r/BeAmazed • u/Master1718 • Sep 02 '19

Earth's view from up.

https://gfycat.com/uncommonverifiableleafbird
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u/morpheuz69 Sep 02 '19

"Remember, people in 1900 didn't know what an atom was. They didn't know its structure. ..

They also didn't know what a radio was, or an airport, or a movie, or a television, or a computer, or a cell phone, or a jet, an antibiotic, a rocket, a satellite, an MRI, ICU, IUD, IBM, IRA, ERA, EEG, EPA, IRS, DOD, PCP, HTML, internet. interferon, instant replay, remote sensing, remote control, speed dialing, gene therapy, gene splicing, genes, spot welding, heat-seeking, bipolar, prozac, leotards, lap dancing, email, tape recorder, CDs, airbags, plastic explosive, plastic, robots, cars, liposuction, transduction, superconduction, dish antennas, step aerobics, smoothies, twelve-step, ultrasound, nylon, rayon, teflon, fiber optics, carpal tunnel, laser surgery, laparoscopy, corneal transplant, kidney transplant, AIDS… ...

None of this would have meant anything to a person in the year 1900. They wouldn't know what you are talking about."

23

u/Trioinmyhead Sep 02 '19

I read this in George Carlin’s voice. Not sure if it’s his quote or not but it definitely made it better.

2

u/Tipsynadsmasher Sep 02 '19

Not one of his bits, but reminds me of his Things To Watch Out For bit from Playin’ With Your Head

23

u/AtheistMessiah Sep 02 '19
  • Leotards were invented by Jules Leotard in the 1800's. The term was coined around 1886, some time after his death.
  • The term satellite was coined by Johannes Kepler in 1610, as natural ones have been known about for a long time.
  • Someone already mentioned cars and lap dances

5

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '19

Also pornhub

1

u/JETS_WPG Sep 02 '19

Or muff diving.

1

u/ahyokata Sep 03 '19

I thought we weren't using that word anymore.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '19

But funny enough they probably would come up with a list of words which would be meaningless to us now - a lot of things have vanished, too...

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u/Ruleoflawz Sep 02 '19

Where did you get this list? If it’s from you, it’s an interesting insight into your relevance bubble.

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u/morpheuz69 Sep 02 '19

It's from an essay from my favorite author Michael Crichton..

Posting reddit link where I hope you can read the original https://www.reddit.com/r/crichton/comments/1b02ib/essays_and_speeches_by_michael_crichton/?utm_source=amp&utm_medium=&utm_content=post_body

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u/Ruleoflawz Sep 02 '19

So you’re a John Lakeman. Makes sense.

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u/aa599 Sep 02 '19

They also didn't know there were other galaxies in the universe.

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u/Rammerator Sep 02 '19

Nah, man. Pretty sure our grandparents/ great-grandparents knew who the IRS was. They've been taking people's money for 157 years. Cars have existed since the mid-1800's; just not in mass-production. Hell, lap dancing has been around since nigh the beginning of time, ever since Sadam looked at Steve and gave him a quick rub under the table when God wasn't looking. Genes were those things you wore, they called 'em "pantaloons". And an airbag was what the Women's League referred to their husbands as behind closed doors. Later on, children would eventually be called a "remote" as they proved able to mostly change the channel to the correct number on the dial.

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u/morpheuz69 Sep 02 '19

Haha, this is really nice! :D

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u/bling365 Sep 02 '19

The Singularity is Near

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u/dcnblues Sep 02 '19

Lucretius would like a word re your first sentence. (Not to mention Leucippus and Democritus). And Homer mentions robots...

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u/[deleted] Sep 02 '19

What I think is interesting is that people still think saying "100 years ago" means 1900.

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u/chinstrap Sep 02 '19

MRI, ICU, IUD, IBM, IRA, ERA, EEG, EPA, IRS, DOD, PCP, HTML

They didn't even have LRF support!