When People In The 1920s And 1930s Imagined The Future, They Dreamed Big

The Space Age gave us some beautiful, rocket-shaped visions of future cities. But before World War II, people were already imagining sleek, beautiful structures. And floating airports. And air taxis. And Futurama, circa 1939! These are the most eye-popping videos of life in the future, from the 1920s and 1930s.

The Fugitive Futurist (1924), shows futuristic visions of London through a magic camera

Just Imagine (1930), set in New York City, sixty years in the future

The Air Taxi (1931), a short Pathé film says that tiny aeroplanes will be common as "air taxis"

Eve A.D. 2000, shows some clothing that will be worn in the year 2000

The Airport Of The Future (1933)

The City of The Future (1935), featuring the drawings of Hugh Ferriss (The Metropolis of Tomorrow, from 1929)

Things To Come (1936), sets in a British town named Everytown between 1940 and 2036.

Futurama, an exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair, shows a possible model in 1959-1960