7. Dissolving Dishes

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Asked about what life might be like in the year 2000, New York Times science writer Waldemar Kaempffert speculated about “shopping by picture phone,” which was actually quite a remarkable prediction for someone in 1950, considering the fact that shopping online with smartphones is quite a routine thing these days. His predication about dinnertime wasn’t quite as accurate, however. Claiming that there would be no need for dishwashers, Kaempffert said most dinnerware would be made from plastic, and would be discarded in the sink to be completely dissolved in a bath of 250-degree water.