In April 1964, General Motors opened the Futurama II pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, inviting visitors to glimpse what life might look like six decades in the future, in 2024.

The installation’s themed ride transported nearly thirty million fair-goers (over two seasons) to an enthralling world of tomorrow, where people would live, work, and play in fantastical places–from the bottom of the sea to the vast reaches of outer space.

In this talk, today’s audience will revisit futuristic cities, automated workplaces, dream homes (and cars), underwater resorts, and lunar habitats, to consider just how well Futurama's world of tomorrow predicted the world of today.

Presenter Monica Penick is a design historian at The University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches courses in the History of Design, 20th century Modernism, and Retro Futures. Much of her work reflects broadly on the culture of design, the power of print media, and the continued legacy of mid-century modernism. She has authored essays on the work of Norman Bel Geddes, Paul László, and Dorothy Liebes, and her books include Tastemaker: Elizabeth Gordon, House Beautiful, and the Postwar American Home.