Top-5 (Never mind that anymore...)Day- Inventions, Advancements, and Ideas That Inspired Early Science Fiction

[Insert lame time travel joke here]

I think my laptop forgot to tell me that every other Tuesday is its day off. Well, a list is good any day of the week, right? Even if the name doesn’t sound as snappy?

Today we’re going to talk about the inventions, ideas, and advancements that sparked thought and speculation among early sci-fi writers. Just like the last list, this is in chronological order.

Let’s get started!

5. Aviation-

Throughout history, mankind has wondered what it would be like if he could fly. Writers speculate about the implications as scientists experiment with the possibilities. In its infancy, science fiction had such creations as Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine designs, the hot air balloon, and early forms of airplanes and rocket propulsion to tinker with.

4. Galileo’s telescope (1609)-

From the beginning, science fiction has flirted with the idea of space travel? What is up there in the dark expanse? What might we find out there where no man has gone before? (Out of timeline, I know. But I couldn’t help it.) Astronomer Galileo Galilei used his telescope to discover many hidden secrets of the heavens, and later scientists improved on his original design to learn even more about the final frontier. (Why not. I already started it).

3. Electricity-

The study of the mysterious force of electricity began long before Benjamin Franklin’s famed kite experiment. Egyptian texts from 2750 BC discuss the powers of electric fish found in the Nile. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, however, saw a surge in experimentation with electricity,(pun very much intended). Scientists like Franklin discovered new characteristics and uses of the phenomenon, and the world was revolutionized. It was even discovered in 1791 that the human body utilized electrical signals. That very obviously inspired the plot of Frankenstein, and many other stories.

2. The Internal Combustion Engine (mid 1850s)-

The advent of the internal combustion engine was a new epoch in the history of technology. The power that had been placed into the hands of man seemed to make him invincible. He was better, stronger, and faster. (This is quickly disintegrating into dorky references and puns). Ordinary people could go farther and produce more than ever before. The engine obviously had an impact on what people thought, and wrote about.

1. Darwin’s Origin of the Species (1859)-

Charles Darwin’s theory on naturalistic evolution impacted not only science, but on society as a whole. Once there was a proposition that the natural world could, possibly exist without supernatural intervention, peoples’ relationships with God, nature, and other people were forever changed. For many years, The Origin of the Species served as a sort of holy book for the worldview of naturalism. Much science fiction has adopted this worldview. One of the most notable naturalist sci-fi writers is H.G. Wells.

These are just a few examples of real life ideas and occurrences that prompted sci-fi writers to speculate farther and dig deeper. What else would you add? Was this list interesting to you? Did you think it was redundant? Let me know in the comments!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora