Did you know...?

Buffy Trivia

Did you know...

...that Science-Fiction began long before the 20th century. For example, Sir Francis Bacon wrote The New Atlantis back in 1629, which could be classed as early science-fiction.

...that the Science-Fiction genre was not 'officially' identified until around the 1930's.

...that Mary Shelley was born in 1797.

...that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is probably the first 'official' piece of science-fiction writing, which was published back in 1818. Some of the inspiration for the story was supposed to have come from a night of ghost stories at the family villa in La Spezia.

...that the first 'computer' was conceived by Babbage in 1822, but the components could not be fabricated to the required tolerances, so it never actually worked.

...that Jules Verne was born in 1828.

...that in 1851 Jules Verne published his first sci-fi story, 'Un voyage en ballon'. And in the sixties published 'De la terre a la lune' (From the Earth to the moon).

...that Mary Shelley died in 1851.

...that H G Wells was born in 1866.

...that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the 'Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' back in 1886. Another pre-twentieth century classic.

...that H G Wells published his first sci-fi novel, 'The Time Machine', back in the mid 1890's. Followed, in quick succession, by his other famous 'turn of the century' classics. He wrote his last sci-fi masterpiece 'The First Men in the Moon' in 1901.

...that George Melies started the sci-fi film industry with 'Le voyage dans la lune' (A Trip to the Moon) in 1903, and a version of 'Deux cent mille lieues sous les mers' (200,000 Leagues under the Sea) in 1907.

...that Jules Verne died in 1905.

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Information taken from the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Published in 1995 by Dorling Kindersley Limited, 9 Henrietta Street, London, WC2 8PS.