“The BBC’s What If? season explores visions of the future through subjects such as health, war and technology. But how did artists and dreamers from the past imagine the modern world? 1. More police officers – equipped with personal flying machines – was Punch cartoonist Charles Harrison’s vision of the future. His 1901 illustration, strangely titled Increased Activity Of Police: A possibility of the very near future, came with the caption, “Now then, thirty miles an hour won’t do up here! I’ve timed you with my aneroid barometrical check clock and you’ll have to come down to the station!” The officer’s unlucky subjects were speeding in a flying machine – a popular theme explored by future-gazers. 2. Leonardo da Vinci sketched an early design for a helicopter – which he called the Aerial Screw – in the 1480s. Roughly sketched on paper, his diagram includes notes to explain how his flying machine would work. In his annotations he wrote: “I believe that if this mechanism is well made with starched linen cloth and if it is spun rapidly, the screw will… rise up high into the air.” According to The National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, the screw has a five-metre diameter and is made of reed, linen cloth and wire. His machine was never made, but Da Vinci’s plan was that the shaft would be spun by four men as they stood on the central platform and pushed the bars in front of them with their hands.” (Full Article with Images HERE)