1. Touchscreens
The idea of carrying a tiny device that lets you talk to anyone in the world, play games, stream movies, and look up any question in seconds? They’d think you were joking. The closest thing in 1924 was the rotary phone or maybe a shiny new radio that could only play music and news. The concept of watching a movie or video calling someone in your hand would seem like science fiction.
2. The Internet
Even if they could wrap their head around the idea of a tiny phone, they’d be utterly lost trying to understand the internet. The idea that you could type a question into a box and get an answer in seconds, or read up on any topic instantly, would seem like magic. And don’t even get them started on shopping online – that would be pure wizardry.
3. Quirky Products Like Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes
They’d also find it fascinating how we’ve automated the mundane. A self-cleaning litter box? A smart fridge that knows what’s inside and tells you when you’re out of eggs? These would seem too futuristic for words, even more so when you consider how convenient our modern lives have become.
4. Electric Cars
They would probably expect that in 2024, cars would be bigger and faster, but an electric car? No exhaust pipe, no gas stations, and cars that run on batteries? The concept of recharging your car like a cell phone instead of fueling up at a gas pump would blow their minds.
5. Home Assistants
Having a smart speaker that can answer questions, play music, control lights, or order groceries would be like living with a helpful little robot. In 1924, you were lucky if you had a telephone operator to connect your call. They’d wonder if we’d all become rich enough to have personal servants – but the real answer is that we’ve just got AI.
6. Video Chatting
The idea that you could see and talk to someone in real time while they’re halfway around the world? Forget it. Telephones were the peak of connectivity back then. To them, it would be as if we’d jumped into a sci-fi movie where holograms replaced the simple, reliable voice of a good old landline.
7. High-Speed Trains and Space Travel
The trains of 1924 were sleek and impressive, but they’d never guess that we’d have trains that could travel over 200 mph or even that people are regularly sent to the International Space Station. Space travel might have been a pipe dream then, but today, it’s just a ticket away, thanks to commercial space programs.
8. Online Shopping
You didn’t get groceries delivered to your door, and if you needed new clothes, you went to a store or catalog shopped. But now, you can shop for almost anything from your living room and have it delivered in less than a day. If they saw Amazon or food delivery apps, they’d think the future had arrived with a bang.
9. Social Media
The notion that people share their thoughts, opinions, and pictures with millions of others daily would seem impossible to someone from 1924. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have made it so that everyone’s life is out there for the world to see. Imagine the shock of seeing someone you know sharing their breakfast or documenting their vacation in real-time!
10. Home Exercise Equipment
They would be floored to know that people can now work out from their homes with things like smart treadmills, stationary bikes that can take you on virtual rides through the French countryside, or even online classes with instructors guiding your every move.
11. The Way We Listen To Music
Buying music in record stores was the norm back then, so to hear that you can stream millions of songs instantly from your device would seem like magic. From vinyls to cassette tapes to digital downloads, the progression would blow their minds — but streaming? That’s the kind of wizardry they’d be amazed by.
12. Streaming Services
If they thought movie theaters were the pinnacle of cinema, they’d be shocked to find out that you can watch almost any movie or TV show you want without even leaving the house. The idea of subscribing to a service like Netflix or Hulu and choosing what to watch, when to watch it, would be a concept they’d never have imagined.
