People love predictions, especially when they come true (that is, of course if the predictions are for good). Though predictions are normally associated with mediums and divination, there are other sources. Writers for example.

Throughout history some of the boldest predictions ever made have come from the pages of authors who were eager to tell their stories to the world. While some of these predictions are more impressive than others, these authors nonetheless managed to have a strong sense of the future. From waterbeds to the internet, these are 25 books that predicted the future and were right!

In his book Gulliver’s Travels (1735), Jonathan Swift writes that Mars has two moons. 142 years later in 1872 we discovered that Mars does in fact have two moons.

Solar sails

In 1865 when Jules Verne wrote From The Earth To The Moon he included the idea of solar sails. 145 years later, in 2010, the first solar sail (IKAROS) was successfully used.

Electric submarines

5 years after he wrote From The Earth To The Moon Jules Verne wrote 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1870). In this book he writes about the exploits of an electric powered submarine. 90 years later, in the 1960s, electric powered submarines were put into service.

Credit cards

When Edward Bellamy wrote Looking Backwards in 1888 he predicted the use of credit cards. 62 years later, in 1950, they were invented.

Skywriting

Jules Verne’s book In The Year 2889 (1889) includes the concept of planes writing messages in the sky (skywriting). 26 years later, in 1915, this was done for the first time at an airshow in San Francisco.

In what is probably one of the more grim predictions on this list, H.G. Wells predicted the use of atomic bombs in his 1914 novel, A World Set Free. 31 years later, in 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped over Japan.

His 1950 book Fahrenheit 451 includes the idea of earbuds, or in ear headphones. 51 years later, in 2001, Apple earbuds were released.

5 years later Arthur wrote The City And The Stars (1956) which mentions virtual reality video games. 10 years later, in 1966, the first flight simulator was developed.

In his 1969 book Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner mentions the European Union. 24 years later, in 1993, the EU came into existence.

A boldly specific prediction, in his book From The Earth To The Moon (1865), Jules Verne wrote about this scenario 104 years before the 1969 Apollo mission did exactly that.