Recently, in a remarkable revelation, a young boy appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter show 50 years ago, predicting the future of television technology.
His design for a flat-screen smart TV with internet connectivity shocked viewers and sparked curiosity on social media.
'Time traveler' predicted flat-screen smart TV 50 years ago on Blue Peter.
In a popular BBC television show called Blue Peter, a "time traveler" made predictions about the emergence of flat-screen smart TVs 50 years ago.
The show featured a young boy named Steve Bostock, who participated in the Blue Peter competition at the age of 11.
He didn't know that his winning design would foreshadow the future of television technology.
Steve's creative drawing depicted a TV that could connect to the internet, which was a futuristic idea back then.
The young visionary even incorporated a communication system on top of the TV, which we now recognize as the Internet.
His design allowed for dual-sided viewing and featured earplugs for private listening, ensuring that others wouldn't be disturbed.
When Steve looks back, he feels sorry for not protecting his winning idea with a patent. He thinks that if he had done so, he would have a lot more money now.
Steve, who is 61 years old, thinks about the design he made as a child and understands that it showed the progress and improvements happening in the television industry.
The Blue Peter 2000 competition, where Steve's design triumphed, received an impressive 135,259 submissions envisioning life in the future.
Some of the ideas that won the competition included cool gadgets like futuristic alarm clocks and communication devices.
The winners received advanced radios, which demonstrated how the show encouraged creativity and welcomed new ideas.
Steve's prediction is not the only case of children foreseeing technological advancements.
Another remarkable example comes from an essay written by an 11-year-old girl in 1969, which predicted high-tech TVs and the proliferation of video calls.
Even though Steve Bostock didn't make the most of his groundbreaking idea, his impact on television is still important.
He recognized the possibilities of flat-screen smart TVs and internet connection at an early stage, showing how the show can inspire young people and encourage creativity and progress.
