Sometime in the 1940s, Albert Carter created the Syco-Seer, a fortune-dispensing "crystal ball" inspired by a device used by his mother Mary, a professional psychic. The original product contained two dice and was cylindrical in shape. Sadly, Carter died before his creation found success. But in 1950, Carter's brother-in-law Abe Bookman was commissioned to turn the Syco-Seer into a black-and-white 8 ball with a floating 20-sided die. When the ball is shaken, the die floats to the surface, revealing its answer to your question about the future.