For nearly a century and a half, Popular Science magazine has been keeping the world on top of the
latest developments in science and technology. Despite its prestigious history,
it ain’t always right, and that’s one reason why The Future Then: Fascinating Art & Predictions from 145 years of
Popular Science is fun. This attractive, hardcover tome collects everyone
of the quarterly’s covers in full-color cover, each one positing some sort of
scientific prediction made in the name of the mag. The captions assess whether
or not that prediction came true, and they do so with cheeky irreverence. How
could you not have your tongue in your cheek when combing over such wild brain
waves as underground ice cities, a robotic exoskeleton called the “man amplifier”
that can turn anyone into a superhero, and mechanical racehorses constructed
from taxidermied stallions? Amazingly, some of this wackadoo stuff actually
came to pass (though much did not exactly endure). It’s also interesting to
note the particular obsessions of each decade, with the forties depressingly
focused on machines of war (and also depressingly, most of those predictions
came to pass), the fifties focused on DIY projects for new homeowners, and the
sixties focused on…err… James Bond.
But as I suggested, its factoids are just one reason why The Future Then is boss. The artwork is
what really makes it a retro rush, as Popular
Science’s painted covers look like they should adorn pulp novels for nerds.
The magazine’s impressive roster of artists include Norman Rockwell and Reynold
Brown, who’d really make a name for himself designing movie posters for such
sci-fi classics as The Creature from the
Black Lagoon and Attack of the
50-Foot Woman. Sadly, in the nineties, Popular
Science discontinued its painted covers for sterile digital images, so the
final sixty pages of The Future Then
are not nearly as charming as the ones that precede them. It’s also tough to
assess whether or not technology predicted so recently was a success or failure
since it could still come to pass. So perhaps we should stay tuned for volume
two, assuming that such quaint things as magazines, the ability to read, and
life on Earth still exist in another 145 years. Have a nice day!
