PREDICTION FOR THE 1980s?

Girl’s letter from 1969 that was found down the back of an old sofa made spookily accurate predictions about the future

THE SUN
Carly Bass
Feb 3, 2021, 4:42 ET
Updated: Feb 3, 2021, 7:46 ET

The letter was written in 1969 and contained some rather accurate predictions

Credit: SWNS - South West News Service

A LETTER from 1969 written by a schoolgirl has been found stuffed down the back of a sofa - and it has some pretty accurate predications about the future.
The 50-year-old note penned by the unnamed girl was discovered by Rosa Beckerton and her husband Peter, 67, while he was refurbishing the old piece of furniture for a client.
It is dated February 23, 1969, and appears to be written by an 11-year-old girl imagining what life would be like in 1980.
While the letter contained some rather far-fetched fantasies - including the Willy Wonka-esque suggestion of getting all your meals from chewing gum - the young girl was not far off the mark with other predictions.
In fact, the schoolgirl appears to have predicted video-call platform Zoom - suggesting that all phonecalls in the future would be accompanied by a video feed
She wrote: "In 1969 the telephone was a square box thing with a resiver [sic] on top of it."

The note was found behind an old sofa by Rosa Beckerton’s and her husband Peter, 67, while he was refurbishing the old piece of furniture for a client

Credit: SWNS - South West News Service

The young girl - who was 11 at the time - predicted Zoom

Credit: SWNS - South West News Service

"But now it is still a resiver [sic], but you can see the people you are talking to, for there is a screen where you can see the people. It is a bit like a television."
The unnamed letter, complete with a teacher's corrections and comments in red pen, was discovered by the couple from Peterborough, Cambs, after Peter, an upholsterer, was tasked with sprucing up sofa.
Rosa said: "My husband works as an upholsterer, and he found it down the side of a sofa that he was upholstering for a customer."
They had no idea it was there. It was really surprising.
"When my husband showed it to me I couldn't believe it. I thought 'oh my God, look at this'."

The note appeared to be a school project and had teacher's corrections throughout

Credit: SWNS - South West News Service

"It was just so interesting, because looking at it today she's got a lot of her predictions kind of right - but in her childish innocent way she thought it would all happen in ten years. It didn't have any name on it unfortunately, but it was marked 'Good' by the teacher, which I thought was nice. I just wanted to share it in the hopes that maybe the author might see it and recognize it. My husband has found all sorts of rubbish down the side of sofas and furniture before - but never anything as interesting as this."
The letter begins: "The year is 1980, the time is half-past moon dust. Here I am twenty-one years of age, sitting in a cushion of air."

The letter also mentioned the future of TVs

Credit - SWNS:South West News Service

"I remember when I was 11 years old and I was at school, things have changed since then.
For instance, the television has changed."
And continues: "In 1969 it was a square box with knobs in front of it. Now it is a big screen with knobs on your chair arm to switch it on and off.
I am married and I work in a bank, dealing with money. I have always wanted to be a bank assistant.
Well, my husband will be home from work, but I have no tea to prepare like we did in 1969.
All we have is a piece of chewing gum to eat. You may think that we have not enough to eat but you are wrong, because this piece of chewing gum is food.
You chew this gum and you can feel the food going down. You can also taste it. There is no messy washing-up to do afterwards.
Here's my husband now. 'Press the button, dear'. What I mean is press the button for the door to open, you see our doors are electric doors.
'Hello dear,' he said to me. 'I've just got to ring up my friend on the telephone'.
'Well you'd better tidy yourself up a bit,' I said.
In 1969 the telephone was a square box thing with a resiver [sic] on top of it.
But now it is still a resiver [sic], but you can see the people you are talking to, for there is a screen where you can see the people. It is a bit like a television.
Really when I think back over those ten years, things have changed tremendously."
The original author would now be aged around 62.

Adapted from: https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/2261340/girls-letter-1969-found-old-sofa-accurate-predictions-future/. Accessed on February 4, 2021.