5 predictions of science fiction writers that came true after a while

Science fiction writers are amazing people who know how to think globally and are not afraid to dream. Many famous science-fiction writers such as Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clarke created works that would become classics in the future. But the real fantasy lies not in the novels themselves, but in separate passages or phrases. Some of them with amazing accuracy describe phenomena from the modern world that the author could only see in his imagination.

1. Tablets

"2001: A Space Odyssey." Arthur Clark, 1968

Now you can hardly surprise anyone with a tablet, but in 1968 such a device, in principle, did not exist. At that time, a computer had not even been created yet, and there could be no talk of portable electronic devices. However, the device that Arthur Clark describes in his novel is very similar to a modern tablet. The main characters of the novel on a spacecraft used a device called Newspad for reading electronic newspapers.

2. Radar

"Ralph 124C 41+." Hugo Gernsbek. 1911

According to Russian publicist Yakov Rabkin, it was Hugo Gernsbek in his novel who was able to accurately describe the principle of operation of a modern radar station. In 1911, the radar itself did not exist. Research and development in the field of radio wave propagation was conducted, but the first working prototype of the radar was created only in 1935. In addition, Hugo Gernsbek in his novel described a service for video communication with the interlocutor at a distance, which has obvious similarities with modern video chats.

3. Smartphones

Interview for The New York Times. Isaac Asimov, 1964

It is worth noting that the writer Isaac Asimov is the record holder for the predictions that have come true. In his novels, Azimov described flat-panel TVs, 3D films, robotics, an electronic library, and much more. But most accurately the writer foresaw the advent of smartphones. In a large-scale interview with the publisher “The New York Times”, Azimov described a portable phone where you can watch movies, read books and talk via video link. You can control the phone without buttons, only by touching the screen, and space satellites will be used for data transmission.

4. Landing on the moon

"From Earth to the Moon". Jules Verne, 1865

The French writer Jules Verne is mistakenly credited with predicting the creation of a submarine using the example of Nautilus from the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, written in 1869. However, the publisher Novate.ru found out that Vern acted only as a populist. The idea of ​​creating a submarine was proposed by Leonardo da Vinci in the XV century, and the first real prototype of the submarine was developed by the Englishman William Born in 1578. Nevertheless, Jules Verne predicted a flight of people to the moon. The author not only foresaw the very possibility of landing a man on the Moon, but also predicted with great accuracy the details of the flight and the amount of fuel consumed.

5. Nuclear war

"Useless solution." Robert Heinlein. 1940

Outside the window, 1940. The beginning of the war. Most of the works of that era are devoted to military topics. However, American science fiction writer Robert Heinlein looked at the problem from a different angle. In his story “A Bad Decision,” Heinlein describes the development of the United States of nuclear weapons, which ends World War II and further leads to an arms race. By a fantastic coincidence, this is exactly what happened in 5–10 years. Despite the fact that the development of nuclear weapons was carried out since the late 1930s, it was very secret, and an ordinary writer could hardly know about it.