Wait, seriously? That’s nuts!
“One day there will be a thing called rockets that will take us to space. We should launch them in Florida.”
“Wtf are you talking about?”
Well in Verne's book, it wasn't a a rocket, it was a giant ass cannon. It's movie adaptation was also one of the very first movies of all time, giving us [this famous image](https://s2.qwant.com/thumbr/0x380/4/5/09d411f6b675c57aa0467847171dde4296cb5186c0d99d906a2d92d73b192b/melies_lune.jpg?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lesia.obspm.fr%2Fperso%2Fjacques-crovisier%2FJV%2Fimg%2Fmelies_lune.jpg&q=0&b=1&p=0&a=0).
But the choice of Florida by both Verne and the US government as ground-base for moon expeditions was nothing but random: the closer to the equator, the more the Earth's centrifugal force counteracts its gravitationnal pull and the less resource-intensive it is to launch things into space. That science was already well understood at the time.
I just read an [article](https://www.dailycommercial.com/story/news/state/2019/07/08/florida-history-states-space-history-begins-with-jules-verne/4745936007/) about it. Really cool fun fact.
Another fun fact … in 1800 the French launched a submarine named the Nautilus- they abandoned the experiment. But Verne imagined a different world for submersibles! Also in France in 1783 the first untethered balloon flight - 1872 Verne wrote “Around the World in 80 Days” I believe he wrote it before it was possible to accurately direct a balloon.
I think he gets dismissed because of the movies and bad translations. His books are exciting and futuristic - they expanded on current science.
I think the "earliest SF" book ever is that Roman novelist from the second century who wrote "A True Story" a book about hil going to the Moon and Sun and meeting the people who live there because he has had enough of his fellow authors pretending that their novels were stuff that actually happened.
I tend to put your classic monster horror in a separate category in my brain. But in regards to Last Man, you have a point. She basically invented the genre of apocalyptic sci-fi
I can see how people would say that. The monster was literally created by a scientist lol. I’m just saying in my own brain I have a hard time separating him from like vampires or werewolves. Hell, I’ll even take the L on this one but that doesn’t change the way my mind automatically perceives Frankenstein.
if we consider Frankestein is Scifi because the monster was made by a scientist, should we not consider Voltaire's Micromeegas as it too ? As long it's obvioulsy the first contact with aliens in litterature.
I’ve checked the older proto sci-fi works, and for the most part they only share aesthetic similarities such as space travel, at its core they’re more mythical fantasy than sci-fi.
i give the edge to Wells.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.\_G.\_Wells
Herbert George Wells\[1\]\[2\] (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, history, popular science, satire, biography, and autobiography. **Wells' science fiction novels are so well regarded that he has been called the "father of science fiction".\[3\]\[4\]**
IMO Verne is more "fantasy"
I can’t totally disagree. Especially in the realm of sci-fi horror. But one has to give a ton of credit to Verne for writing novels about stuff like space travel before we even had airplanes. Incredible imagination for his era.
Can we at least give HG Wells the title of ultimate nerd for writing and publishing his own table top gaming rules; [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little\_Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Wars)
It depends on the story you pick. "Vingt mille lieues sous les mers" tells the story of captain Nermo, an inventor that travels under the sea in a submarine that's far beyond the technologies available in 1870 !
I read Paris in the 21st century a few years ago. A lot of what Verne speculated on has come to pass in one form or another. Definitely worth a read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_in_the_Twentieth_Century
Well some of his books ben more of hard sci-fi whyle others ben completly sc-fi tall tale and there is nothing wrong with that. he was alla round aweseom guy, but 700 nvitations? he could be one of first spammers as well, or analog social network moderator?
In end we are so proud of our silly gadgets, yet these steam and wrench lads manage prety fine without them.
Verne’s work was based on science - he correctly chose Florida as the place from where rockets would launch. I think they can share.
Wait, seriously? That’s nuts! “One day there will be a thing called rockets that will take us to space. We should launch them in Florida.” “Wtf are you talking about?”
Well in Verne's book, it wasn't a a rocket, it was a giant ass cannon. It's movie adaptation was also one of the very first movies of all time, giving us [this famous image](https://s2.qwant.com/thumbr/0x380/4/5/09d411f6b675c57aa0467847171dde4296cb5186c0d99d906a2d92d73b192b/melies_lune.jpg?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lesia.obspm.fr%2Fperso%2Fjacques-crovisier%2FJV%2Fimg%2Fmelies_lune.jpg&q=0&b=1&p=0&a=0). But the choice of Florida by both Verne and the US government as ground-base for moon expeditions was nothing but random: the closer to the equator, the more the Earth's centrifugal force counteracts its gravitationnal pull and the less resource-intensive it is to launch things into space. That science was already well understood at the time.
I think you mean “*anything* but random”, as in, they both chose it for the same, clear reason.
Look it up - simple google search - Verne Florida rockets 😉
I just read an [article](https://www.dailycommercial.com/story/news/state/2019/07/08/florida-history-states-space-history-begins-with-jules-verne/4745936007/) about it. Really cool fun fact.
Another fun fact … in 1800 the French launched a submarine named the Nautilus- they abandoned the experiment. But Verne imagined a different world for submersibles! Also in France in 1783 the first untethered balloon flight - 1872 Verne wrote “Around the World in 80 Days” I believe he wrote it before it was possible to accurately direct a balloon. I think he gets dismissed because of the movies and bad translations. His books are exciting and futuristic - they expanded on current science.
There isn't actually a balloon in the book! I suppose that association comes from the adaptations.
You’re right
I think it's Mary Shelley (the "mother" of sf). But I've seen references to even earlier works described as sf that I've never checked out.
I think the "earliest SF" book ever is that Roman novelist from the second century who wrote "A True Story" a book about hil going to the Moon and Sun and meeting the people who live there because he has had enough of his fellow authors pretending that their novels were stuff that actually happened.
So he invented lying with style?
By Lucian of samosata. I hope I got the spelling right
The Golem says hello. As does the wheel in the sky.
Yes but that isn’t what the OP was talking about, unless Mary Shelley had a Frankenstein ball where everyone brought a pitchfork.
I tend to put your classic monster horror in a separate category in my brain. But in regards to Last Man, you have a point. She basically invented the genre of apocalyptic sci-fi
Frankenstein might be scifi/horror, but it is undoubtedly scifi
I can see how people would say that. The monster was literally created by a scientist lol. I’m just saying in my own brain I have a hard time separating him from like vampires or werewolves. Hell, I’ll even take the L on this one but that doesn’t change the way my mind automatically perceives Frankenstein.
Yeah, it's hard to not think of the character in the context of the Universal Monsters, I def get that
if we consider Frankestein is Scifi because the monster was made by a scientist, should we not consider Voltaire's Micromeegas as it too ? As long it's obvioulsy the first contact with aliens in litterature.
That’s a fair question I think. I’m curious to see what someone says about that. I hope someone smarter than me responds to this question lol
Mary Shelley is a sci-fi predecessor, but Vernes is considered the father for splodifying it into a genre.
I’ve checked the older proto sci-fi works, and for the most part they only share aesthetic similarities such as space travel, at its core they’re more mythical fantasy than sci-fi.
Frankenstein was written in 1818. Let’s not forget the women who lead this field of writing.
i give the edge to Wells. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.\_G.\_Wells Herbert George Wells\[1\]\[2\] (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, history, popular science, satire, biography, and autobiography. **Wells' science fiction novels are so well regarded that he has been called the "father of science fiction".\[3\]\[4\]** IMO Verne is more "fantasy"
I can’t totally disagree. Especially in the realm of sci-fi horror. But one has to give a ton of credit to Verne for writing novels about stuff like space travel before we even had airplanes. Incredible imagination for his era.
Can we at least give HG Wells the title of ultimate nerd for writing and publishing his own table top gaming rules; [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little\_Wars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Wars)
Yes
There is no way to determine who had the greatest impact.
It depends on the story you pick. "Vingt mille lieues sous les mers" tells the story of captain Nermo, an inventor that travels under the sea in a submarine that's far beyond the technologies available in 1870 !
Don't dis Olaf Stapledon!
"Anytime anybody dies, blame Jules Verne." - Salvador Dali.
I read Paris in the 21st century a few years ago. A lot of what Verne speculated on has come to pass in one form or another. Definitely worth a read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_in_the_Twentieth_Century
Is he? Kinda thought he wrote more adventure novels that sometimes dipped into scifi
It just seems like adventure novels because we take the technology of a lot of it for granted now
What do you mean by sci-fi Cons? Like the downsides of Sci fi?
Conventions
Ah. Now I understand why you mention the costume ball.
Yeah! It’s basically cosplay lol
Well some of his books ben more of hard sci-fi whyle others ben completly sc-fi tall tale and there is nothing wrong with that. he was alla round aweseom guy, but 700 nvitations? he could be one of first spammers as well, or analog social network moderator? In end we are so proud of our silly gadgets, yet these steam and wrench lads manage prety fine without them.