20 Predictions That Didn't Come True in 2018

1 | Human cloning will be a thing.

In the September 4, 1998, edition of the Amarillo Daily News in Texas, writer Amy Tao made a few predictions about what life may look like in 20 years—most importantly stating that human cloning will be commonplace. "Cloning will be a big thing. Despite moral activist protests, clones of animals and human beings walk the earth. Don't feel like going to school? Send your clone! What if your dog dies suddenly? Just take out the clone of him!" she writes.

Along with that false prediction, Tao also stated that the cure for cancer will be found, but soon covered up due to a mysterious conspiracy theory in the works. And for more unbelievable predictions about the future, check out these 30 Craziest Predictions About the Future Experts Say Are Going to Happen.

2 | Automated dictation will be seamless.

While it is true that you might have spent as much of 2018 talking to Alexa or Siri as you would, well, an actual person, a prediction made in St. Johns Daily Star in Newfoundland in 1918 asserted that "automated dictation" will be so effective and commonplace that humans will no longer need to write or type anything at all. Despite any technological advancements, it's safe to say that you still have a few more years before you can ditch those keyboards for good.

3 | Farmers will be completely replaced by scientists.

Though farmers have always had to rely on science (of one sort or another) to estimate crop yields, in 1959, the Lubbock Morning Avalanche in Texas estimated that farmers in 2018 would no longer need to spend hours under the sun to achieve a successful growing season.

According to the newspaper, farmers would now work only as scientists, simply pushing buttons to grow whatever they desired. If only things were that easy. And for more strange predictions about the future, check out these 20 Hilarious Predictions About the Year 2020 Made Long Ago.

4 | Everyone will watch movies about World War I.

A writer for the Middletown Times Press in New York was hopeful that Americans 100 years in the future would watch movies about World War I on a consistent basis, in order to learn from the nation's past mistakes. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the writer, World War II would come along in a just few decades and claim the spotlight, as far as films about world wars go.

5 | We'll step foot on Mars.

In a 1996 Space Studies Board Annual Report, NASA officials said with some certainty that a piloted mission to Mars would be entirely possible in the year 2018. And, while there have been a number of steps completed towards that goal—in fact, just last month, the agency landed InSight, only their eighth lander in history, on the planet's surface—NASA still has yet to launch a piloted mission to Mars. And for more facts about the final frontier, check out these 21 Mysteries about Space No One Can Explain.

6 | A new form of energy will be discovered on Venus.

Blind mystic Baba Vanga, who many claim accurately predicted the events on 9/11, also hypothesized that 2018 would be the planet Venus' shining year of achievement. According to Vanga, a new form of energy would be discovered on Venus in 2018, spurring an entire revolution of the way humans use everyday products, like cars. However, as of today, no plans have been made to send any sort of mission to Venus. Could it be that Venus bears the next big scientific discovery? For now, you'll have to wait and see.

7 | World War III will begin.

According to a rather startling prediction from Nostradamus' book Les Propheties, World War III was set to begin in 2018—a cruel battle that would be waged between "the two great world powers." And, even worse, according to the philosopher, the war would last for 27 years before any country saw any relief. So, if there's one good thing that can be taken from the year 2018, it's that we didn't kick off a 27-year war.

8 | Mount Vesuvius will erupt again.

The famous "seer" also predicted that Mount Vesuvius, the same supervolcano that took out the city of Pompeii in 79 C.E., would once again claim many victims (6,000, to be precise) in 2018. While the prediction hasn't turned out to be accurate, residents of Naples were told in 2016 that the volcano could now erupt at any point—a fear that nearly two million people have to live with every day in the city.

9 | A major asteroid or comet will cause the Earth great harm.

Not only did Nostradamus predict the occurrence of a world war and crippling natural disaster, but he also warned of the probability of a major asteroid or comet striking the earth, resulting in a devastating amount of loss on the planet. Not only that, but he predicted that the asteroid or comet would strike the earth just as world leaders began engaging in nuclear warfare—a culmination of events that would likely end the human race, according to Nostradamus.

10 | Humans will live to be over 200 years old.

The final prediction that Nostradamus made for 2018 was a bit more hopeful. Even though he believed that the world would surely end in 2018, he estimated that, because of advancements in medicine, humans would likely live to be around 200 years old. And, while it is true that advancements have allowed for longer lifespans in the previous decades, humans can still only look forward to an average lifespan of around 80 years in 2018. For a more scientific look at what the human physiology will be, here are 20 Ways Our Bodies Will Be Different in 100 Years.

11 | Natural gas will be replaced by nuclear breeder reactors.

In May 1968, the Foreign Policy Association held a conference in New York City to celebrate the leaders of that time—a three-day gathering that eventually led to the conference's accompanying book Toward the Year 2018. In this book, experts ranging from economists to activists were asked to predict what the year 2018 may have in store for the future population. Out of the many misses that resulted from these predictions, Stanford University professor Charles Scarlott inaccurately foretold of an existence where natural gas would be replaced by nuclear breeder reactors, which, of course, is far from the truth in a world with a strong dependence on natural gas.

12 | The economy will be solely controlled by the government.

Additionally, Toward the Year 2018 contributor and M.I.T. professor Ithiel de Sola Pool predicted a future in which the federal government had complete control over the economy. "They will select their levels of employment, of industrialization, of increase in GNP," he says of people alive and participating in the economy in 2018. However, 50 years after his prediction, there's this thing called capitalism that outright prevents such control.

13 | Tablets will vanish from electronics departments.

Just five years ago, the former CEO of Blackberry, Thorsten Heins, made a stunning prediction about modern technology, stating that "tablets themselves are not a good business model," and that, in 2018, no one will be buying a tablet of any kind. However, years after this prediction, upon seeing how much money consumers were still shelling out for this most-beloved tech accessory, Heins took back his comment about tablets.

14 | Flying cars would be the new mode of transportation.

In 1882, artist Albert Robida assumed that flying cars would not only be manufactured, but that they would actually become the primary form of transportation in 2018. And, while the world's first flying car was technically produced this year by Terrafugia, it still may be another 100 years before this novel mode of transportation becomes the new normal. And for more uplifting predictions about the future of the world, check out these 25 Expert Predictions About the Future That Will Excite You.

15 | Anti-gravity cars will exist.

Toward the Year 2018 contributor, mathematician and national security expert D.G. Brennan predicted that anti-gravity cars would be the prevalent form of transportation in 2018. "There is a chance I may be able to see the year 2018 myself, and if so, I shall not be surprised if on my 92nd birthday I am able to go for a ride in an antigravity car," he says. Yeah. Sure.

16 | Germany would win the FIFA World Cup.

Despite numerous publications remaining steady in their faith that Germany would secure the trophy at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it was actually the French team that won, beating Croatia 4–2 in a truly nail-biting finale.

17 | Restaurants will tell you what their food does to your body.

At the tail-end of 2017, Lizzy Freier, managing editor of food consultancy Technomic, told the New York Post that she predicted that restaurants, in a move to please finicky customers, would begin to list all of the ways in which each separate dish would affect a person's body. Obviously, since this would require a major change in the world of food service, most restaurants have yet to make this prediction come true.

18 | Hashtags will become legal contracts.

As it turns out, the New York Post also predicted that 2018 would bear witness to the decline of signatures on formal documents, as the publication stated that hashtags would soon replace this formality. Unless you're a guest at the Marriott—the company revealed a plan this year where you could Tweet your way to Marriott points—it's unlikely that you'll be signing legal contracts with a hashtag, so don't throw away your writing utensils just yet.

19 | The American mall will resemble more of a town square.

Paco Underhill, a retail consultant and CEO of ‎Envirosell, predicted at the end of 2017 that shopping malls would all convert to the town square design—where the Nordstrom Racks of the world would happily co-mingle with upscale dining chains, gyms, apartment buildings, and other services in the same mega-center. And, while many malls are working towards this design, there are still a large percentage of indoor malls that don't subscribe to these standards.

20 | The world would end.

Christian conspiracy theorist David Meade, after first predicting that the world would end in 2017, when the mysterious planet "Nibiru" would appear in the sky only to take out the Earth, once again warned of an attack by the planet to take place in 2018. Fortunately for all of humankind, this threat of extinction has yet to take shape. And for more more frightening looks at what may or may not come to be, check out these 25 Expert Predictions About the Future That Will Terrify You.

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