10 Wild Predictions About the Year 2000 That Totally Missed the Mark

The year 2000 was supposed to be a sci-fi dreamland, but instead, we got dial-up internet and frosted tips.

Sophia Zapanta
April 16, 2025
4 min read

10 Wild Predictions About the Year 2000 That Totally Missed the Mark — Natalie Goodwin on Pexels

Looking ahead to the year 2000, past thinkers imagined a world of flying cars, robot servants, and moon vacations. What we actually got was much more grounded—and a lot weirder in totally different ways. These 10 predictions missed the mark by a mile, but they’re a fun look at how bold the imagination can be.

1. We’d All Have Flying Cars

Patrick Sbrzesny on Wikimedia Commons

This one tops every old-school future fantasy. People truly believed that by 2000, the skies would be filled with family-sized flying cars instead of traffic jams. In reality, we barely had GPS in our regular cars, and most of us were still printing out MapQuest directions. Turns out flying cars are hard, expensive, and a bit chaotic in rush hour.

2. Everyone Would Be Living on the Moon

Gregory H. Revera on Wikimedia Commons

In the ’60s, after the moon landing, everyone thought we’d have colonies up there in a few decades. By 2000, they predicted vacation homes, moon farming, and space suburbs. Instead, humans hadn’t set foot back on the moon since 1972. The closest we got to moon living was watching Apollo 13 on VHS.

3. Robots Would Do All the Housework

Tesla on Wikimedia Commons

Old-school ads promised that by 2000, we’d be sipping cocktails while our robot butler vacuumed the floor. We did eventually get the Roomba, but it mostly bumped into furniture and got stuck under couches. No walking, talking Rosie from The Jetsons. Just a lot of us still scrubbing dishes by hand.

4. We’d Have Personal Jetpacks

martinjetpack on Wikimedia Commons

The future was supposed to be airborne, including solo jetpacks for zipping around town. They predicted office commutes that looked more like superhero landings. Fast forward to 2000: still no jetpacks, just rollerblades and flip phones. The dream’s still alive, but the takeoff’s been delayed—by several decades.

5. People Wouldn’t Need to Eat Real Food Anymore

Pöllö on Wikimedia Commons

Why bother chewing when you could take a meal in pill form? That was the vision—a vitamin-packed capsule instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, in 2000, we still ate pizza, microwaved Hot Pockets, and loved carbs. Apparently, humans like food way too much to give it up for science.

6. Books Would Be Obsolete

Roman Eisele on WIkimedia Commons

The future was supposed to be paperless, with everyone reading from glass screens and talking computers. However, books were very much alive and well in 2000, especially thanks to Harry Potter. E-books existed, but they didn’t take over yet. Honestly, nothing says future failures like underestimating bookstores.

7. Everything Would Be Run by Nuclear Power

Trougnouf on Wikimedia Commons

Nuclear energy was once seen as the miracle power source of the future. By 2000, predictions had us living in glowing cities powered entirely by atomic energy. In reality, nuclear power had plateaued and sparked many safety debates. Most people were more worried about Y2K than uranium.

8. We’d All Be Wearing Futuristic Jumpsuits

ArtMechanic on Wikimedia Commons

The fashion predictions were wild—metallic jumpsuits, plastic accessories, and matching unisex outfits. The year 2000 was supposed to look like a fashion show from Mars. Instead, we got low-rise jeans, spaghetti straps, and trucker hats. The future of fashion turned out to be surprisingly denim-heavy.

9. We’d Communicate Using Only Video Calls

Conrad M. Meyers II on Wikimedia Commons

People thought landline phones would be gone and we’d only talk through video screens. Technically, the tech was starting to appear, but it wasn’t mainstream. In 2000, most of us still used corded phones and AOL Instant Messenger. Zoom calls wouldn’t take over for another 20 years—and a pandemic.

10. Time Travel Would Be Possible

David Revoy on Wikimedia Commons

Some truly ambitious thinkers thought time travel would crack by the new millennium. We’d hop back to the Renaissance for fun or zip to the future to grab lotto numbers. Spoiler alert: We are still stuck in linear time. Our best bet in 2000 was watching Back to the Future and wishing.