1953 newspaper article made surprisingly accurate prediction about smartphones today

In November 2019, a strange premonitory press clipping began widely circulating on social media for a very unusual reason. The press clipping was actually a short interview of Mr. Mark Sullivan, a telephone company CEO. The interview was made in 1953 and started popping up in 2019, as it contained some very relevant elements.

This particular interview has been the source of many debates since, as many people argued it could very well be a fake one. Several people have been arguing about the veracity of Mr. Sullivan's prophecy, and of the interview itself. Now, fortunately, we finally know for sure!

A prophecy from 70 years ago

We can finally say for sure that the press clipping, dating back to 1953, is real and did exist. This means it is not a forgery, as some critics had argued when the interview came to light in 2019. And there is enough reason to be surprised! Indeed, this interview describes with a certain accuracy the current state of our smartphones and our way of communicating... But it took place 70 years ago.

Published in the Tacoma News Tribune on April 11, 1953, the surprising prediction comes from an interview with Mr. Mark R. Sullivan, President and CEO of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company.

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The telephone of the future?

When asked about the future of telephones and their use, the CEO of the company describes what he imagines for the future of our telecommunications. The Tacoma News reporter introduces his interview with the use of this term 'The telephone of the future?'

He goes on to say that it is pure speculation to imagine the form future phones will take, but Mr. Sullivan still issues his prophecy.

In its final development, the telephone will be carried about by the individual, perhaps as we carry a watch today. It probably will require no dial or equivalent, and I think the users will be able to see each other, if they want, as they talk.

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Apple Watch and Facetime

It's hard not to see the connection with the Apple Watch and Facetime we have today. That being said, it is can also not be that surprising to read these words in a newspaper dating back to 1953. Indeed, for us to have access to that technology today, someone had to imagine it in our past.

Numerous works of science-fiction testify moreover to this same mechanism of projection where the authors imagine the future society and manage to skillfully predict the future.

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Science fiction?

This can remind us of the tactile tablets in 2001: A Space Odyssey, of the radio imagined by Jules Vernes, or of the totally dystopian rating system imagined by Black Mirror, which has got a clear parallel with the current situation in China.

Moreover, despite the relevance of these predictions, let's remember that Mark Sullivan is the boss of a telecommunications company and that he is therefore quite informed about the future uses of telephones.

This article has been adapted from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

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