Life changing inventions

Atomic Bombs
Awesomely, most of the predictions on this list are pretty much positive ones. However, this one isn't. HG Wells (you will see his name pop up quite a few times on this list) mentioned it in his 1914 novel, A World Set Free. The first atomic bomb was dropped over Japan in 1945.

*Nuclear  Bombs

Solar Energy                                                                                         

                                                                                    

What is interesting about this isn't necessarily the fact that a writer could envisage the idea, but that it could be written about so much earlier than it happened. Hugo Greenback wrote about it in his 1911 book, Ralph 124C 41+ (seems like a strange name for a book but I promise you it’s real). Sixty-seven years later, solar power became a reality in 1978.

*Solar Energy

Lie Detector Test                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                        

The lie detector test has been around for quite some time now, having been invented and first used in 1924. But the idea came to writers Edwin Balmer and William MacHarg whilst writing their 1910 release, The Achievements of Luther Trant. 

*Lie Detector Test 

Tanks                                                                                                                                                 

Way back in 1903, HG Wells wrote a book by the name of The Land Ironclads. Of course, the title of the book itself refers to tanks (ironclad being the name of a warship). It was thirteen years later in WWI that tanks were first seen on the battlefield. 

*Tanks 

                                                

 Space tourism                                                                                                                        

                                                            

I reckon that when you consider our fascination with all things outer space, it is amazing that someone didn’t write about tourism in space before Arthur C. Clarke’s A Fall of Moondust in 1962. Dennis Tito was the first tourist in space in 2001.

*Space tourism

Automatic Doors                                                                                                                                                                                           

The concept of automatic motion sensor doors might seem quite commonplace to us, but what would it have sounded like in 1899? HG Wells included mention of it in his novel of that year, When The Sleeper Walks. It was a bit of sixty years before they would actuall be a reality.

*Automatic Doors