Cars
Nobody Walks in L.A.: The Rise of Cars and the Monorails That Never Were
As strange as it may seem today, the automobile was seen by many as the progressive solution to the transportation problems of Los Angeles
April 26, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
The Gadgets of the Future From the Electrical Shows of Yesterday
Decades before the debut of the Consumer Electronics Show, early adopters flocked to extravagant high-tech fairs in New York and Chicago
January 10, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
Motopia: A Pedestrian Paradise
Visit the futuristic town where drivers and non-drivers live in perfect harmony
December 06, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Elon Musk, the Rocket Man With a Sweet Ride
The winner of the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award for technology hopes to launch a revolution with his spaceship and electric car
December 2012 |
By Carl Hoffman
A New Great Depression and Ladies on the Moon: 1970s Middle School Kids Look to the Year 2000
The ideal future according to a ten-year-old: shorter school days, lower taxes, and lots and lots of robots
October 12, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 03 – The Space Car
The Jetsons didn't invent the flying car, but it sure did a lot to cement the idea of the airborne automobile into the American imagination
October 09, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Recapping “The Jetsons”: Episode 02 – A Date With Jet Screamer
The Jetson family's descent into sex, drugs and rock & roll
October 01, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Forget the Volt, Make Way for Electric Trucks
Smith trucks are powered by batteries, not diesel, which could make a big difference in the fight against climate change
October 2012 |
By Jerry Adler
50 Years of the Jetsons: Why The Show Still Matters
Although it was on the air for only one season, The Jetsons remains our most popular point of reference when discussing the future.
September 19, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Yesterday’s Tomorrows: How a Smithsonian Exhibit I Never Saw Changed My Life
Meet the historians who pioneered scholarship of retro-futurism
August 15, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
1954 Flying Car for Sale
A bargain for just $1.25 million. But, you'll need both aviation and auto insurance
July 09, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
1923 Envisions the Two-Wheeled Flying Car of 1973
As cars got larger in the 1920s, the "Helicar" was presented as the solution to congested city streets
June 06, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Don’t Let Your Money Fly Away: A 1909 Warning to Airship Investors
Flying aboard aircraft? Just a passing fad
May 31, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Big Things Ahead… But Keep Your Shirt On
Americans in the 1940s had wondrous expectations about the post-war world. Meet one author who advised them to curb their enthusiasm
May 25, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Maps of the Future
A 1989 prediction about portable GPS devices was right on the money
May 22, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The Flying Ambulance of Tomorrow
In the 1920s, a French inventor devised an ingenious way to provide emergency medical assistance
April 10, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The World Will Be Wonderful In The Year 2000!
The secret formula for predicting a fantastical yet credible future
February 29, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The World’s First “Carphone”
Meet the 1920 radio enthusiast who had the foresight to invent the annoying habit of talking on the phone while in the car.
January 25, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Mobsters Tremble Before the Crime-Fighting, Red Flying Gondola
Science-fiction pioneer Hugo Gernsback predicted that, as long as police officers were stuck on terra firma, criminals always would have the edge
January 06, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
