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Amazing Predictions
惊人的预测

Some authors seemed to have a crystal ball.
有些作家似乎拥有一只水晶球。

Their books predicted the future with amazing accuracy.
他们的书以惊人的准确性预测了未来。

Here are three striking examples.
下面是三个引人注目的例子。

THE WRECK OF THE TITAN by Morgan Robertson
摩根·罗伯逊的《泰坦号的沉没》

THE PREDICTION
预测内容

This is a story about the Titan, a giant passenger ship.
这是一个关于“泰坦号”的故事，它是一艘巨大的客轮。

Everyone says it’s “unsinkable.”
所有人都说它是“永不沉没的”。

But one night in April, disaster strikes.
但在四月的一个夜晚，灾难降临了。

The ship hits an iceberg and sinks into the freezing Atlantic Ocean.
船只撞上了冰山，沉入冰冷的大西洋。

It gets worse—there aren’t enough lifeboats.
情况更糟的是——救生艇不够用。

Thousands of people die in the accident.
数千人在事故中丧生。

REAL LIFE
现实生活

Does the Titan remind you of the Titanic?
“泰坦号”是否让你想起了“泰坦尼克号”？

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail from England.
1912年4月10日，泰坦尼克号从英国启航。

Everyone thought it was “unsinkable.”
所有人都认为它是“永不沉没的”。

But just four days later, it struck an iceberg and sank.
但仅仅四天后，它就撞上了冰山并沉没了。

And just like in Robertson’s novel, there weren’t enough lifeboats.
而且正如罗伯逊小说中描写的那样，救生艇数量不足。

In the end, more than 1,500 people went down with the ship into the Atlantic’s icy depths.
最终，超过1500人随船沉入了冰冷的大西洋深处。

THE MACHINE STOPS by E.M. Forster
E.M.福斯特的《机器停转》

THE PREDICTION
预测内容

In this short story, people live underground.
在这篇短篇小说中，人们生活在地下。

Thanks to the large Machine, everything can be done from home.
多亏了那台巨大的机器，一切事情都可以在家中完成。

People become afraid to meet each other in person because they rarely leave their rooms.
由于很少离开房间，人们开始害怕与他人面对面接触。

REAL LIFE
现实生活

Does this world sound familiar?
这个世界听起来熟悉吗？

Yes, The Machine Stops predicted life in the internet age.
是的，《机器停转》预言了互联网时代的生活。

But the book came out in 1909.
但这本书出版于1909年。

Television hadn’t been invented yet, and computers and smartphones weren’t even a dream!
那时电视尚未被发明，电脑和智能手机甚至还只是幻想。

THE FOUNDATION SERIES by Isaac Asimov
艾萨克·阿西莫夫的《基地》系列

THE PREDICTION
预测内容

This sci-fi series was published in the early 1950s.
这套科幻系列作品出版于20世纪50年代初。

Asimov invented a science called “psychohistory.”
阿西莫夫创造了一门名为“心理史学”的科学。

Researchers use societal trends and mathematics to accurately predict future events.
研究人员利用社会发展趋势和数学来准确预测未来事件。

REAL LIFE
现实生活

Today, “psychohistory” isn’t just science fiction—it’s everywhere.
如今，“心理史学”已不再只是科幻概念——它无处不在。

With large amounts of data, AI-powered supercomputers can predict all sorts of things.
借助海量数据，由人工智能驱动的超级计算机可以预测各种事情。

They know what people like to read.
它们知道人们喜欢读什么。

They can even forecast which pizza they’re going to order!
它们甚至可以预测人们将要点哪一种披萨！
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Amazing Predictions
Some authors seemed to have a crystal ball. Their books predicted the future with amazing accuracy. Here are three striking examples.

THE WRECK OF THE TITAN by Morgan Robertson THE PREDICTION This is a story about the Titan, a giant passenger ship. Everyone says it’s “unsinkable.” But one night in April, disaster strikes. The ship hits an iceberg and sinks into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. It gets worse—there aren’t enough lifeboats. Thousands of people die in the accident.
REAL LIFE Does the Titan remind you of the Titanic? On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set sail from England. Everyone thought it was “unsinkable.” But just four days later, it struck an iceberg and sank. And just like in Robertson’s novel, there weren’t enough lifeboats. In the end, more than 1,500 people went down with the ship into the Atlantic’s icy depths.

THE MACHINE STOPS by E.M. Forster THE PREDICTION In this short story, people live underground. Thanks to the large Machine, everything can be done from home. People become afraid to meet each other in person because they rarely leave their rooms.
REAL LIFE Does this world sound familiar? Yes, The Machine Stops predicted life in the internet age. But the book came out in 1909. Television hadn’t been invented yet, and computers and smartphones weren’t even a dream!

THE FOUNDATION SERIES by Isaac Asimov THE PREDICTION This sci-fi series was published in the early 1950s. Asimov invented a science called “psychohistory.” Researchers use societal trends and mathematics to accurately predict future events.
REAL LIFE Today, “psychohistory” isn’t just science fiction—it’s everywhere. With large amounts of data, AI-powered supercomputers can predict all sorts of things. They know what people like to read. They can even forecast which pizza they’re going to order!

. They know what people like to read. They can even forecast which pizza they’re going to order!