An image from an Italian newspaper from the year 1962 is doing the rounds online with a caption stating it was an article on life in 2022. The picture shows people travelling in personal pods, suited just for their size. It shows people in self-driven pods on roads, looking much like a traffic scene. It is going viral on social media given the current times when social distancing has become a norm and it won't be new to see such things as the new normal. But is the claim completely true? As much as the claims say it was an article from 2022, there is no such reference to the year. So it is not an entirely real claim. Fact Check: Did Italian Doctor Couple Die After Treating Coronavirus Patients? Know Truth Behind Viral Photo Showing Them Share a Last Kiss.
While social media platforms are inundated with Coronavirus news updates from around the world, time and again we have come across images and claims that give a prediction angle to the whole situation of a pandemic. Accounts from years ago or mentions of epidemics in books have resurfaced to claim that past predicted the future years well. Similarly, this image from an Italian newspaper named Domenica del Corriere shows a futuristic picture of people in self-driven pods. They are in fully enclosed glass domes which can occupy just a single person. It was shared on Twitter with a caption, "In 1962, an Italian magazine carried a story on how the world will look in 2022." Pic With 'History Repeats Every 100 Years' Message Citing 1720 Plague, 1820 Cholera, 1920 Spanish Flu and 2020 Coronavirus is Going Viral, Know More About These Pandemics.
Check The Tweet Here:
In 1962, an Italian magazine carried a story on how the world will look in 2022. pic.twitter.com/wfQMK1nYDk
— Danis Tanović (@DanisTanovic) May 14, 2020
The same image has been shared on Facebook too. The graphic was indeed published in the year 1962 and is quite close to today's era of social distancing. However, as per the claim that it envisions 2022, there is no such mention. Fact checker site Snopes mentions that the image was used to illustrate an article about the Singoletta (or singlet), single-passenger vehicles of the future envisioned as a way of alleviating urban traffic gridlock. The Singoletta was something like a scooter, but between a two-wheeler and a car made with an intention to protect against the weather and other environmental factors. However, there is no mention of a particular year 2022. So although it has a resemblance to the situation in the world right now, it is a fake claim.
Fact check
Italian magazine predicted life in the year 2022.
There is no mention of 2022 found in the article.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2020 04:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).