Science fiction fans were told up front they might be disappointed. Vehicles in general were not predicted to be very different from those of 1977. No one thought self-guided cars would yet be available by 2077, but in reality, we are starting to see them already.
A person in 2077 was predicted to be “amused at the innocent ignorance of 1977 Miami Valley Man, who actually believed the Winters Bank building was tall. On the other hand, he will marvel at the quaintness of any number of restored structures, perhaps even the downtown Arcade.” Hmmm, that has already happened as well.
It was also said that the rediscovery of the Great Miami River as a recreational resource, begun a century before, will be complete by 2077.
Jerry Nowak, 1977 president of the Dayton chapter of the American Institute of Architects, saw people returning both to the city center and the river. He envisioned homes — solar heated in part — along the riverbank, along with increased use of the river for recreation, by 2077.
“In the Middle Ages, you could live your whole life and not meet 40 people,” said Joseph Patrouch, a University of Dayton English professor, in 1977. “It may get to that point again in one hundred years. For better or worse, technology will make man less dependent on other human beings.”
He said that with home-installed computer terminals — which are technologically only slightly removed from television — the man of the future will not find it necessary to leave his home for such chores as shopping.
Here are some other predictions from the article.
- Most printed matter will cease to exist since it will all be stored in the computer and available on the screen anytime. Movies will also be on there.
- A mass transportation system would be available, but if a future person still wanted to drive their car, it would still be a problem to find parking.
- Gas stations and petroleum products will be used to a much lesser degree, depending on what energy source is found to replace them.
- Dayton International Airport will become the much larger “Dayton Spaceport” to handle vehicles bound for space stations.
- Space will be the domain of the very rich and a few scientific explorers. Getting to Europe will still take the same amount of time.
Dayton fortune teller, Sister Dora, was asked for her vision of 2077. She said, “It’s hard to look that far in the future. But I’ll tell you that we may not get there if we don’t quit being so rough with each other. If that don’t change, we won’t make it.”