Archive - Paleofuture Substack

The Future of Paleofuture (and Its Creator, Matt Novak)

I'm departing Gizmodo after almost 10 years and trying to decide what to do next.

Dec 18, 2022 •

New Articles at Paleofuture This Week

Tom Hanks visits the retro-future, robot waiters serve pizza in 1983, and book publisher Peter Usborne dies at 85.

Apr 1, 2023 •

New articles from Paleofuture

We look at the Pope who banned railroads, the celebrity psychic who predicted JFK's death, the astronomer who ridiculed space travel, and more.

May 26, 2023 •

The Fed Predicted in 1977 That a Gallon of Milk Would be $12.50 by Now

The average price is currently $4.44 per gallon.

Jan 4, 2023 •

New This Week at Paleofuture

The 'Telephone Muffler' privacy tool of 1910, the curious chatbot of Bell Labs in the 1970s, and experimental TV in the 1940s.

Apr 7, 2023 •

New at Paleofuture This Week

How did a cartoonist from 1923 accurately predict the AI of 2023?

Jan 21, 2023 •

The Latest Articles From Paleofuture

We take a look at bizarre medical gadgets from the 1920s, a Space Age kitchen from 1958, and much more.

Feb 11, 2023 •

Introducing Paleofuture+

Exclusive new content for just $5 per month.

Jan 9, 2023 •

Watch the First Drone Ever Shot Down With a Laser in 1973

After years of FOIA requests, I finally found footage of the test.

Jan 3, 2023 •

Predictions for the Four-Hour Work Day in 2023 Were Met With Celebration and Ridicule in 1923

"Steinmetz says four hours is a day’s work. The boss says it is hard to get a man to work that long.”

Jan 25, 2023 •

How Simplified Spelling Was Supposed to Fix America's Crime Problem in the 1970s

"Hav u ever considerd th meny benefits ov a simplified fonetic speling that soundz just liek it's riten?"

Jan 24, 2023 •

New Articles From Paleofuture in February

From 1980s nostalgia to another flying car company biting the dust, these were the articles you may have missed.

Feb 26, 2023 •

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts