Pretty fly
From President Trump to hoverboards and tablet PCs… the eerie predictions Back To The Future got right
Time to grab your hoverboard and self-lacing trainers as we take a look at the Back To Future Predictions which really did come true
WE still don’t drive flying cars, wear clothes that dry themselves or hydrate pizzas – but Back To The Future did an eerily good job of predicting what today's world would be like.
The original 1985 film took us back to 1955, while its 1989 sequel had a bold stab at painting a picture of life in 2015.
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In the film, Marty McFly time-travels to the future to stop his son taking part in a robbery.
On his adventure into the unknown, he comes across unimaginable tech, far-fetched characters and out-of-this-world gizmos... and a staggering number of things became very real in the decades since the flick came out.
Tech like tablet computers and VR headsets hit the mainstream, and hoverboards are now on the verge of taking off as well - but did you know that Back To The Future II also predicted the rise of Donald Trump?
Here's what else the film got right...
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Donald Trump’s rise to power
The wispy blonde hair, perma-tan and weathered face… there’s an array of spooky similarities between bad guy Biff Tannen and Donald Trump.
Both Biff and Trump have been married three times and live in palaces painted in gold.
But in the film, Biff becomes a successful businessman who, after opening a 27-story casino, goes into politics. Sound familiar?
Back to the Future writer Bob Gale has even confirmed that the villain is “loosely based” on the President - although he probably never have imagined Trump going into politics when he made the film.
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The Cubs win the World Series
While walking around 2015-era Hill Valley, Marty clocks an enormous light-up sign appears revealing that the Chicago Cubs have won the World Series – leaving Marty in disbelief.
Sure enough, in 2016 the Cubs - who hadn't won the competition since 1908 - stunned fans by beating Cleveland Indians.
It may have been a year out, but Back to the Future II did get it right, sending sci-fi fans wild and sparking a host of conspiracy theories about the show.
Even star Michael J Fox took to social media to comment. He tweeted: "Only off by a year, not bad"
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Self-lacing trainers
Marty’s self-tying shoes were one of the weirdest (and most coveted) inventions in Back to the Future II.
Now, Nike have unveiled their own self-lacing trainers, which are pretty much an exact replica of the ones from the movie.
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Back To The Future shoes are finally real
Handheld tablet computers
When Doc meets Marty by the clock tower, he brandishes what looks like an iPad-style tablet computer.
The device featured in the movie is much clunkier than the tablets we have today, but the idea is still the same... and decades ahead of its time.
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Multiple TV channels and immersive gaming
Marty appears perplexed when he discover a television with multiple channels – something that is commonplace today.
In the UK today, there are over 600 channels, enough to blow Marty's eighties mind.
Marty would also be stunned by today's VR technology; in one scene in the film we see a version of smart glasses which let kids watch TV and play games.
In 2018, VR gaming headsets like the Occulus Rift are just starting to go mainstream, and wearable tech like Google Glasses and Snap Inc's Spectacles is readily available.
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Hoverboards and flying cars (sort of…)
Alright, alright, we aren’t quite whizzing around on hoverboards just yet, but plenty of firms are working on it.
Japanese car company Lexus has unveiled a prototype for a rideable hoverboard, while a company called Arx Pax in California is also working on a version.
The only catch is that both devices rely on magnets - so you’ll unlikely be able to glide over water like Marty.
Meanwhile, inventors in Moscow have successfully managed to create a flying hoverboard which can lift a human passenger up into the air.
World's first fully-manned hoverbike tested in Moscow
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Meanwhile, DeLorean, the makers of the time-travelling car we see in the films, is working on creating a car which really flies.
It's called the DR-7 and will be capable of vertical take-off thanks to its drone-like design.
Scale models have already been produced and a full size prototype is scheduled for completion within a year. Great Scott indeed.
DeLorean is making a flying car - 30 years after classic film Back to the Future
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