In October of 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. It was the beginning of the Space Age, a monumental moment not only in the world of science and politics, but in design. Suddenly, futuristic stylings emerged in everything from cars to vacuum cleaners.
So, it shouldn’t have come as too big of a surprise when in 1958 Philco debuted Predicta, a television set it promoted as the “TV of Tomorrow.” And yet it was. Gone was the traditional square or rectangular shapes of a television screen entombed in heavy wood. The Predicta was elegant, with a forward-looking design that was lightyears ahead of the competition. Even today, the design remains appealing more than sixty years later.
Philco’s engineering department helped turn designers’ dreams into reality by separating the viewing screen from the bulky receiver chassis. Such freedom of movement was revolutionary.