterns and tendencies. It’s meant to offer guidance, not definitive answers.”
Regardless of where you stand on the subject, there’s no denying that astrology continues to intrigue millions of people. Whether you check your horoscope daily or roll your eyes at the idea of Mercury Retrograde ruining your week, it’s a practice that’s deeply rooted in history and human curiosity.
#25
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
#26
“Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage.” - Charlie Chaplin
#27
Found In A Local Thrift Shop
While the people in these posts aren’t professional astrologers, they certainly made some bold predictions—some eerily accurate, others wildly off the mark.
Whether you’re a believer in the stars or just enjoy a good laugh at how things turn out, these predictions prove that the future is always full of surprises. Which one did you find the most peculiar? Let us know!
#28
It will be gone by June.- Variety, passing judgement on rock 'n roll in 1955
Ty Stratton-Quirk 9 months ago
To be fair, they just said June, and didn't specify what year. Maybe in a few centuries, they'll be proven right?
#29
Quote From Ellen In A Book My Daughter Is Reading
#30
An Old Memory Of Mine... Don't Ask Me For Any Future Advice
StrangeOne 9 months ago
He does have a point. No one wants to call. No one even wants to face time.
#31
Comments About Computers From Long Ago
Beak Hookage 9 months ago
That article down the bottom about the kid who got struck by lightning made me chuckle.
#32
Rapture Faster
#33
"There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now; All that remains is more and more precise measurement." - Lord Kelvin, speaking to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1900
#34
Guy Regrets A Financial Decision
Corvus 9 months ago (edited)
Don't regret... the future is uncertain, and bitcoin may well turn out to be a bubble waiting to bursts at some point.
StrangeOne 9 months ago
Wasn't Bitcoin something that could be earned playing online games, or supposed to be?
Rachel Reynolds 9 months ago
In 2012? (maybe) I was in a Smash Bros competition. First Prize was 1000$, Second Prize was 500$, and third prize was 5 bitcoins. (I took 5th and got a Mt. Dew 2 liter)
Sven Grammersdorf 9 months ago (edited)
Uh, one Bitcoin today is worth $96,000. If he'd spent $100 on Bitcoin when it was $2.70, he'd have $3.6 million today
Load More Replies... Wintermute 9 months ago
I look at it this way. Even if I DID buy in to bitcoin early for like a dollar each or something, it would have gotten to, like, $5 and I'd have sold it and went, woohoo! 4 free dollars! And still been poor today.
Alex Ruddies 9 months ago
It started alright but it became just another scam in a long list of scams...
#35
Prediction From 1913
Wondering Alice 9 months ago
Seems like he is blaming it on rich women not wanting babies and poor women becoming factory workers. Would be nice to think the article is trying to provoke a debate on why women were making these 'choices' but I suspect it's just blaming us.
#36
"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." - Associates of Edwin L. Drake refusing his suggestion to drill for oil in 1859
#37
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk ?" - Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros, 1927
#38
Never Say Or Type It Out Loud
#39
“There Will Never Be A Bigger Plane Built.” Allegedly A Boeing Engineer, After The First Flight Of The 247, A Plane That Held Ten People
M O'Connell 9 months ago
What he should have said was that they had pushed the all-metal monocoque cantilevered-wing design as far as the metallurgy of 1933 would allow.
#40
"X-Rays will prove to be a hoax." - Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1883
#41
That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced. Scientific American, Jan. 2 edition, 1909.
#42
Experts Predicting Future In 1964
#44
Reddit Comments After First iPhone Was Announced 14 Years Ago
#45
"We are probably nearing the limit of all we can know about astronomy." - Simon Newcomb, Canadian-born American astronomer, 1888.
#46
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in particular?" - Associates of David Sarnoff responding to the latter's call for investment in the radio in 1921.
M O'Connell 9 months ago
It amuses me that he never considered advertising would be a driving force.
#47
Umm Guess We Aren’t Going
#48
“You Could Think Of Them As The Sixth Basic Food Group”
#49
He’s Gonna Miss It
#50
"Television won't last. It's a flash in the pan." - Mary Somerville, pioneer of radio educational broadcasts, 1948
#51
Democracy will be dead by 1950. - John Langdon-Davies, A Short History of The Future, 1936
#52
2020 Showed Them
#54
French Artists View On How 21st Century Would Look Like [1962]
#55
Boycott? Boycott
#56
Luther, a German priest and professor of theology, predicted the end of the world would occur no later than 1600, Martin Luther
#57
Someone Wrote This Article In 1982. Gaming Has Come A Long Way!
#58
Yeah…
#59
Did Anyone Get Raptured Recently?
#60
~100 Year Old Milk: Then Prince Edward Talking About His Future In A Book Printed During His Father’s Reign
#61
Every Past Rapture Claim
#62
A 4 Month Old Comment By Me
TotallyNOTAFox 9 months ago (edited)
Well, he underestimated how dense the population of wealthy countries are
#63
Very Old Graffiti In The Boys Locker Room Of My School
#64
Forgot The iPhone…
#65
This early French bishop announced the end of the world would happen during this year, 365 CE, Hilary of Poitiers
#67
Spoke Wayyyy Too Soon
#68
Never Obsolete
#69
What I Found On Linkedin The Other Day
#70
"Law will be simplified (over the next century). Lawyers will have diminished, and their fees will have been vastly curtailed."- journalist Junius Henri Browne, 1893
Tucker Cahooter 9 months ago
That's a trifecta of incorrect predictions. Anyone have an example of a quadrella?
#71
Illustrations Of Miller's Views Of The End Of The World In 1843
Beak Hookage 9 months ago
People sure are keen on the idea of the world coming to an end. If I wasn't living in 2025, having already lived through 2020, I'd be rather baffled by it. But as it is...
#72
Newspapers
David 9 months ago
When I was a kid in the early 70s I think they were about a quarter. A friend had a neighborhood paper route. I helped him a few times. At collections time I think the bill for two weeks of delivery was something like $3 and change. Delivered was slightly cheaper than news stand single price.
#74
:(
BeesEelsAndPups 9 months ago
This one is true. A hydro jetpack retails for between $10k and $20k. The JB10, which is a real flying jet pack costs $250K, which is a lot of money, but the BMW XM retails for about $200k.
#75
One Day We’ll Be Laughing At The Paperhands Too
#76
It Was Already "Aged Like Milk" In 2011, But Now It's Aged X1662 Better Since Current Bitcoin Price Is $13,300
Blue Bunny of Happiness 9 months ago
Saw today that a chap wants to buy the tip (landfill site) that his hard drive with £620 million bitcoin was dumped in to try and retrieve it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yez74e74jo
#77
I'm So Sorry Guys, I Was Only Joking. It Was 2016 And Trump Had Just Won, I Was Trying To Think Of Something Even More Ridiculous
#78
Hopefully No One Listened
#79
Facebook Memories Reminding Me Of This L From 2014
Nice Beast Ludo 9 months ago
I wrote one that says "the new Facebook sucks. I'm making my merry way back to Myspace. Find me there friends" damn I miss Myspace. It was so much fun and self expressive. Oooh speaking of which who had an Express Page as their first social media????
#80
"Nuclear-Powered Vacuum Cleaners Will Probably Be A Reality In 10 Years." - Alex Lewyt, President Of Vacuum Cleaner Company Lewyt Corp., In The New York Times In 1955
#81
"Stocks Have Reached What Looks Like A Permanently High Plateau." - Irving Fisher, Professor Of Economics, Yale University, 1929, Right Before The 1929 Stock Market Crash
#82
What can be more palpably absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives traveling twice as fast as stagecoaches? The Quarterly Review, March, 1825.
David 9 months ago
Imagine a real life isekai situation where a person is plucked from the stage coach era and ends up on a high speed bullet train. Or a jet. Air speed is harder to "feel" but getting off a few hours later on a completely different continent would be wild. Even as a modern person, I still think about that when I get a plane in Seattle and get off in Korea. Back when that would have been a weeks long, perilous journey.
#83
Anyone Remember This Forgotten Reality Show?
StrangeOne 9 months ago
Never heard of this one. I would like a follow-up of 'Be Paris' New Best Friend'.
#84
This Is Awkward
#85
Lebron Just Turned 40 And The F*****y Is Still Ongoing LOL
#86
Well It’s 2025 Now
General Anaesthesia 9 months ago (edited)
Engineers intervened and stabilized the tower (1990 to 2001). Without that it would topple. https://leaningtowerpisa.com/facts/how-pisa-leaning-tower-was-stabilized
#87
What A Dumba*s
#89
Obama Countdown Clock
David 9 months ago
Just remember, if Romney had won, Trump and Maga would have never come around. The GOP Moderate wing would control the party, etc. Because back to back moderates lost to Obama, Republicans went hard right (the two finalists were Trump over Cruz, with Rubio in third), and also went right in congress and senate, and basically ended up eliminating moderate Republicans. Obama in many ways, destroyed the moderate wing of the GOP, though not on purpose
#90
It’s Not Rigged
#91
That Aged Quickly…
#92
Movie Of The Year, Right?
#93
I Was Going Through My Super Old iPod Touch For A Nostalgia Trip When I Found This Scheduled For My Birthday 2020. Yikes
#94
Kids Would Love Drake
#95
Thanks To The La Fires, It Smells Like A BBQ Down Here
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Warren Peece 9 months ago
"In a couple years Apple will go out of business, and that is just sad." ~ Steve Jobs, 1995
Nice Beast Ludo 9 months ago
I read an article in a 1990 issue of a magazine about the future of hotels. It was hilarious.
Warren Peece 9 months ago
"In a couple years Apple will go out of business, and that is just sad." ~ Steve Jobs, 1995
Nice Beast Ludo 9 months ago
I read an article in a 1990 issue of a magazine about the future of hotels. It was hilarious.
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