Are you fond of reading science fiction? Popularly called sci-fi, it refers to works of fiction in which advanced technology or science is the key element. In fact, a science fiction typically deals with innovation that while theoretically possible is not yet practical. Some of world’s most prominent science fiction works include Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World and H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. Needless to say, all these books were way ahead of their time and revolutionised the world with their avantgarde approach. But did you know some real-world inventions that advanced mankind were actually inspired by science fictions? Here are 3 of them.
Submarine
Jules Verne, the distinguished French author, published his iconic science fiction adventure novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in 1870. The plot revolves around Captain Nemo and his two comrades who go to sea in search of a giant whale. But unfortunately, they are taken prisoner on board the world’s first (fictional) submarine Nautilus. As it travels through all the world’s seas and oceans, the men have an adventure of a lifetime. Now, when this sci-fi released, American inventor Simon Lake was just a boy. But he was thoroughly impressed by the idea of a submarine to travel and explore the underwater world. So, in 1898, when he and his company Argonaut finally built the world’s first successful submarine to function in open ocean, he earned a special congratulatory note from Verne himself who knew about the inspiration. No wonder, Lake is often regarded as the father of modern submarine.
Liquid-fuelled rocket
British author H.G. Wells wrote his classic sci-fi novel The War of the Worlds in between 1895 and 1897. It was way ahead of its time and explored the concept of Mars colonisation by an anonymous protagonist and his brother on an interplanetary rocket. When the novel first serialised in the US magazine Cosmopolitan in 1898, American scientist Robert H. Goddard was busy pioneering rocket science and was extremely fascinated by Wells’ concept of interplanetary flight. So, when he finally designed and developed the world’s first liquid-fuelled rocket in March 1926 and even launched it successfully, he credited it all to Wells. He had even said that the book “gripped my imagination tremendously” during an interview.
Taser
A 20th century American publisher and writer named Edward Stratemeyer wrote a collection of science fiction books meant primarily for teenagers. It was called The Rover Boys Series where Tom Swift was this prodigal inventor and protagonist who spent all his time making fictional innovations. One such invention was called Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle from the book Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. When NASA physicist Jack Cover developed the world’s first taser in 1969 and launched it to the world in 1974, he openly said he was inspired by Edward Stratemeyer’s fictional world and his childhood hero Tom Swift. In fact, the name taser was an acronym for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle and even delivered an electric shock.