5 sci-fi writers who were awesome inventors too
Predicting the future is not just over-tight silver suits. Although no one has yet invented a time machine, some inventive sci-fi writers have had suspiciously accurate ideas.
Jules Verne (1828-1905)
The author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was prolific. Captain Nemo had an electric submarine. The projectiles in From the Earth to the Moon carried passengers. Verne also invented concepts. His 1889 short story In the Year 2889 described an Earth Chronicle. This was a spoken word newsfeed where subscribers heard conversations with reporters, statesmen and scientists. He also claimed humans would one day advertise in the sky.
HG Wells (1866-1946)
Time machines, invisible men and Martian invaders have not arrived yet. However, in his book Men Like Gods, Wells described an answerphone. He wrote that people do not talk together on the telephone but send messages that wait until the recipient chooses to tap the accumulated messages. He wrote this in 1933. He also described tanks in the short story The Land Iron Clads, published in 1903.
Arthur C Clarke (1917-2008)
Clarke was the man behind 2001: A Space Odyssey. He served as Chairman of the British Interplanetary Society. He developed the idea of geosynchronous communication satellites in 1945. This became a reality by 1965. He also discussed transferring the contents of the human brain onto a computer. In 2005 he told the BBC that when bodies deteriorate, personalities could be made immortal by transferring thoughts. He suggested saving it on a CD-Rom and plugging it in. People are currently working on related projects.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)
Asimov was a professor, author and Mensa member. He formulated the Three Laws of Robotics in the Robot series beginning in 1953. These laws state that a robot cannot harm a human, must obey its master and must protect its own life unless it conflicts with the first two points. This had a practical application. Any piece of machinery should function without harming the operator. He also invented the concept of Galactic Empires consisting of 25 million worlds colonised by Earth settlers.
