Common sense will tell us that predicting the future is impossible. Is it?
From the Great Fire of London to the 9/11 attacks, here are some of the most bizarre predictions that actually came true.
Great Fire of London in 1666 by Nostradamus
French physician and reputed seer Michel de “Nostradamus” Nostredame, published a number of prophecies during his lifetime, foretelling, in occasionally ambiguous language, world phenomena from Henry II’s death to the rule of Adolf Hitler. Among Nostradamus’ unambiguous predictions is the Great Fire of London that destroyed the European city in 1666.
Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination By Abraham Lincoln
It is something you do not want to see before it happens. Ward Hill Lamon, an acquaintance of the late 16th president of the United States, claimed that Lincoln had an uncanny prophetic dream just 3 days before he was shot and killed in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth.
Sinking of Titanic by Morgan Robertson
In 1898, Morgan Robertson, a productive short narrative author, wrote a book of the ferry line “Titan”. The novella describes how the biggest ship ever built hit a huge iceberg and submerge into the cold waters of the Atlantic. The two ships have eerie similarities in terms of size, when the accident happened, speed, and safety.
Apollo 11 Moon Landing by Jules Verne
In 1865—over a hundred years prior to Apollo 11—Verne published a book that describes a brief story of humankind’s first-ever trip to the Earth’s moon. Verne included several precise information including the place where it would launch (Florida), the ship’s name, how many astronauts are aboard, and weightlessness feeling they would encounter. During his time, he had completely no idea that gravity works differently in out there in space.
Atomic Bomb by H.G. Wells
He wrote in 1914 tells a story of a city-annihilating “atomic bomb”. Since the infamous Manhattan Project of the US government which constructed the destructive atomic bomb did not start until 1942, Wells had no idea if or how a nuclear explosion could occur, but he understood some terms regarding radioactive elements. Nevertheless, he knew if we figure out a way to detonate up these chemical compounds at the same time, the results will not be good. You can read more about his prediction by reading “The World Set Free”.
Organ Transplantation by Robert Boyle
In a 1660s handwritten list, Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor Robert Boyle predicted some events that would happen in the future, including the cure of health conditions “at least by [organ] transplantation”. Keeping in mind that he existed in the pre-Enlightenment period of superstition and magic, the concept of transplantation is extremely radical. Aside from this medical prediction, he also foretold the emergence of GPS and other modern breakthroughs.
9/11 Attack by Nostradamus
Another Nostradamus’ prediction that came true and changed the world is the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. To be exact, he said the fire originated from the center of the planet would destroy the “new city”. This prophecy was widely criticized for being too broad and many people believed that citation does not exactly mean New York City.
