Ten 100-year-old predictions for 2026 that are scarily accurate
6-7 minute read
By Ellie Ayton | December 5, 2025
In 1926, a journalist predicted what the future would look like in 100 years. For some things he was far off the mark, but for others, he was spookily correct.
The world of 1926 looked very different from what we know today. Internet speeds mean we can video chat and send files in seconds, AI increasingly powers technology, and there’s talk of another mission to the Moon. We could go on. Innovation keeps evolving.
The year 2026 would have seemed like a far-flung prospect for those who lived a hundred years ago, even though many would have already experienced great change.
The 1920s were an age of flappers, fancy, and economic uncertainty. Some women had the right to vote. The world was still recovering from a brutal four-year war and a global pandemic.
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1925 saw the first television transmission by John Logie Baird, the BBC received its first Royal Charter, there were reforms to social welfare, and building tensions ahead of the 1926 General Strike.
Enter critic, newspaper editor and author James Douglas. In his heyday, he edited two of Britain’s longest-running newspapers – The Star from 1908 until 1920, and then the Sunday Express until 1931, the latter of which is available to search in our vast newspaper archive. Despite working for the press, he called for several books to be banned.
James Douglas by George Porter-Higgins, Wikimedia Commons.
In this era of change, it’s perhaps not surprising then, that James, a man born in the 1860s, looked ahead to what life might look like a hundred years in the future. We can find his predictions preserved in two newspapers – the Banbridge Chronicle and the Dalkeith Advertiser.
His musings began with a look back to what life in London had been like just three decades before:
"In 1890, when I walked out of Euston Station, I entered a mouldy old four-wheeler with damp straw on the floor. There were shining hansoms driven by dandified drivers in smart box-cloth coats, with flowers in their buttonholes, long whips, and glossy top hats. The horses carried bells that jingled merrily as they trotted down Piccadilly. London had a horsey smell. Today it has an oily odour - it is a city of petrol."
It’s a vivid picture. But what did James get right? And what did he get wrong?
1. Nations will live in permanent peace
James wrote post-Great War, thought of then as the ‘war to end all wars’, and he no doubt hoped never to live through such a conflict again. We wish we could say he was right about this one, but war, sadly, remains part of global life.
2. Diseases, including cancer, will be eliminated
Many diseases are now well-controlled, but our once-in-a-century pandemic arrived in the form of COVID-19, and today, one in two people is diagnosed with cancer. However, technologies and treatments are improving all the time. Smallpox in humans was eradicated in the 20th century, however.
3. Jazz and gramophones will disappear
Jazz might not be as popular as it was 100 years ago, but music is still very much a part of our culture, with quirky genres and our love of Spotify Wrapped – a fixture in many people’s Decembers.
Customers at a secondhand gramophone stall in Bethnal Green, 1955. From the Findmypast Photo Collection.
But the way we consume music is very different, from digital streaming to the evolution of record players, cassettes, CDs, and beyond.
4. Cinemas will close
This is somewhat true - some cinemas have closed their doors.
Adverts going up outside the Coliseum cinema in West London, 1954, from the Findmypast Photo Collection.
While the post-COVID world still enjoys a trip to the cinema and an epic blockbuster, many are comfortable streaming the latest release on Netflix, Amazon, or Apple TV.
5. We’ll live in a vegetarian age
Though the entire world hadn’t renounced meat, veganism is on the rise, and many of us are more mindful of the meat we consume and how it’s produced.
James predicted a vegetarian society, from the Banbridge Chronicle, 27 January 2027.
Overfishing is also a concern for many of us. Does anyone remember the Seaspiracy documentary from a few years back?
6. Women will return to more modest dress
James predicted that future fashion may reverse trends of the 1920s, with women abandoning cosmetics and returning to long hair and modest dress. Fashion, trends, and the expectations of women come in swings and roundabouts.
The 1920s saw women embrace looser silhouettes and higher hemlines, as seen in Britannia and Eve, 9 June 1926.
It's often said that attempts to control women’s appearances align with the growth of fascism. With the rise of the tradwife movement, some women are abandoning their careers and returning to the home.
And while many still embrace make-up, some women have indeed abandoned cosmetics - look at Pamela Anderson, who regularly walks the red carpet bare-faced. But, all in all, we're in favour of women dressing how they want, styling their hair how they want, and deciding for themselves if they want to wear make-up. Trends will come and go, but a woman's agency will never go out of fashion.
7. Machines will save us time
We might take everyday items for granted now, from the dishwasher to the tumble dryer, but these inventions have revolutionised our daily lives.
An advert for an automatic dishwasher, from The Scotsman, 10 October 1970.
We’re not sure how we could cope without our washing machine or electric iron...
8. The four-day working week
James predicted we'd work no more than four hours a day, but he's right about the four-day working week - there has been talk of adopting this practice, with several trials having taken place.
Workers at Fort Dunlop in 1925, from the Findmypast Photo Collection.
There is also greater flexibility now in work-life balance and shared parenting.
We think you'll agree that James did quite well with his predictions - we could argue he got four out of eight pretty spot on.
James' predictions weren't the only ones published. Reverend Carl Knudsen, writing in the Zion’s Herald gave his thoughts on what 2026 would look like. How accurate were his predictions?
9. We’ll be able to communicate from 4,000 miles away
Carl predicted wireless photography and radio sets for all, that would eradicate loneliness and see we could keep in touch.
The Nokia 3310, advertised in the Northampton Evening Telegraph, 14 July 2001.
This one is incredibly accurate. In an era of Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Zoom, a conversation can happen instantly between two people separated by oceans and time zones. Many people queue down the street for the latest iPhone. In this internet age, we have never been more connected.
10. Restrictions will lift on migration
Carl imagined a world where boundary lines would disappear and migration would be commonplace.
An article from 1929 discussing immigration, from the Liverpool Journal of Commerce, 21 May 1929.
It’s a hot topic nowadays, making news headlines across the country and beyond. Carl clearly saw the benefits a diverse, integrated society could bring.
How do you think your 1920s family would have reacted to the changing world around them?
We've come a long way since the first aircraft, the first steam engine, and the first book. We might not know what 2126 will look like in 100 years' time, but we can be certain that it will be different. We can only hope that some of James and Carl's more optimistic predictions, such as a more cooperative, peaceful planet and a society without disease, can become reality one day.
