How Did They Know? Multiple Choice Quiz | Quotes

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1. A 19th century science fiction writer uncannily predicted the first U.S. moon mission to successfully orbit the moon in his novel "From the Earth to the Moon." Who was this author?

Answer: Jules Verne

The Apollo 8 mission occurred in 1968, over one hundred years after the publication of Verne's novel in 1865. In the novel, a spaceship with three astronauts on board was launched into space from a launchpad in Florida (think Cape Canaveral). It reaches the moon successfully but has to crash-land in the Pacific Ocean on the return trip. Fast forward one hundred years and that's exactly what happened to the Apollo 8 mission with three astronauts on board: James Lovell, Frank Borman, and William Anders. Fortunately, all three astronauts landed safely in the Pacific Ocean.

2. Which 1990 sci-fi film, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone, showed the use of a full-body scanner long before it was actually used in real life?

Answer: Total Recall

Based on a short story by sci-fi writer Philip Dick, this dystopian film features Schwarzenegger as a construction engineer who seeks out his true identity after his memory is erased. The body scanner used on Schwarzenegger's character foreshadowed the ones used in airports today.

3. If you're old enough to remember the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, then you might remember this psychic who was famously credited with having predicted his death in office. What was her name?

Answer: Jeanne Dixon

Born Lydia Emma Pinckert in the early 20th century, Jeanne Dixon became an astrologer and author who worked with her husband in the auto business. Not all her predictions came true. However, she did predict the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) which she described in 1978 as a "dreadful plague."

4. There have been cases of individuals who have predicted their own death. The 16th President of the U.S. had a dream shortly before his assassination that foreshadowed his own death. Who was this American president?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln described his Presidential assassination dream to his friend Ward Hill Lamon who later incorporated it into his biography "Recollections of Abraham Lincoln 1847-1865." In the dream, Lincoln recounted how he saw a group of mourners grieving over the dead body of the president who had been assassinated. Eerie, isn't it?

5. Another science-fiction writer foresaw the future when he predicted flat-screen TVs in his dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451." Name this author.

Answer: Ray Bradbury

Flat-screen TVs weren't introduced until 1997 but Bradbury wrote about them in his famous 1953 novel. Those big TV screens played a prominent role in the book. The TVs had essentially replaced the family unit, which doesn't seem too far a stretch put in the context of today's technology.

6. Do you believe that Bluetooth is a relatively new device? Think again. Which popular science fiction TV series from the 1960s introduced a similar hands-free communications device?

Answer: Star Trek

William Shatner starred in the original series that began its run in 1966. The crew members of the "Enterprise" used a device similar to our modern-day hands-free device. Little did the writers of "Star Trek" know that their use of this tool in the TV series would become a reality in 1994. Then again, maybe they did.

7. Who would have thought that this humorist and author, creator of the memorable characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, would predict the Internet? Which author am I describing?

Answer: Mark Twain

In a newspaper article written in 1904, Twain put forth the idea of a communications device based on the telectroscope, first mentioned by French writer Louis Figuier in 1878. Twain envisioned this device as being able to use a network of phone lines to communicate and connect with the world. I wonder what he would have thought of Facebook?

8. Flying cars aside, some accurate predictions have come from the minds of science fiction writers. Which writer predicted, among other things, online shopping in a 1968 article written for the magazine "Mechanix Illustrated?"

Answer: James Berry

James Berry predicted many things in that 1968 article. Some have come true, some have not. He foresaw how important home computers would be in the year 2008 and, more importantly, what these computers were capable of doing. Besides online shopping, Berry predicted that we would be paying bills and receiving direct deposits using a home computer. He even predicted big-screen TVs.

9. Referred to as "the restless genius" and "the ultimate thinking machine" by "The Wall Street Journal" and "Forbes Magazine" respectively, this futurist is a man of his time. He is also an author and inventor. Who is he?

Answer: Ray Kurzweil

Kurzweil has been incredibly accurate in his predictions. He often pinpoints an actual date when the predictions will come about. His novel "Age of Intelligent Machines" was published in 1990 and predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union. "The Age of Spiritual Machines," published in 1999, predicted e-books. He even predicted the Internet.

10. In the December 1900 edition of the magazine "Ladies' Home Journal," an article appeared that predicted things to come in the next hundred years. The author of the article, who thought that others might think his predictions strange, was a civil engineer who worked for American railroads. What was his name?

Answer: John Elfreth Watkins

Watkins needn't have worried. Most of his predictions came true. What exactly did this civil engineer predict? He predicted, among other things, television, digital color photography, express trains, and prepackaged meals, all of which were not invented until well into the 20th century. Amazing, isn't it?

Source: Author nmerr

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How Did They Know? Trivia Quiz

People from all walks of life have made some amazingly accurate predictions that have come true. Here are ten of them.

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