Smile and Keep Building

Too Long; Didn't Read

From 1958 to 1963, Americans had many reasons to be nervous about the future of technology. The Cuban Missile Crisis viscerally brought home that the crowning achievement of the atomic age, the nuclear bomb, had introduced the risk that a minor conflict could destroy the world by accident, all while Sputnik showed that the USSR had surpassed American engineering. Yet, one of the most popular comic strips during that period was<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/before-the-jetsons-arthur-radebaugh-illustrated-the-future-122729342/" target="_blank"> Arthur Radeaugh’s <em>Closer Than We Think</em></a>, which ran in newspapers across America. Even in the depths of existential despair, we managed to maintain a sense of optimism surrounding the future that could flow from technology. It’s not just Radeaugh. In times long past, the popular press focused on our exciting future. Hugo Gernsbacks, of the Hugo Award, had a series called “Amazing Stories.” The most prominent pop culture from the time includes Star Trek, a utopian exploration series, and Star Wars, about a successful rebellion in space.