Writer or prophet? Jules Verne, famous science fiction writer, not only produced texts that we still talk about today in our classrooms, science groups, book clubs and cartoons, such as Rick and Morty. Additionally, he also predicted these seven technologies in his texts.
Not many people know this, but he is, in fact, one of the original fathers of Science Fiction that affected a worldwide audience. Jules Verne was a French author who wrote the famous classics like Around the World in 80 Days, and 20K Leagues Under the Sea. He was born in 1828.
Beyond just the plot devices and aesthetics that still influence sci-fi stories to this day, Jules Verne made predictions about technology that are true.
Jules Verne, the prophet. Here are 7 futuristic ideas or inventions that he depicted in his sci-fi fiction.
1. Electric Submarines: Jules Verne’s fantastical imagination produced inventions that were just as memorable as his protagonists. In the story Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Verne introduced the world to the submarine Nautilus.
2. Helicopter: Verne sketched out and imagined tons of aircraft during his time as an author. However, in the story Robur the Conqueror, he was extra specific with one of his descriptions. In the story, the character builds a machine out of pressboard. It was controlled with high-speed rotors that propelled the aircraft to the heavens.
3. Jukebox and Hologram: The first time you may remember seeing the idea of the hologram in pop culture was probably in the classic film Star Wars. Yet, Jules was thinking about this way before Leia requested Obi-Wan’s help.
4. Newscasts: More of a futurist than a prophet, some describe Jules Verne as someone who was paying great attention to the times rather than simply outright prophesying. Verne was well acquainted with the technology of the time. He played with ideas of how those technologies could evolve. In the story, In the Year 2889, Verne predicts an alternative to the newspaper.
5. Videoconferencing: In the same story, “In the Year 2889,” Jules Verne hinted at the idea that is very close to what you may describe as video conferencing today. He called it the phonotelephote. Furthermore, the device allowed people to communicate with each other over great distances.
6. Solar sails: If you were to read Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon, you would think he is describing space travel today.
7. Lunar module space travel: In From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne was able to capture humanity’s fascination with the moon and eventually Space travel. Verne also mentioned splashdown spaceships, a space base in Florida, light pressure propulsion, and space suits. He described these ideas long before their time.
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