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[[File:tyrannosaur in f-14.jpg|link=Calvin and Hobbes|frame|''"[[Cool but Stupid|Tyrannosaurs in F-14s!]]"'']]
{{quote|"''Spare me your space-age [[Techno Babble]], [[Attila the Hun]]!''"
Strictly historically accurate writing, set and costume design, and dialogue is often counter-productive. Few audience members will have the historical knowledge to appreciate the differences between distant eras, and they often have [[Reality Is Unrealistic|muddled expectations]] of what they would be like. And in any case, for some eras genuine examples of or guides towards clothes, artifacts or items that they would have used in the time in question may be in short supply or sketchy at best, forcing props and costume designers to speculate or do the best with what they have. Thus, it is sometimes more effective to imply a general sense of 'the past' drawn in broad strokes rather than bog the story down with exposition and [[Shown Their Work|pedantry]]. More often, writers and producers are [[They Just Didn't Care|too lazy]] or have [[Did Not Do the Research|too little time to get the facts correct]], or they may actually believe they have the facts correct [[Dan Browned|when they don't]].
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Compare [[Popular History]], [[Purely Aesthetic Era]], and [[Present Day Past]]. When it's the people of the future doing this with the present, it's [[Future Imperfect]]. If the era depicted comes off as ridiculously advanced sociologically rather than technologically, that's [[Politically-Correct History]]. If it's not a specific "real" time and place but rather an invented [[The Verse|Verse]], you're looking at [[Schizo-Tech]]. Compare also [[Reality Is Unrealistic]], when the producers get everything right... but because it's not what the audience was expecting, they're criticized for getting it ''wrong'' (which prompts them to not bother next time). [[Fantasy]] works set in secondary worlds are not examples of this, since their histories and geographies relate to those of the real world vaguely at best (through the use of [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]]s).
[[Somewhere a Palaeontologist Is Crying]] is a related [[Trope]] on a much larger scale; [[Steam Never Dies]] is this trope on a very specific smaller scale.<ref>[[Rimshot|4' 8.5", in most cases.]]</ref> Contrast [[Low Culture, High Tech]], where a similar anachronism happens with a low tech culture using far advanced technologies it doesn't understand.▼
▲[[Somewhere a Palaeontologist Is Crying]] is a related [[Trope]] on a much larger scale; [[Steam Never Dies]] is this trope on a very specific smaller scale.<ref>4' 8.5", in most cases</ref> Contrast [[Low Culture, High Tech]], where a similar anachronism happens with a low tech culture using far advanced technologies it doesn't understand.
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* ''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' opens the series with a title card declaring that it is not a historical document. It then gleefully throws everything it can get its hands on (from hip-hop to baseball) into the Edo period of Japan. Doubly amusing because baseball is a ''hugely'' popular sport in modern Japan.
{{quote|" (clears throat) ''This is not an accurate historical portrayal. Like we care. Now shut up and enjoy the show.''"}}
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** There's also a vehicle that operates like a more modern train in the third season, but it looks like a giant...thing made of stone, so it might not count.
* Soul Society in ''[[Bleach]]'' appears to resemble Edo-period Japan in clothing and architecture. But the Shinigami use cell-phone like devices, have a highly advanced research division (complete with [[Mad Scientist]]), and several characters sport sunglasses or other modern attire.
** Which is
*** An omake in the volume the chapter appears in has the author telling the character (Shinji) that, naturally, jazz didn't really exist at that time period in the real world, cue the comical bafflement of the jazz-loving character who must be wondering what on earth he's listening to if it doesn't exist. Of course, at that time period, modern jazz may not have existed, but its very early genesis was already beginning to flourish so... it kinda did exist, after all.
* ''[[D.Gray-man]]'' has a slightly less frequent occurrence, which is basically anything related to Komui. While most of the technology seems fairly well-depicted for a series taking place in the late 19th century, it is unclear where exactly Komui got his hands on hover-devices and the technology to build [[Humongous Mecha|Komurin]]. His standard toolset consisting of a giant electrical drill and some other power-tools are also pretty advanced for the setting.
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** And where exactly did Komui get his hands on modern clothes while everyone else wears 19th century clothing?
*** This is actually pretty much commonplace for the entire tech division. One can only wonder why a 19th century religious organization working under the Vatican would have a tech division in the first place...
* The places that the cast of ''[[Soul Eater]]'' go to are... varied. Medieval Japanese villages with [[Ninja|Assassin]] problems, Polish villages who specialize in Golem manufacture, mixed with modern depictions of [["London, England" Syndrome|Venice, Italy]] and an apparently modern [[Eagle Land|American neighborhood.]], and London (well, Tower Bridge, at least). Also, the [[Grim Reaper]] and his students all live in a city in ''Nevada.''
* In ''[[Gintama]]'', aliens (known as Amanto) forcibly opened up Japan instead of Commodore Perry and crew, bringing all sorts of new-fangled technology to Edo (space travel, electric fans, bazookas, etc). And since ''[[Gintama]]'' is ''supposed'' to be a [[Gag Series]], you get things like the main character being a big fan of Weekly Shonen Jump (most notably ''[[Bleach]]'', since he uses a sword too), [[Idol Singer|idol singers]], and countless references to modern pop culture mixed in with more traditional fare, like [[The Shinsengumi]], the Jooi resistance, and the Oniwabanshu (though disbanded in the series).
* In ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'', [[Moe Anthropomorphism|the Roman Empire and Germania]] are occasionally seen interacting with characters during the first half of the twentieth century.
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** And there are cell phones used by people who look like they're in the mafia.
** And [[Video Game|video games]] existed.
** And [[Queen
* [[Osamu Tezuka]] loved to throw in gross anachronisms into his historical works. The first volume of ''[[Phoenix]]'', for instance, has an ancient Japanese general leave to read a [[James Bond]] novel (which may be a [[Woolseyism]] on the part of the translator), and things like televisions and refrigerators are worked into other volumes of the series via [[Bamboo Technology]].
** A phone conversation occurs in one volume set in Feudal Japan without even ''that'' [[Hand Wave]]. (It's worth noting that ''Phoenix'' works regardless, because [[Rule of Cool]], [[Rule of Funny]] and [[Rule of Drama]] are all somehow in effect.)
** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in ''[[Dororo]]''. The titular thief compares himself to Nezumi Kozō (a folk hero along the line of Robin Hood), then points out that Nezumi Kozō hasn't even been born yet. This is in addition to numerous straight usages.
** Near the end of the Buddha series, Buddha heals Prince Crystal by placing his finger on the tumor that is killing him. One of the prince's advisors said he heard of this power before, and asks Buddha if he's [[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T.]] A few chapters later [[Ugly Cute|E.T.]], [[Badass Grandpa|Yoda]], and Cherry (from Urusei Yatsura) make a cameo appearance.
* Occurs in both ''[[Fate/stay night
* ''[[Samurai Pizza Cats]]'' cheerfully mixes modern technology & culture, along with futuristic [[Funny Animal]] cyborg things & [[Humongous Mecha]] into an Edo-period setting.
* ''[[Kurogane]]'' has what basically amounts to a steampunk cyborg for a protagonist. It's a [[Jidai Geki]].
* ''[[Oh! Edo Rocket]]'' has a lot of this. Supposedly set in the early 19th century, but shows various characters using modern technology such as computers, TVs, and pocket calculators. They also often use terms that weren't used in their time period. Example: one city commissioner calls another a "bleeding-heart left-wing liberal", which the accused liberal then proceeds to [[Lampshade Hanging]] and [[Break the Fourth Wall]] simultaneously by saying, "Now, sir, that term wasn't used in this time period." The other man replies, "I'm sure the audience understands what I mean."
* ''[[One Piece]]'', presumably set sometime in the 15th century, features technologies such as radio, video, submarines, steam engines, surgery, and a wide variety of electronic machinery. Radio and video are [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] with the [[Rule of Funny]] - the signals are transmitted via handheld snails called Den Den Mushi. Yes, ''snails''.
** The rest are explained away by the existence of a [[Mad Scientist]] named Vegapunk who is said to be 500 years ahead of his time, and by the fact that ''[[One Piece]]'' seems to be set in an [[Alternate Universe]] or [[Constructed World]].
* ''[[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind]]'', as mentioned in its page, has sword-swinging cavalry charges usually being backed up with machine gun fire from levitating bell jars. Not to mention that the Torumekian gunship pilot uniform consists of full medieval-style plate armour complete with a spiked visor helmet.
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing|Gundam Wing]]'' combines [[World War
* This appears to be deliberate in ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'': It's obviously set at a very early period in Japanese history, when the Yamato people are still displacing the Emishi/Ainu, but they have European-style arquebuses, which were not introduced until the 16th century.
* ''[[Afro Samurai]]'' takes hip hop and samurai, some Old West, a little Buddhism, cell phones, stereos... you have samurai talking gangsta style. But it works. [[Rule of Cool|A little]] [[Samuel L. Jackson]] [[Rule of Cool|helps. When he orders "lemonade... ice cold" at the dusty old bar, itself part oriental, part Old West... and tosses out a little Japanese... it is very cool.]] [[Automatic Crossbow|Then there's the heavy crossbow, with autofire, with the underslung grenade launcher.]] Monks with "hoes" in Oriental temples, with cybernetic hands, chanting koans between fiery preaching. China and Russia are mentioned, and from the dialogue of the monks, it seems that the story takes place in Japan.
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* ''[[Naruto]]'' is a weird example. They have legitimate ninjas and and have a society that's very reminiscent of older times in Japan, but they have more modern things like modern chain-link fences, sunglasses, the characters tend to wear more modern clothing, and at one point some characters use a VCR. They also seem to have much more modern-ish hospitals.
** Lampshaded in [[Naruto the Abridged Series|the abridged series]] when Naruto questions what time period they're in.
* The ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' series is full of this. Technology is so advanced that objects larger than houses can be stored in a tiny, pill shaped capsule. On the other side of the spectrum the world outdoors is filled with saber tooth tigers and dinosaurs.
* ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]'': The year is 1889, and our protagonist Jean has invented a heavier-than-air powered flying machine. He later boards a submarine with electric power throughout. Oh, and the song "[[Happy Birthday to You]]" is known to all of the heroes, despite the story being set four years before the song was written.
== Art ==
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** Historians can and do judge when forks reached different parts of Europe by looking for them in paintings of the Last Supper. Judging military equipment is a little trickier, as you can never quite predict when someone's depicting the cutting edge and when he's depicting a suitably "old-fashioned" type of armor, but that tends to be well-attested elsewhere.
* [http://www.snopes.com/photos/architecture/salamanca.asp This astronaut on a cathedral built in 1102 is another example.]
== Comic Books ==
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* The newspaper comic strip ''[[BC]]'' had lots of these. Despite supposedly taking place, um, in the years B.C. (specifically, in prehistoric times), there were often references to modern times, especially as the strip went on; at least one strip had a character refer to the United States. It turns out that {{spoiler|the series actually takes place [[After the End]], with mankind reduced to the same level of technology as was had in prehistoric times...}}
** Plus, especially in later years when Johnny Hart became more religious, ''they celebrated Christmas'' and made other Christian references. Which is kind of the definition of anachronistic in a strip named ''B.C.''
* ''[[Scion (comics)|Scion]]'' took place on a world which combined medieval-European fantasy trappings (kingdoms, castles, dragons, etc.) with sci-fi elements (holograms, bioengineering, computers, etc.).
== Fan
* ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' [[Fanfic]] set in the Marauders era tends to ignore the fact that it's set in the 1970s. James, Sirius and the others will merrily chat on their mobile phones and use computers (both of which ''did'' exist in the 1970s, but not in the form we're familiar with today and weren't common in any case, to say nothing of the anti-technology field of Hogwarts), send text messages (which actually weren't invented until the late 1980s or popularised until the late 1990s), listen to 1990s or 2000s music and watch recent [[film]]s.
** Not that [[Fan Fiction]] set in the "modern" time period is any better. While granted it is easy to miss, a lot of writers forget that the series is set between 1991 and 1998, and a lot of the things they have the characters reference or possess shouldn't even exist yet.
** And let's not even get ''started'' on ''[[My Immortal]]'', much of which supposedly takes place in the 1990s. There is literally no noticeable difference between the "past" and "present" portions of the story, especially not where music history is concerned.
** And ''then'' there
*** There was one in which Ravenclaw went into exile in America, which (unless she was a Viking, possibly) would have been impossible even if you discount that she apparently got there ''[[You Fail Geography Forever|on the train]]''.
*** There's another one where Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are at a pre-Hogwarts British [[Boarding School]]—in different Houses—and Ravenclaw calls Hufflepuff up on the telephone to make plans. At least they didn't have cellular phones?
*** And one where the founder era has showers, paper, tea and coffee, meetings at 15:25, springy metal net beds invented in the 1940s. The usual stuff. What's more, Hufflepuff is supposed to have been born and raised in a Finnish manor house. Tasty, as the area was then still in Iron Age, and entered history in the 1300s.
* [http://community.livejournal.com/fanficrants/9618311.html This
* The ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'' fan fic
* Sometimes ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' fanfictions may have technology existing at a time it should not. However, it seems more common for authors to put groups and organisations of nations in the wrong time period; two examples that have happened at least once are the [[WW 2]] Allies having tactics meetings in the twenty-first century (although the rest of the story made it obvious that the writer at least knew the war was not still happening, so it's unclear what they thought the meetings were for), and G20 meetings occurring at the height of the British Empire.
* In ''the'' ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' [[Troll Fic]] ''[[It's My Life|TEEN FORTRESS 2]]'', naturally, this trope is taken [[Up to Eleven]] as [[Portal: The 4th Millennium Franchise|Principal Business Man was writing stories]] while [[Abraham Lincoln]] was the president.
* In the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' fanfiction ''[[Decks Fall,
== Films using Rule of Funny ==
* Pretty much every [[Mel Brooks]] movie is
** ''[[Robin Hood: Men in Tights]]''. Laser-guided arrow? Those were bleeding-edge and rare. The one shown in the [[Film]] came all the way from Jersey. And the castle with the car alarm on the portcullis, the [[Theme Tune Rap]] in 12th century England, the glowing neon exit sign over the archway in the castle, and the Sherriff of Rottingham resorting to a jackhammer to get through Marian's chastity belt. Atchoo's pumps are a case of [[Throw It In]], as [[Dave Chappelle]] was wearing them on the set and Mel Brooks just had to throw in a joke about them. Then there's the castle repo guys, the Braille Playboy Blinkin is reading (and Blinkin's sunglasses) and the empty fruit tin cans used as heads on the training dummies.
** ''[[Blazing Saddles]]'' is an even better example, as there are anachronisms in nearly ''every single scene'' (which is even more odd considering the period-appropriate racism was the basis of the [[Plot]]), and the [[Film]] ends with the characters in a modern theatre ''[[No Fourth Wall|watching the end of the film]]''.
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* John Madden's ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'', which sports 16th century theatre production riddled with movie-producing Hollywood stereotypes.
* Stephan Elliott's adaptation of ''Easy Virtue'' is set in the 1930s and includes songs such as "Sex Bomb" and "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going".
*
* In ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'', the Singing Sword sings "Witchcraft," which was written in 1953. The movie takes place in 1947. Also, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote appear in the film despite debuting in 1949.
** In regards to cartoon characters that debuted after 1947 appearing in the film, the filmmakers [[Hand Wave]] it as them "not having made it in films yet".
* In ''The Princess
* [[Woody Allen]], who has stated his appreciation of Hope, played some period roles the same way, as in ''Love And Death'', and the segment of ''Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex'', where his medieval court jester is trying to seduce the queen - he quips "I must hurry because soon it will be the Renaissance, and before you know it we'll all be painting!"
* ''[[Your Highness]]'', a fantasy comedy set in medieval times and starring [[Natalie Portman]], [[James Franco]], [[Zooey Deschanel]], [[Danny McBride]], and Justin Theroux, aims for just this. The f-bomb gets dropped several times throughout the red-band trailer, including a use of the word "buttf**k". Natalie Portman also wears a modern-looking getup of a bikini top and thong when she bathes in the river. McBride's character, Thadeous, tells his brother, "handle your shit Fabious, please."
* ''[[Shanghai Knights]]'' is filled with this. A young [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[
** Machine guns [[Older Than They Think|did exist back then]]. They were brand new tech, gigantic, and had to be moved around on carts because of their weight, but they did exist.
* ''[[Kung Pow]]: Enter the Fist'' does this intentionally and constantly, such as Betty using a cigarette lighter, or a medieval Chinese town having a Hooters, a Taco Bell, a Radio Shack, and a place that sells <s> [[No Indoor Voice|A LOTTA]] </s> nuts, and also apparently french fries. It is one of the saner things in a film that delights in taking [[Refuge in Audacity]] though, so they are often barely noticeable.
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** Similarly, the song "A Guy Like You" from the earlier animated Disney film ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' also featured a piano in the Middle Ages.
*** Also, ''poledancing'' during the "Topsy-Turvy" number.
* Disney's ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' toys with this during "A Whole New World", where classic era Roman columns are spied by Jasmine and Aladdin. Not in ruins, either. Someone at Disney must have taken it literally, because the Disney TV series had a [[Crossover]] episode with [[Hercules (
** There's also the Sphinx being chiselled out of stone. Estimates of its age cover a huge range, but it's definitely much older than Islam.
** The Genie's gags are 90% anachronistic in all the movies as well as the [[Animated Series]]. But it can be [[Hand Wave|handwaved]] by "near omnipotency". [[Word of God]] (in the DVD commentary) is that the Genie can and ''has'' time-travelled.
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* ''[[Mulan]]'', despite taking place in Imperial China, portrayed ''all'' of the male soldiers fighting for the Imperial Army as wearing boxer shorts under their armor! (one of which has [[Goofy Print Underwear|the iconic red heart pattern]], which is then flung at Mushu's face during the scene where Mulan and her friends Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po go skinny dipping in the lake) However, for some reason, they never show what Mulan's own underwear actually looks like (she may either be wearing traditional Chinese undergarments that are completely relevant to the film's setting and time period, or she may be wearing a bra and panties under all of her outfits to complement the aforementioned boxers).
** Actually, they do show Mulan in her underwear at one point: About halfway through the song "Honor To Us All", Mulan can be seen wearing a white dress underneath her iconic pink one, which can be seen completely (although she was sitting) when she is having her hair done. What appears to be her pajamas at the very beginning of the film may also serve as her undergarments as well.
* The opening of ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 3'' features [[The Hero|Sheriff Woody]] vs. [[Mean Character, Nice Actor|One-Eyed Bart]] in what appears to be a homage to classic spaghetti western [[film]]s. And right about after [[Affirmative Action Girl|Jessie]] and Bullseye show up, it also features a remote control device, a pink Corvette, everybody's favorite Space Ranger, [[Call Back|a forcefield dog, a force field dog-eating dinosaur]], and a zeppelin complete with energy weapons and a ''[[Star Trek]]'' transporter. Justified in that [[Fake Action Prologue|this is all an improvised story by a six-year old]].
* [[I Can Do Bad All By Myself]]: When Madea is trying to explain the account of Peter walking on the water, somehow Moses, Eve, Sigmund and Freud, and even Jonah end up in the mix. Yeah they all were in the New Testament apparently.
* Becomes extremely evident in [[Pixar]]'s ''[[Cars|Cars 2]]'' where all of the famous world landmarks are given car motifs to fit the fact that everyone in the ''Cars'' universe is a talking vehicle. The problem is, however, that most of these landmarks are actually more than a century old, long before ''any'' cars were even invented!
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* In ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|TMNT]]'', four Aztec generals from over 2000 years ago are named with Spanish names. Not only did the Spanish language not exist back then, but it would not arrive to Mexico till after 1492 AD. Also includes [[Spexico]].
** The presence of Aztec generals is a major case of [[Newer Than They Think]], too. The Aztec empire was created in the fourteenth century, and the ethnic group first came into the area around 6th century AD at the earliest.
* Completely averted in the upcoming Pixar film ''[[Brave]]'', which takes place in medieval Scotland... ...until [[Toy Story (franchise)|the Pizza Planet truck]] shows up there for no reason.
** Its worth noting that the appearance of the Pizza Planet truck is a recurring in-joke in Pixar films, arguably justifying this presence. It's supposed to be hidden in the Witch's hut somewhere.
** Also worth noting is that the exact time period was made intentionally unclear (between the 8th and 12th centuries). And they also have corsets, which weren't invented until centuries later.
* Whilst it wasn't using [[Rule of Funny]], the British film ''Caravaggio'', notable for an early appearance (and, in some ways, the [[Breakout Role]]) of [[Sean Bean]], is a deliberate anachronism stew, in homage to the [[Real Life]] Caravaggio's paintings, which depicted Biblical scenes in contemporary dress.
== Films with no good excuse ==
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* ''[[The Brothers Bloom]]'' features costumes and props ranging from the 1930's to modern times, giving the world a charmingly timeless look and feel. People dress like it's the 1930's, dance like it's the 60's, but then use cell-phones and perform gangster rap.
* ''[[Schindler's List]]'', a film about the Holocaust, features the famous "Jerusalem of Gold" by Naomi Shemer...Which wasn't written until the 60s in modern Israel.
* ''[[King Arthur (film)|King Arthur]]'' (2004) does not contain really blatant anachronistic cross-overs with other time-periods, but it mashes together kings and invasions from several Dark Age centuries... and Guinevere is a bow-wielding woad-covered warrior princess, clad in a leather bra and leather outfit more suitable as a ''[[Dungeons
** Also, England is apparently ruled by [[The Empire]], based in Rome and run by ''the Church.''
** Meanwhile, Tristan's carrying a Chinese dao(maybe it was meant to be a falchion?) but wields it kenjutsu-style.
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* 2011's ''[[Red Riding Hood (film)|Red Riding Hood]]'' takes place in what appears to be Europe in the Middle Ages, yet features a modern hair styles that would require a trip to Ulta to maintain, not to mention American accents before there was an America.
* ''[[Chicago]]'' (2002):
** The radio in Mama Morton's office is from the early 1930s. Table radios from that era—the original play was first staged in 1926, so it was probably set around 1923-26—came in three basic styles: wooden [https://web.archive.org/web/20120405054803/http://www.shlrc.mq.edu.au/
* ''[[The 13th Warrior]]'', the [[The Film of the Book|movie adaptation]] of [[Michael Crichton]]'s ''Eaters Of The Dead'', is ''[[Beowulf]]'', in the 10th century. In addition to the anachronisms carried over from the novel (relatively few, but see the Literature section), the main characters are [[Horny Vikings]]. One wears a Murmillo helmet, another wears a 16th-century Spanish helmet and breastplate. Also, one actress is credited as Shaharazhad, a fictional character who first appeared in probably the early 8th century CE.
* The direct-to-video animated film ''Easter Egg Adventure'' appears to take place in the 1800s or so (there are many scenes depicting characters riding in carriages pulled by horses, and there are many places that look old-fashioned), but yet there are boomboxes and rap music.
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* ''[[One for the Morning Glory]]'' Where it is [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] as well; when Sir John drinks tea, he wonders whether it is really suitable to be drinking tea, and the Duke dismisses that as a consideration only for those lands that are merely actual.
* Gene Wolfe's ''New Sun'' series of novels take place a ''looong'' way in the future (the techno-fantasy "post-historical" era where Stone-Age Man, the Modern Era, and the Galaxy-Spanning Imperial Era are all lumped together as the "Age of Myth"). The basic technology and society is late medieval. But at some point time travel had been commonplace, so remnants of all eras of history are common - military energy weapons right along with swords, antigravity craft and ox-drawn wagons, sabretooth tigers and starships, electricians organized like a medieval craft guild, medical men just as likely to use genetic engineering as an herbal infusion, etc. One of the appendices even points out that there are three separate levels of technology: the "smith" level (basically medieval), the "Urth" level (roughly 20th century plus some genetic engineering) and the "stellar" level (highly powerful artifacts that can only be obtained from extraterrestrials.) It's all justified by the fact that [[Scavenger World|the planet has been exhausted of most resources]] and can no longer sustain a technological society or educate most of its inhabitants, but the old knowledge remains in a few places.
* Using its [[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory|metaphorical nature]] as an excuse, ''[[Stationery Voyagers]]'' doesn't even try to get around the fact that 21st-century values [[Deliberate Values Dissonance|are clashing]] with 50's values in [[The Seventies]] in a culture war on a 70's-themed world that has [[Every Car Is a Pinto|Ford Pintos]] [[Decade Dissonance|next to]] aliens with [[
* ''[[The Aeneid]]'' features Aeneas, fleeing the destruction of Troy, landing at Carthage...which wasn't founded until hundreds of years later.
** Understandable as the whole thing was pretty much literate propaganda. Also, the Cyclops and things did better in Hellenic Greece when a lot of the Mediterranean was still only vaguely known, as compared to the 'salty lake' of Roman times.
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** As well, the knowledge of metallurgy is a [[Justified Trope]] given that the magic used by the world's nobles is run on specifically mixed metals.
* [[The Bible]] has been known to contain a few anachronisms since often the "books" composing it were written some time after the events were supposed to have taken place. For example: the descriptions of armor, especially that worn by Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17 are typical of Greek armour of the 6th century BC rather than of Philistine armour of the 10th century BC.
* George Macdonald Fraser's ''[[The Pyrates]]'' is a colossal Anachronism Stew, with seventeenth century pirates riding around in catamarans and using face cream. Fraser was a diligent researcher and knew exactly what he was doing, even lampshading it in
* ''[[The Princess Bride (novel)|The Princess Bride]]'' actually uses the invention of stew to clarify its chronology. Most definitely [[Rule of Funny]] and metahumor. [[William Goldman]] often states that the time he's talking about is before one thing, but after another—often putting them in ahistorical order, as when he says it's set "before Europe and after America". (Unless he means "after Vespucci's voyages but before the Maastricht Treaty"...)
* ''Secret of the Sixth Magic'' by [[Lyndon Hardy]] has an in-universe example (for ''another universe's'' history) -- the sorcerer Farnel is said to have lost out in competitions against other illusion-crafters, because his simulations of famous historical events succumbed to Anachronism Stew. Apparently this trope isn't just universal, it's multiversal.
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*** Within that same scene, Charles states he's never seen any of her movies. She had been in some movies by that time, but mostly in bit roles...with one big exception, where she had a major supporting role in the 1952 Brittish film, ''The Secret People''. Once again, possilbe but unlikely someone during the war would refer to her movies.
* In ''[[Honey I Shrunk the Kids (TV series)|Honey I Shrunk the Kids]]'' (the TV Series): Amy travels back in time to 1976 to date her history teacher. One scene shows an arcade, the Pong machine is not an anachronism, but in the background you can clearly hear people playing ''[[Asteroids]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong]]'', and ''[[Pac-Man]]''; also they want to play ''[[Space Invaders]]''. ''Space Invaders'' did not come out until 1978, ''Asteroids'' in 1980, and ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Pac-Man'' in 1981.
* ''[[Young Blades]]'' is set in 17th century Paris with anachronisms based on [[Rule of Funny]]. Based on an [
* ''[[Danger 5]]'' features the eponymous [[Five-Man Band]] fighting [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|Hitler]] and his Nazis in the 60s, in a setting which includes robots and dinosaurs.
* ''[[Happy Days]]'' ended up like this. The first two seasons tried fairly hard to stay true to the '50s setting, but as the show became more popular, the producers started putting in references to trends of the '70s and '80s, and the actors started letting their hair and clothes look more contemporary.
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== Music ==
* P.D.Q. Bach pretty much ignores the fact that what we think of today as "classical" music actually happened over several centuries and is divided into distinct stylistic periods. Peter Schickele is quite aware of this, but [[Rule of Funny|ignores it]] in favor of [[Affectionate Parody|parodying]] as many different things as possible, and [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] the eclecticism of PDQ's style many times. Then there are the anachronisms which are more obvious to the layperson, such as "Iphigenia in Brooklyn" or the "Bluegrass Cantata" or "Classical Rap" (though Schickele claimed to have altered the original lyrics of that one).
* In Brazil this trope is better know as "Samba do Crioulo Doido", after a song, roughly translated as "The Crazy Nigger's Samba". It is about a Samba composer that had to learn some Brazilian history because law dictated all Carnival music had to be based on it ([[Truth in Television]]). When asked to do something about the current politics, he goes insane and writes a Samba whose [https://web.archive.org/web/20120111085026/http://letras.terra.com.br/demonios-da-garoa/45443/ lyrics] mixes several important Brazilian history figures from different centuries in a story where nothing makes sense.
* The video for [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8txk6EhYZKA ''Glukoza's Schweine''] is all over the place. The Pig Army (clearly a nazi parody) is armed with G43's, [[MP 40]]'s, [[MG 34 s]], Zeppelins, Triplanes, Sd.kfz 250's, and Renault FT's. Meanwhile the Rebel Army Leaders use a G36, a Kalashnikov, an RPG-7, 2 MPL's, a Vickers MG, giant War Elephants, and Pterodactyls. The Rebel Army itself is comprised mainly of Samurai with some Ninjas using swords and pistols respectively.
* The Italian progressive rock group Jacula has one weird example - in the mid 1980's they re-released their debut album In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum, supposedly originally released in 1969. The audio production however is very consistent with that of mid 80's Doom metal, and the album also includes the use of samplers (which did exist in the 60's, but their use certainly was not widespread), most notoriously a loop of flowing water that was also used in former band member Doris Norton's 1984 album "Personal Computer".
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** Also acknowledged in ''[[GURPS]] Camelot'', the Arthurian sourcebook. There are ''three'' Arthurian settings mentioned - the Mythic one (Geoffry of Monmouth style, with plenty of anachronism), a Realistic one (as close as research can get us), and the Cinematic one (based on movies, with chrome armor and French castles and all the other goodies - not so much Anachronism Stew as an Anachronism Smoothie).
* ''Mythic Russia'' has a few that are [[Lampshade Hanging|pointed out]] and [[Justified Trope]] in the book. The Russians drink vodka even though it hadn't yet become popular historically, because "what is a game in Russia without vodka?" The Mongols are Tengrist pagans even though the Golden Horde had converted to Islam by the time it was set, partly because it's easier to handle in the game's [[Religion Is Magic]] system and partly because of plain old [[Rule of Cool]].
* The ''Pirates Constructible Strategy Game'' by Wizkids is a naval combat game set sometime before, during, and after the American Revolution/War of 1812 era. When the first set came out, things were fine, but with each new expansion, they seem to be intent on adding a new crazy mechanic. They get alright [[
** Sea Monsters/Titans
** Cursed pirates
** Submarines (based off [[Jules Verne]])
** Vikings ([[Hand Wave
** Bombardiers (Ships with long-range and ''flame cannons'' attached to their decks)
** Turtle ships (which at least existed around the time)
** "Switchblades" (metal ships with giant pincers attached to the sides)
* The old Atlantean Trilogy by Bar Games mixed Anachronism Stew with [[All Myths Are True]], and came up with an alternate Earth where Atlantis coexists with Avalon, Amazons rub shoulders with gypsies, and you can sail from Hyperborea to Nazca. Never mind it's supposed to be set in 15,000 BC, and the continents' geographies are radically different?{{verify|reason=The question mark indicates we aren't sure.}}
* The defunct trading card game ''[[Anachronism]]'' was built on this trope. The idea was that you could play as, say, Ivan the Terrible while wielding a claymore, wearing Japanese armor, and with Aphrodite on your side.
== Theater ==
* Anachronism Stew is common in the works of [[William Shakespeare]], because theatre of that time took a completely different approach to historical drama. Regardless of when or where a play was set, costumes and patterns of speech from the (then) present day were used, and there was never any attempt at historic realism as we understand it today. Some examples:
** ''[[Julius Caesar (theatre)|Julius Caesar]]'', which contains references to striking clocks despite the fact that the first mechanical clock would not be invented until the mid-13th century.
** Also of note, ''Julius Ceasar'' makes reference to a doublet, a close fitting jacket that wasn't around in Roman times.
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** One filmed version had a scene in which Judas was chased by helicopters and tanks.
* Although it's set in 1587, the male (and one female) characters of ''Mary Stuart'' wear relatively modern outfits (e.g. business suits), as well as speaking in contemporary [[British Accents]].
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' gets pretty insane with the sheer weirdness of how they reconcile most of [[Schizo-Tech]], though usually the base level of technology (at least for humanity) is about on par with that of ''[[Zeta Gundam]]''. However, past that bare minimum the mecha range anywhere from uber futuristic to looking like an escapee from a museum, and even their fuel sources range anywhere from plain gasoline to fusion engines to outright [[Applied Phlebotinum]]. It also kinda helps that in the case of series with a definite anachronistic touch, like ''[[The Big O]]'', ''[[Turn A Gundam
* In ''[[Out Run]] 2006'', one of the last tracks is located in some ancient Mexican ruins. However, these ruins are more of [[Mayincatec|a mishmash of all the ancient ruins in Mexico]]. In this track, you can see the big Olmec stone heads from when Egypt was still ruled by the pharaohs; the big Pyramid of the Sun from when the Roman Empire was about to conquer pretty much all Europe; human-sized columns, known as ''atlantes'', built by the Toltecs when Europe was waging the Crusades; and big Aztec and Mayan temples made shortly before the Spanish conquistadores came to kick some butt. However, since the ruins do look like ancient Mexican ruins, a trained eye might as well not care much about that, maybe finding it rather amusing.
* ''[[Return to Castle Wolfenstein]]'' features cyborg monsters, futuristic heavy weapons (even by today's technology) such as the Venom (a hand-held minigun) and Tesla Cannon (which appears to cast [[Dungeons
** This is more of an example of [[Schizo-Tech]] or [[Mad Science]]. The Venom Gun is a [[Gatling Good]] weapon that would have to be mounted on a vehicle to be used today, and the [[Shock and Awe|Tesla Gun]] is just plain impossible. Most of the [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|Nazi science]] in the game is as fantastic as the zombies and undead knights.
* ''[[Shadow Hearts]]: From The New World'' causes problems with its attempt to jump on the "What really happened in Roswell" bandwagon... as the game is set in 1929, 18 years before the Roswell incident. Not that this is anything ''new'' for ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'', or that the series has ever tried for historical accuracy in the first place. Let us put it this way: one of the people in the crashed vehicle is a [[Magical Girl]] vampire.
** The historical inaccuracies start in the first game, with [[Mata Hari]]'s bikini and cell phone. Not to mention my history textbooks have all failed to mention Japan had combat robots during WWI.
** ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'' IS this trope. We've got the heroes zipping around in a giant nuclear-powered flying ship which can circle the globe in no time flat. We've got Anastasia (yes, [[Anastasia|THAT Anastasia]]) running around taking Polaroids. We've got Johnny wielding a cellphone (whereas Mata Hari's was a clunky 80's model, his is a modern fliptop phone with viewscreen). We've got people going into outer space. We've got supercomputers popping up everywhere. We've got genetically enhanced apes with human intelligence and laser guns. All before 1930. [[MST3K Mantra|Not that any of this is a problem.]]
* The ''[[Monkey Island]]'' series has this in spades, cheerfully throwing vending machines, electric devices and Elvis pins into the 17th century [[Welcome to The Caribbean Luv|Caribbean]]. Of course, given the tone of the series, this is often cheerfully [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]], as when Guybrush complains about the shoddy, 17th century electrical wiring.
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* The ''[[Resistance]]'' series of games, despite being set in the 1950s, feature futuristic weapons and machinery. However, this can be explained with the fact that they are all Chimera inventions rather than human.
** ''Resistance'' also occurs in an alternate timeline that diverged right before the Spanish-American War, Nikola Tesla got lucky with his inventions, and the Chimera technology helped later.
* Most of the ''[[Castlevania]]'' games aren't ''too'' bad about this, but many of
** There wasn't an FDA either, yet Spoiled Milk (an item that damages you if you drink it unless you've equipped a Demon Stomach) is identified as "bad" due to the expired expiration date on the modern carton.
** Also, currency you collect is measured with dollar signs (as in, "$") even though this is Europe before America was even independent. Or in the case of ''Lament of Innocence'', even discovered.
** Also, there's enemies who use GUNS, or [[Dem Bones|skeletons]] riding MOTORCYCLES. (The ones in ''[[So TN]]'' used Muskets, which were around back then. The Gatling Guns in Bloodlines make sense too, as it takes place right before World War II anyways.)
** Arguably averted in the ''[[Chronicles of Sorrow]]'' games, which are set [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]].
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* ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops|Call of Duty Black Ops]]'' is especially anachronistic in regards to its weapons due to it featuring many modern firearms despite being set during the Vietnam War in the 1960s, with entire guns and configurations appearing far before they're supposed to. The game [[Hand Wave|handwaves]] it by claiming that all the weapons are 'prototype versions', despite things like the Kiparis only being developed in 1978, the SPAS-12 shotgun only entering production in 1979 despite being used in 1968 in-game, and worst of all, the inclusion of the FAMAS F1 FELIN (the base weapon was only developed in 1978 and the FELIN variant only came into existence in the late 1990s). Strange in some cases, in that an earlier version of an anachronistic gun would have existed for some time at points in the game.
** This isn't entirely new to the series. Some missions in earlier ''[[Call of Duty]]'' games feature the STG-44 chronologically before it was actually produced. ''[[Modern Warfare|Call of Duty 4]]'' also had one section where Russian mercenaries in 1996 had frequent access to the G36, which hadn't even entered service anywhere yet at that point.
* There's one of these in ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army]]'', in a bit of optional dialogue. Talk to Dr. Tsukumo after Ep. 9, and give the second answer to make him reference [[
* ''[[Fable III]]'' has quite a bit of this sometimes bordering on [[Steampunk]]. It seems that the creators just threw in everything and anything associated with the Industrial Revolution (a nearly 200 year long period) whether they really did existed at the same time or not. Of course Albion is a made-up land where magic exists, so they can get away with it though it is still kind of jarring to see a [[Sherlock Holmes]] [[Expy]] placed in such an environment.
* ''[[Prince of Persia|Sands of Time]]'' is supposed to take place around the ninth century. But the capital city, Babylon, has the famous Hanging Gardens... which were destroyed around a thousand years before that point. Must be all that time travel.
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* ''[[Kid Icarus: Uprising]]'' takes place in ancient Greece, and among Pit's arsenal are gun-blades, [[Magitech]] lasers, and cannons. Health recovery items include hamburgers, sushi, and chocolate. Never mind that Pit can't seem to stop [[No Fourth Wall|referring to the story as a game]].
=== [[Visual Novels]] ===▼
* ''[[Shikkoku no Sharnoth]]'' can't do this with technology as it's basically [[Steampunk]] [[Victorian Britain]], however, it portrays multiple real and fictional characters as contemporaries. For example, [[Charlotte Bronte]] and Heinz Heger were separated by a good half century.▼
▲== [[Visual Novels]] ==
▲* ''[[Shikkoku no Sharnoth]]'' can't do this with technology as it's basically [[Steampunk]] [[Victorian Britain]], however, portrays multiple real and fictional characters as contemporaries. For example, [[Charlotte Bronte]] and Heinz Heger were separated by a good half century.
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' is set in [[The Eighties|the early eighties]] but has multiple references to products that won't exist for over a decade. Mostly due to [[Rule of Funny]].
== Web Comics ==
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** There's anachronisms in ''every'' strip: The third panel has T-Rex about to step on a house that's next to a car, and the fourth panel has T-Rex about to step on a person.
{{quote|'''Utahraptor:''' [[Hypocritical Humor|History for you is a big party where everyone just hangs out together, isn't it?]]}}
* ''[[The Perry Bible Fellowship]]'': [http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF209-Now_Showing.jpg this strip] shows a technologically advanced future civilization for whom the history of the second millennium seems to be a big blur.
* In ''[[The
** And in Cliffport, there's a ''municipal park''. Amid ''high-rise buildings''.
{{quote|'''Vaarsuvius''': I'm simply saying that the architectural motifs found here in the city of Cliffport are inconsistent with the presumed medieval time period.
'''Durkon''': [[A Wizard Did It|It be magic]].
'''Vaarsuvius''': Yes, fine, I grasp the premise that [[Clarke's Third Law|any sufficiently advanced - and in particular, reliable - magic would be indistinguishable from technology]], I merely find the implementation here haphazard, at best.
'''Durkon''': Meh. It could be worse, ye know.
'''Vaarsuvius''': Oh?
'''Durkon''': They could have [[Eberron|magic trains]].
'''Vaarsuvius''': Point taken. }}
*** And is then played straighter by Redcloak [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0543.html here].
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** The C.C.P.D., complete with sirens (on the horses), sketch artist and mayor yelling at [[Da Chief]] for failing to catch the murderer when elections are coming up, and underlings being yelled at by said cigar-smoking, coffee downing chief. One double serving of Anachronism Stew, coming right up.
** It's subtle, but look at [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0692.html this comic.] Where did Hayley get a metal detector? And more importantly, where the hell was she keeping it? (Same questions apply to Roy and his [[Newer Than They Think|sextant]]...)
*** Being set in the world of [[Dungeons
* In ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'', Ms. Jones' students watch [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=582 a documentary hologram] about the founding of the Court. The characters in the hologram include a guy who looks like he stepped out of [[The Cavalier Years]] or [[The American Revolution]], and another fellow wearing a modern trench coat, an article of clothing which wasn't introduced until [[World War
** Although she said that in regards to an indistinct glow, represented as such because they didn't know what it was. And present was also the man who designed robots. Maybe the others just liked to dress that way.
* The idea of anachronism stew was theorized, later [[Defictionalization|defictionalized]], and generally slammed in [http://xkcd.com/239/ this] ''[[Xkcd]]'' comic.
** And again [http://xkcd.com/771/ here.]
* ''[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=139 Hark, A Vagrant!]'' is all about this.
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131026235625/http://www.hellbastardcomix.com/ Hellbastard Comics]'' starts with an alien war that interrupts [[Satan]]'s viewing of ''Bridezillas'' in what is later revealed to be the pre-Napoleonic era and just [[Rule of Cool|gets better]] from there.
* ''[[Blade Bunny]]'' takes place in a historical mashup of feudal Japan and ancient China, with {{spoiler|robots}} one of which has {{spoiler|futuristic guns}} and a [[Bunny Girl]] in a microskirt.
* [[San: Three Kingdoms Comic|San Three Kingdoms]] has no problem using modern machine guns.... [https://web.archive.org/web/20121202234310/http://san.paulguo.com/?id=150 in 208 AD]. Or [https://web.archive.org/web/20121202230905/http://san.paulguo.com/?id=19 sniper rifles (Cao Cao is sexy...)]
* [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/8/25/ This] [[Penny Arcade]] comic has a flashback to 1988 showing characters using a Powerglove (introduced in 1989 and quickly flopped), reading ''Nintendo Power'' #31 (December, 1991), talking about ''[[Thundercats]]'' (ran from 1985–89), and drinking a New Coke (introduced in 1985 and quickly flopped). To be fair, the date is only implied, and everybody didn't immediately quit drinking New Coke, playing with Powergloves, or referencing cancelled cartoons. But the overall impression is a mishmash of things associated with the '80s, regardless of which part of the '80s (or early '90s) they actually came from.
== Web Original ==
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* ''[[Homestar Runner]]:'' The "Old-Timey" era is supposed to take place in the 1930s, but makes reference to any number of events ranging from the 1800s to the 1950s.
* ''[[The Town (roleplay)|The Town]]'' is easily one of the worst offenders. Having characters with technology and cultures from every time period yet to exist and several that haven't and likely won't ever.
* [
* [[Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog]] has this baked into its very concept, and that's not even getting into all the pop culture references...
* ''[[The Gungan Council]]'' features an in-universe example, where an [[A New Hope|Imperial I Star Destroyer]] can be in the same fleet as a [[Star Wars: The Old Republic|Sith battlecruiser]], and no one minds.
* The''[[Epic Rap Battles of History]]''. A lot of times, this explains how the contestants know each other, period.
== Western Animation ==
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** And then there's ''[[King Arthur And The Square Knights Of The Round Table]]'', a British animated series that takes this trope and wry it dry. Seriously, Merlin invented the movie camera and film projector?
* ''[[Dino Riders]]'' also had wildly anachronistic dinosaurs living next to one another (''T. rex'' is closer to us in time than to ''Apatosaurus''), and threw in a ''Dimetrodon'' for good measure.
* Parodied in ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' when the family watches ''The Poke of Zorro'' in which [[Zorro]] fights [[The Three Musketeers (novel)|The Three Musketeers]] and [[The Man in the Iron Mask (1998 film)|The Man in the Iron Mask]] before challenging [[The Scarlet Pimpernel (novel)|The Scarlet Pimpernel]] [[Glove Slap|to a duel]]. When the Pimpernel [[Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys|runs away]], [[King Arthur]] crowns Zorro the King of England.
{{quote|'''Bart:''' It's like a history lesson come to life!
'''Lisa:''' No it's not, it's entirely inacc-
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* ''[[Kingpin Life of Crime]]'' takes place in "a past that never happened". The game features, among other anachronisms, 90's rap music by Cypress Hill, people with cyborg-style body modifications, cars from the 30's and 40's and Guns from the 20's.
* The time setting of ''[[Alfred J Kwak]]'' is considerably vague. In general it seems to take place somewhere during the 20th century, but among other things Professor Paljas has access to advanced supertech, and a mediaeval Middle Eastern kingdom also seems to exist.
* The actual time period of ''[[Samurai Jack]]'s'' birth was never stated, thought presumed to be Feudal Japan but his youth had quite a few inconsistencies. He learned mounted combat from the Mongols, wrestling from Roman gladiators, and archery from [[Robin Hood]] himself! The time periods here are all over the place and impossible from a purely historic perspective.
* ''[[Turning Red]]'' is ostensibly set in 2002 (when the director grew up) in [[Vancouver]] (where the director grew up) yet most hair styles and dress seem to come from the early 2020s of its production. This is particularly noticeable with the large number of hijabed background characters in a work ''allegedly'' set months after 9/11.
== Real Life ==
* Just about any event of the [[Society for Creative Anachronism]], where you can see examples of everything from sixteenth-century German armor to Moors to Vikings to Romans to Samurai all competing in the same tournament, or a Viking chatting with an Elizabethan lady over a display of Catholic prayer beads. Not a result of [[Did Not Do the Research]] so much as the basic structure of the organization; anything before 1600 AD is fair game for re-enactment. ''Individuals'' will generally be faithful to a period in their dress, though this also varies.
** Then again, they do give you fair warning. It wouldn't be a [[Society for Creative Anachronism]] if they weren't creatively anachronistic, now would it?
*** And they merrily [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshade]] it themselves, as in ''[http://www.goldenstag.net/players/Scripts_PDF/OurKindII.pdf Our Kind II: Mistress Laurel Seamchecker Explains It All At You]'', in which a character explains that "Historically, clothing is divided into three periods: bearskins, funny clothes, and modern."
*** The unofficial motto of the SCA is: "The Middle Ages... as they should have been."
** Medieval Re-enactors in the UK used to annually attend the Battle of Tewkesbury each year, but until recently, it was well-known for allowing pretty much anyone with vaguely medieval kit (garb to SCA types) onto the field. At one of the last events before it changed to a more authenticity
** Renaissance festivals in general are often actually more of a pastiche of Middle Ages, Renaissance, and even Fantasy (including fairies, etc.).
*** Not to mention Sci-Fi, what with the occasional incursions of groups of people in ''[[Star Trek]]'' uniforms pretending to be an Away Team.
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* During the 2008 campaign, then-Senator Joe Biden said "Now, when this country entered the Great Depression, our president, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]], went on television and spoke of how to get this country out of it." ''[[The Daily Show]]'' had a lot of fun with this, since 1) [[Herbert Hoover]], not [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] was President at the time, and 2) Television barely existed...
** Hoover did appear on an early television broadcast, though. (And yes, this was either while or just before he was President, not at some point before he died in 1964.)
* Great Britain still has Kings, Queens, Princesses, Dukes, Counts, Knights, and even [[The Clan|chiefs]] in a modern technological society. That is just beginning all the stuff you can find.
* Modern printings of Old English works gleefully use the letter 'W', which would not be created for a few hundred years; [[Tropes Are Not Bad|however]], the only other option would be to use the contemporary letter wynn ('Ƿ'), which was abandoned due to constant confusion of it and 'P'.
* People taken in by this [[Trope]] often turn up at antiques markets or pawnshops, honestly believing that some dusty old item they found in the attic is ''much'' older (or occasionally much newer) than it actually is.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Did Not Do the Research]]
▲[[Category:Settings]]
[[Category:Time Travel Tropes]]▼
[[Category:Hollywood History]]
[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
[[Category:Anachronism Stew]]▼
[[Category:Retro Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Time Travel Tropes]]
|