Talk about a blast from the past. U.S. News went back through its old editions and came up with a real gem: In 1964, our predecessors analyzed how far American society had changed (“advanced” might not be entirely the best term) since 1914, the year World War I began. The world had shifted entirely during that time, not in the least thanks to World War II where, yet again, the U.S. bolstered European allies in defeating Germany. The Cold War was in full swing in the mid-1960s as top leaders cautioned about the spread of communism throughout Asia and even into the Western Hemisphere.

The article went on to make predictions about what the next 50 years would hold, creating an image of 2014 America that, in some senses, was right on the money. In other realms, like the proliferation of rocket cars, perhaps U.S. News got a bit too imaginative. Check out our collection of the best predictions and how our crystal ball ultimately performed.