In the year 2099...

A speculative question, but I wonder what persons or events of the 20th Century will be commemorated by National Historic Sites (or Monuments) 100 years from now?

Here in Canada, the trend has been away from the old "Fur Trade and Rusty Cannons" and Dead White Guys to less objective subjects that shaped our national history. For example, modern industry is being recognized at Gulf of Georgia Cannery (Vancouver, BC: West Coast Salmon industry, involving Chinese- and Japanese- Canadians); McLean Sawmill (Port Alberni, BC: lumber industry in the 1920s-50s). Immigration is being commemorated at Pier 21 (Halifax, Nova Scotia: immigration to Canada 1920-1950s); and Cold War paranoia has received offical recognition at the "Deifenbunker", a 1957 government atomic shelter near Ottawa, Ontario.

My question to Teemers is:

What persons, places, events, or cultural trends will be commemorated 100 years from now? Some fields to consider:

Technology: (how about Steve Wozniak's garage where they built their first apple prototype?)

Cultural trends: (how about the ultra-ugly and inhuman architechture of the 60s-70s glass towers?)

Industry: (where and how would you commemorate the Internet?)

Lifestyle: (the Disco Museum? Imagine the gift shop!)

Cultural? I'd venture that the creation of Canada's newest territory, Nunavut, on April 1st, 1999, is worthy of commemoration.

[wolfstu]

That international space station, long after it's fallen from service, will probably have some sort of memorial.

[choosybeggar]

Four of Manhattan's favs will be commemorated:

It
Mojo
Hot dogs
Oatmeal

[samclem]

No doubt in my mind that GQ will be extinct by then. It will have been broken down into 2,458 other categories.

My great-great grandkids will trek to Chicago to worship at Cecil's shrine. They will stand in line for hours to gawk at an obsolete computer and a msg. board answering inane questions from any and every body.

The good news is, I will have left them a time capsule telling them where to eat. It will say "The Greek Islands, Arun's Thai, and the Frontera Grill." Some things will continue.

[Lumpy]

I'm not sure about 2099, but in the long run I'm certain that the fact that women would have foreign objects implanted in their chests to make their breasts bigger will be regarded as one of the most bizarre aberrations the human race ever succumbed to.

[Dark Lord Davidson]

Originally posted by Lumpy
I'm not sure about 2099, but in the long run I'm certain that the fact that women would have foreign objects implanted in their chests to make their breasts bigger will be regarded as one of the most bizarre aberrations the human race ever succumbed to.

I'm sorry, I just can't take this post seriously..I mean, look at the member who posted it!

LOOK!

*falls out of his chair laughing*

[manhattan]

This was actually a great OP that somehow never got the responses it deserved.

Now that IMHO exists, let's throw the thread over there to see what folks have to say about it.

[headshok]

This will be about as accurate as predictions about the 20th century were in 1899, but here goes:

Technology:

1) The Emperor Gates Colossi/Mind-control Relay Towers will cover North America, Europe, and most of Asia. The colossi will allow 10% of the population to chat, shop, game, and post to the SDMB through the Pentium XXVII chips and virtual VDTs implanted in our brains. The other 90% of the population will be utilized for tech support and maintenance of the colossi, an unfortunate necessity due to the propensity of the colossi to emit an eerie blue light and collapse to the ground with little or no warning.

2) Genetic engineering and computer technology will transform the human race into super-intelligent, socially adept, physically perfect beings. However, men will still rent porn from the local video store.

3) Some other stuff.


Cultural trends:

1) The Mark Burnett Memorial will be unveiled atop the CBS building in New York City. Survivor 255: Valleris Marineris will be a smash hit, trouncing the offerings of the other 8 networks. Losing tribe members will be ritually sacrificed on live TV, and harvested for their food and water content. Through the double-edged miracle of genetic engineering, Jeff Probst will still be the host.

2) The Britney Spears/MTV/Dow Corning Museum will open in a small Louisiana town. Music lovers everywhere will be aghast at the proliferation of boy-bands and untalented, big-breasted girly-pop singers at the top of the charts.

3) People will still be talking about how great the 1960's were.


Industry:

1) Celebrations across the globe will honor the development of fusion power, hydrogen fuel cells, and the crack-powered automobile. Oil drilling will still be mandated in national parks and schools as a result of Executive Order no. 987654, issued on Jan. 19, 2005.

2) The NASDAQ will continue to hover around 2500 ([Homer]Stupid tech stocks![/Homer]).

3) Some other stuff.


Lifestyle:

1) A national holiday will commemorate the appearance of the XFL in 2001, and the league's Big Game at the End '99 will draw the biggest ratings in history. The halftime show will feature a combination cage match/team-cheerleader orgy, complete with a two-player Scramble for the Contraceptive at the beginning of the show.

2) 20th-century fashion will be all the rage. Baggy pants, big hair, coke spoons, and peace symbols will be must-have items for the culturally hip.

3) Some other stuff.



I guarantee these predictions to be 100% accurate. But it might just be the tequila talking.