Back to the Future Day

What Is Back to the Future Day?

October 21 is "Back to the Future Day." In the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly and Doc travel in the DeLorean from 1985 to the future, arriving on October 21, 2015. When that date actually came in 2015, fans around the world held events to celebrate.

The Film's "2015" Versus Reality

A number of the ideas shown in the 1989 film have since become real.

• What came true: Large wall-mounted TVs, video calls and fingerprint authentication are now everyday technology.
• What came close: In 2015 Lexus unveiled a hoverboard that floated over a special magnetic track, and in 2016 Nike released a limited run of the self-lacing sneakers seen in the film.
• What has not arrived yet: Flying cars filling city skies are still at the testing stage.

The Film's "Predictions"

In Part II, the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in 2015. In reality the Cubs won in 2016, one year later, ending a 108-year drought - a near miss that fans loved to talk about.

• "Your future hasn't been written yet": At the end of Part III, Doc tells Marty and Jennifer that their future hasn't been written yet and that it is whatever they make it. It is often quoted as the message of the whole trilogy.

Back to the Future Trivia

• "1.21 jigowatts": The power needed for time travel. "Jigowatt" comes from a pronunciation of "gigawatt"; the screenwriter is said to have written it that way after hearing a scientist pronounce it.
• 88 miles per hour: The DeLorean travels through time when it reaches 88 mph (about 141 km/h), a number said to have been chosen because it reads well on the speedometer.
• Mr. Fusion: In Part II the DeLorean carries "Mr. Fusion," a device that turns household garbage into fuel.
• The DeLorean: The car is the real DeLorean Motor Company DMC-12, known for its stainless-steel body and gull-wing doors.

Ideas for Back to the Future Day

• Rewatch the trilogy and compare how it portrays 1955, 1985 and 2015.
• Write a letter to yourself ten years from now.
• Chat with coworkers about which of the film's gadgets exist today and which don't.

Something to Remember on Back to the Future Day

October 21 is a day to compare the future the film imagined with the present we live in. Both the hits and the misses are fun to look back on. As Doc says, the future is not yet written. Take a moment today to picture yourself a little further ahead and think about your next step.