These Sci-Fi Books actually Predicted the Future

Have you ever been in a scenario where you went like, “OMG! Have come across this earlier, perhaps in dreams”? Well, that situation is called ‘déjà Vu‘. It’s such a surprising moment that makes you believe in supernatural powers. what would you call the books that predicted the future scenarios even before they actually occurred? ‘Vision to predict the future?

Well, there is no limit to thinking and imagining scenarios, and this liberty has been widely used by authors all over the world in writing. By the way, not just writers, everyone has thought about luxury or a product or service that does not exist yet but there are possibilities that, even those imaginations will become a truth.

Not magically, but technically for sure! Because of science. There have been several books that are now giving a déjà Vu moment to the world. So, here are 7 Sci-Fi Books That Predicted the Future:

1. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift in 1726 First told that Mars has two Moons

The book is indeed an interesting read as it takes you on the journey of several remote nations with the main character Gulliver. With new places, new people and different yet worth observing ways of people’s daily life, Swift took imagination to the next level. Astronomer Asaph Hall discovered that Mars has 2 moons in August 1877.

But Jonathan Swift has already speculated it in 1726, way before it was actually discovered by Hall. Mentioning about the scientists of Laputa, Swift wrote, “two lesser stars, or satellites, which revolve about Mars.”

The book comprises many other fascinating plots that will clutch you completely until you finish it reading. So, you better be planning to make it your next read if you haven’t read it yet.

2. 1984 by George Orwell in 1948 Showed Massive Surveillance by Government

Who could imagine that the decade when the infant third world countries (newly independent and developing countries) were trying to stand on their feet, they’ll end up in the world where any activity by citizens could be seen by the governments? George Orwell‘s book 1984 is a fascinating yet horrifying read for readers who are very concerned about their privacy and freedom.

Surely, no one would have imagined while reading the book in the 1940-50s that this would become a reality. Today’s cameras, microphones, and other inbuilt features of gadgets, data collection, and the widespread use of surveillance by governments make you think ‘Why’ before accepting the norms. What if it’s all mandatory for you to do and hail the supreme leader of your country while being under surveillance 24×7? Oops! Are you feeling suffocated?

3. Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy in 1888 Taught us the Usage of Credit Cards

This is an invention that has made our lives comfortable, isn’t it? But, ever wondered how it came into existence? Whatever you might have speculated about the invention of Credit Cards, you may not have thought that it would have been mentioned in a Utopian book published in 1888 named ‘Looking Backward‘.

On the other hand, Ralph Schneider and Frank McNamara who were the founder of Diners Club invented the concept of payment through charge cards in 1950 that was similar to the modern credit cards. The charge card required the customers to pay the entire bill each month-end.

Bellamy used the term ‘Credit Card‘ eleven times in his book that was referred to as a card that was meant for spending citizen’s dividends from the government. Interestingly, the book talked about a character who fell asleep in 1887 and woke up after 113 years in 2000. The book was the third bestseller of its time.

4. When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells in 1899 Made People Walk Through Automatic Motion-sensing Doors

Right now, machines have occupied most of our spaces. From waking up by an alarm on our smartphone to using escalators, everything. However, it might seem normal to use these machines and gadgets. But, have you ever noticed the Motion-sensing Doors at, restaurants, malls, hospitals, or cafes? Didn’t that amaze you about the technology? On a lighter note, we all have enjoyed checking by stepping in and out, too much fun!

So, H.G. Wells talked about such doors in his book ‘When the Sleeper Wakes‘ that was published in 1899 while the Motion-sensing door that was an automatic sliding door, was invented in 1954 by Dee Horton and Lew Hewitt.

Wells in his dystopian science fiction talks about a character who wakes up after 200 years in completely transformed London where he is the richest man in the world. To know what happened after that, you must read the book!

5. The Achievements of Luther Trant by Edwin Balmer & William MacHarg in 1910 Did a Lie Detector Test

Do you watch crime thrillers? Isn’t that an amazing feeling when the cops or detectives find the criminal and make them confess their crime by running a lie detector test on the lie detector machine? You should thank John Augustus Larson, an American Police Officer, and a physiologist, for inventing the use of polygraph on criminals in 1921. He was the first American cop to hold an academic doctorate.

Interestingly, the technology of performing such tests on criminals was first mentioned in Edwin Balmer & William MacHarg‘s ‘The Achievements of Luther Trant‘. So, if you are a lover of crime thrillers and enjoy the process of solving criminal theories with technology, this is the right one for you.

6. Daedalus; or, Science and Future by J.B.S. Haldane in 1924 Hinted at In-vitro Fertilization

It wouldn’t be wrong if we say that ‘Science is an ocean of opportunities. You name a problem and science has the solution. So, IVF (In-vitro Fertilization) is widely used across the world to overcome female infertility when it is due to problems with the fallopian tube and male infertility, where there is a defect in sperm quality.

The procedure was first carried out by Robert G. Edwards in 1978 through which Louise Brown became the first child to be born by IVF. Edwards co-developed the treatment with Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy.

Surprisingly, the British Scientist J.B.S. Haldane had already envisioned such technology in his book named ‘Daedalus; or, Science and the Future‘.

7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in 1932 Predicted Mood-enhancing drugs and genetic engineering

Though mental health is yet a less discussed topic and a major taboo if talk about it in a broader context. When people see you taking medicine for your mental health issues, they go mad as if they have seen a monster. Getting treatment for mental health is still not as easy as getting treatment for a brain stroke.

Anyway, taking anti-depressant pills is not a new phenomenon as the dystopian science fiction book named ‘Brave New World by Aldous Huxley had already imagined such kind of practice. However, such a practice, in reality, came into existence in 1950. And not only that, but the book had also mentioned genetic engineering which is modern DNA manipulation that was actually done by Paul Berg in 1972 for the first time. After combining DNA from monkey virus SV40 with the lambda virus, he made a recombinant DNA molecule. 

Isn’t that enough to make you read the book by Aldous Huxley? Hurry up!