During the Arab oil embargo 30 years ago, the Tribune asked planners in various fields to predict how the energy crisis would affect American life by the 21st Century. The results were surprisingly prescient. The experts foresaw the revitalization of urban cores, a resurgence of row houses, efficiency standards for household appliances, even Internet shopping. Oh, and a fleet of small, lightweight cars in every garage, each for a different need, each with a different highly efficient, non-polluting engine.
Annual percentage increase of U.S. energy use per capita since 1983: 0.8.
Percentage of U.S. petroleum consumption supplied by imported oil in 1972: 28. In 1997: 53.
Length, in miles, of the 1974 Daytona 500 due to conservation efforts: 450.
Price of gasoline per gallon in Chicago in December 2003: $1.52. Average price of milk per gallon in Chicago in 2003: $2.93. James Caan’s conveyance to a movie premiere in December 1973: horse and buggy.
