1999 Predicted a Black President, Space Travel, and Tech Bliss. Got Half Right.

KEY POINTS

•In 1999, Pew surveyed Americans who predicted a Black U.S. president by 2050, realized early by Obama in 2008.
•Bill Gates predicted mobile device ubiquity and smart ads in 1999, which largely came true by 2010.
•Respondents predicted terrorism, warming planet, democracy shifts, and cures for cancer and AIDS by 2025; results are mixed.

Back in 1999, before Y2K had us dialing into doom, U.S. adults flexed some future vision muscle predicting a Black president by 2050 (mic drop: Obama scored in 2008 and 2012). They nailed civilian space travel aspirations (spoiler: mostly billionaires and Katy Perry’s space selfies via Bezos’ Blue Origin). Bill Gates in '99 dropped a prophecy about pocket-sized internet gods that do everything—including creepy targeted ads that know your soul’s shopping habits. Pew’s survey showed 55% liked tech convenience, 39% braced for digital dependency. Democracy? Mostly thought it'd thrive, despite surges in dictatorships. Cancer? No cure by 2025, but mRNA and nanoparticles are auditioning. AIDS? A few miracle stem cell transplants in 2022 and 2024 made believers sweat miracles. Oh, an environmental warming guess? Check, and check-hot. And terrorists? Pew nailed it pre-9/11. Basically, the future’s part prophecy, part glitchy download.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

1999 peeps saw Obama and space tourists but forgot tech addiction, dictators, and that cancer won’t RSVP until later. Future’s weird flex, still a flex.

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