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The Future Is Now Trivia Quiz

What was once the future is now today. See if you can figure out how people in the past messed up in predicting the future.

A multiple-choice quiz by eyhung. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
eyhung

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
374,496

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Very Easy

Avg Score
9 / 10

Plays
1110

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: alythman (10/10), chuckdaniel (10/10), bradncarol (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"This '_____' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." -- Western Union internal memo, 1876 Hint

bicycle

thermometer

sewing machine

telephone

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"______ are interesting toys but have no military value." - Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, 1911 Hint

Stoves

Marbles

Airplanes

Pencils

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"The horse is here to stay, but the ______ is only a novelty -- a fad." -- president of the Michigan Savings Bank, 1903 Hint

telegraph

scissors

piano

automobile

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"A ______ will never be able to leave the earth's atmosphere." -- New York Times editorial, 1920 Hint

sailboat

toothbrush

rocket

steam engine

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"_____ won't last, because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." -- movie producer Daryl Zanuck, 1946 Hint

Television

Sliced bread

Circuses

Dishwashers

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"Won't this _____ make war more terrible?" -- Havelock Ellis, English scientist
"No, it will make war impossible." -- Hiram Maxim, 1893 Hint

machine gun

cotton gin

umbrella

telescope

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"There is no reason for any individual to have a _______ in their home." -- Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977 Hint

window

computer

miniskirt

Barbie doll

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"It will be years - not in my time - before a _____ will become Prime Minister [of Great Britain]." -- Margaret Thatcher, 1969 Hint

president

child

woman

king

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In 1996, a publishing executive rejected a fantasy novel with the following explanation:

"Children just aren't interested in witches and wizards anymore."

Luckily for us, the author managed to get it published elsewhere. Who is the main character of this series of novels beloved by children worldwide? Hint

Frodo Baggins

Harry Potter

Peter Rabbit

Katniss Everdeen

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.

"I predict the ________ will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 will catastrophically collapse." -- Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3COM, 1995 Hint

Golden Gate Bridge

moon

internet

ocean

Most Recent Scores

Dec 11 2024 : alythman: 10/10
Dec 09 2024 : chuckdaniel: 10/10
Nov 18 2024 : bradncarol: 9/10
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 71: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "This '_____' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." -- Western Union internal memo, 1876

Answer: telephone

Of the four choices, only the telephone is a device used to communicate. This sentence was written by someone at the Western Union company (which was responsible for sending telegraphs, the fastest way to communicate at the time). The chief engineer of the British Post Office also agreed with this writer, saying that "The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys."

2. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "______ are interesting toys but have no military value." - Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, 1911

Answer: Airplanes

The French marshal (the equivalent of an American general) said this when discussing whether it was worth building a fleet of airplanes to help defend France. The First World War would prove him wrong in less than five years.

3. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "The horse is here to stay, but the ______ is only a novelty -- a fad." -- president of the Michigan Savings Bank, 1903

Answer: automobile

This was said by a bank president who was advising a lawyer named Horace Rackham not to put money into a company called the Ford Motor Company. Rackham didn't listen and scraped up $5,000 to invest. The company soon became one of the most successful automobile companies in history and Rackham retired a multi-millionaire.

4. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "A ______ will never be able to leave the earth's atmosphere." -- New York Times editorial, 1920

Answer: rocket

The New York Times was, and still is, one of the most respected newspapers in America. Six years later, Robert Goddard launched a rocket that would lead to the development of rockets that could fly into outer space. In 1969, as the Apollo 11 rocket was on its way to land a man on the moon, the Times published another editorial that withdrew the remark.

5. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "_____ won't last, because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." -- movie producer Daryl Zanuck, 1946

Answer: Television

This was said shortly after the invention of TV by Philo Farnsworth. Zanuck was one of the most influential men in Hollywood, so his opinion carried a lot of weight. But over a billion televisions later, it's clear that he was wrong.

6. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "Won't this _____ make war more terrible?" -- Havelock Ellis, English scientist "No, it will make war impossible." -- Hiram Maxim, 1893

Answer: machine gun

Hiram Maxim was the inventor of the machine gun. He honestly believed that his invention would eliminate war by making it too dangerous. It is unfortunate for the world that this was not the case.

7. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "There is no reason for any individual to have a _______ in their home." -- Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

Answer: computer

Computers have been the source of many terrible predictions. The magazine "Popular Mechanics" once predicted that computers would "only weigh 1.5 tons", or 3000 pounds. Another famous terrible prediction was that there was a market for only five computers, but that prediction was apparently made up.

8. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "It will be years - not in my time - before a _____ will become Prime Minister [of Great Britain]." -- Margaret Thatcher, 1969

Answer: woman

Margaret Thatcher was a British politician. Despite her words, in ten years, she ended up becoming the first woman Prime Minister of Great Britain.

9. In 1996, a publishing executive rejected a fantasy novel with the following explanation: "Children just aren't interested in witches and wizards anymore." Luckily for us, the author managed to get it published elsewhere. Who is the main character of this series of novels beloved by children worldwide?

Answer: Harry Potter

Of the answers, Harry Potter is the only one that is a wizard. The Harry Potter books are now among the best-selling books in history. Their author, J. K. Rowling, became one of the richest people in the world, because she didn't listen to this publisher.

10. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. "I predict the ________ will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 will catastrophically collapse." -- Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3COM, 1995

Answer: internet

He also said that if the internet didn't collapse by 1996, he would eat his words. One year later, he took a printed copy of his words, put it in a blender, and ended up doing just that.

Source: Author eyhung

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor NatalieW before going online.
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