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By Tony Russell
A trip to the Red Planet! Ray guns! An airplane in every garage! Is the future what people thought it would be? Judge for
yourself: the long-awaited debut of the Smithsonian Institution's exhibit "Yesterday's Tomorrows" will take place this eveming
at Calhoun Middle/High School.
The Grand Opening will begin at 6 p.m., and will last about an hour and a
half. The event is free, and open to the public.
There will also be free food from 6 until 6:45-some of Harry Siers' best cooking, and you know what that's like! To help
your digestion, there will also be old time music provided by Pokey Hardway and friends. The exhibit, with additional
material from the Calhoun County Historical Society, will be set up in two rooms at the Middle/High School, and people can
circulate through the exhibit at their own pace.
Another highlight of the exhibit will be two TV's set up with video interviews of some of our senior county residents, done by
Calhoun High School students, as well as rare video footage provided by the Historical Society and by Pat Radabaugh.
At 6:45, the program will move to the auditorium. After brief remarks from local hosts, Mark Payne from the West Virginia
Humanities Council will talk about the exhibit, and Jeanne Hanning, a delightful young scholar from West Virginia University,
will make the featured presentation, using a variety of slides and film clips. Don't miss it!
There will be a number of other opportunities for your friends to see
the exhibit. In addition, there are a variety of other activities planned during the time the exhibit is here. Those will include a
Roundtable on "The Future of Calhoun County," scheduled for May 20; a science fiction series; and the burial of a time
capsule.
This historical overview of what Americans thought the future would look like, beginning in 1900 and continuing
through the late 20th century, will be on display at Calhoun Middle/High School starting today through June 6.
"Come see for yourself how accurate those predictions were.
Divided into four sections, the exhibition explores concepts such as the "home of tomorrow," "transportation of tomorrow"
and the "community of tomorrow," as well as predictions for the future found in movies, television, magazines, literature, and
advertising.
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), 1946
At times, the exhibition is lighthearted, as with the 1950s vision of a living room that can be cleaned with a garden hose.
While the exhibit features abundant and colorful examples of predictions and inventions that went awry, it is, in fact, a serious
exploration of the values and hopes Americans hold and have held about "the years to come."
During the nineteenth century, Americans thought that proper housing was essential to the future social and moral health of
their families. But ideas about the home evolved; the home became a "machine for living," and modern architecture, mass
production, and increased automation within the home took precedence over real human and societal needs. Home designs
continued to reflect contemporary beliefs about family life, gender roles, and social relations. Today, many home designs
show exteriors that harken back to the past.
Richard Neutra, Lovell House, Los Angeles, 1929
The future exists only in our imaginations. But, during the twentieth century, Americans have expressed their imaginings about
the future in books, movies, magazines, television, radio, toys, and advertising. The future presented in these media ranges
from cheerful utopias of technological wizardry to dark visions of a world to come.
Futuristic vehicles are uniquely American ways of imagining tomorrow, reflecting our faith in progress and technology. Before
the 1920s, mass transit systems dominated Americans' visualizations of future transportation. But the automobile quickly
became the dominant mode of transportation and so was the focus of designers' and planners' futuristic visions.
Photos courtesy of yesterdaystomorrows
Visit the web site and see Past Visions Of The American Future
21st Century Farm, Davis Meltzer,
The National Geographic Magazine, February, 1970
King Camp Gillette, Metropolis, The Human Drift, 1894
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