Things we didn’t think were possible 60 years ago

I recently saw a documentary following 100 aspiring astronauts from around the world as they took their first adventure into space. One of them was an Australian man who is only 29. This got me thinking about how clever human beings are, and about how many times we have made what seemed impossible, possible.

We watched the first ever moon landing in July 1969 and it was such a huge event all around the world. I can remember running down the street to a family friends house because their TV was bigger and better than ours!

To think that just 45 years ago we watched it happen and thought it was extraordinary. It was a total feat of science and technology. And now, we watch Unilever owned, Lynx take 100 young men to space in their first astronaut mission for publicity.

There have been so many things in life that we’ve thought were either totally impossible or only for the extremely wealthy. Technology has proven otherwise and some of them we can’t live without today.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that sixty years ago we would have never thought were real for today’s Five for Friday… Tell us yours by listing them from five to one in the comments below…

5. Electric cars aren’t just for the movies

Electric cars have been around for a while, but only in a futuristic, far from reality world. The green and eco-friendly movement gave the electric car industry a push forward and Toyota created the hybrid petrol and electric Prius. In 2008, Telsa Motors developed the first ever all-electric motor vehicle for commercial use. It has an 88% efficiency rating compared to traditional petrol cars that have a rating of only 25%.

4. That most people have a full encyclopaedia in their pocket.

Growing up, if you wanted to know something, you went to the local library and pulled out an encyclopaedia. You knew exactly how to use the index and would sit there for hours until you found all the information you needed. These days, we have a full encyclopedia in our pockets… It weighs about 112 grams and not only does it contain information from all around the world, it combines it with news, current affairs, scholarly articles, videos, images and much more… All thanks to the internet on your phone!

3. You can travel overseas or interstate so easily.

The world’s first jet airliner wasn’t invented until 1958 and it was a four-engine plane that could carry 181 passengers. The commercial jet airliners lead to a new level of convenience and luxury. Going on a holiday overseas became so easy and travelling inter-state also became a breeze. Now, you can wake up, decide you want to travel, book a flight online and be at the airport ready to board within three hours!

2. You can access cash from a hole in the wall. 

It wasn’t until the 1960s when ATM’s (Automatic Teller Machines) became real… Then in 1970, the magnetic strip card was created and became a popular staple in wallets in the 80s and 90s. This level of convenience came along with digital record keeping systems for accounts and was the start of digital banking.

1. That most children have their own computer that goes to school with them.

The first computer that was real, electronic and digitally programmable was the British Colossus used in World War II. Back then and still until some breakthroughs in the 1980s, computers took up entire rooms and were only for the large scale and multinational companies. 60 years ago, no one would have imagined that computers could be folded and popped into a bag, nor that they could carry them to and from places, or that computer literacy is a core part of school curriculums all over the world.

It seems that not long ago, none of these things were a reality. And the idea of them becoming real was so futuristic and far ahead that most of us grew up dreaming about it. But, through our science and technology we’ve done what we thought was impossible.

So, if you had the power right now, to make something that seems impossible, possible, what would it be? What do you want to make a reality? Tell us in the comments below…