Ten 100-year predictions that came true

LONDON. January 11. KAZINFORM In 1900, an American civil engineer called John Elfreth Watkins made a number of predictions about what the world would be like in 2000. How did he do?
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As is customary at the start of a new year, the media has been full of predictions about what may happen in the months ahead, BBC News reports.

But a much longer forecast made in 1900 by a relatively unknown engineer has been re-circulating in the past few days.

In December of that year, at the start of the 20th Century, John Elfreth Watkins wrote a piece published on page eight of an American women's magazine, Ladies' Home Journal, entitled: "What may happen in the next hundred years".

He began the article with the words: "These prophecies will seem strange, almost impossible", explaining that he had consulted the country's "greatest institutions of science and learning" for their opinions on 29 topics.

Watkins was a writer for the Journal's sister magazine, the Saturday Evening Post, based in Indianapolis.

The Post brought this article to a modern audience last week when its history editor Jeff Nilsson wrote a feature praising Watkins' accuracy.

It was picked up and caused some excitement on Twitter . So what did Watkins get right - and wrong?

Details also at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16444966

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