Science Fiction Predictions H.G. Wells

About the predictions of major sci-fi writer H.G. Wells in his books Things to Come and When The Sleeper Awakes many of his successful predictions.

Predictor: H. G. WELLS

H. G. Wells (1866-1946) was one of the seminal minds of early SF. Beginning with The Time Machine (1895), his classic novel of travel through the ages, Wells churned out dozens of stories and novels, establishing many of the basic ideas that SF writers of today use as background props. The War of the Worlds, for example, presents the first credible invasion by aliens from outer space; The Food of the Gods, in which humans and beasts alike assume gigantic proportions, has been reincarnated in countless cheap monster flicks of recent years; Things to Come, his first attempt at a screenplay, depicted the impending ravages of W.W. II in horrifying detail.

Book: THINGS TO COME

Published in 1933.

Successful Predictions:

* W. W. II begins in 1940, involving all the major countries of the world.

* Air raids by enemy craft on England.

* Dogfights between British and enemy aircraft.

* Gas warfare.

* Air conditioning by 2054.

* Commercial television by 2054.

* Videotape recording by 2054.

* Televised broadcasts sent simultaneously to all parts of the world by 2054.

Future Predictions:

* Reconstruction of the world continues through the utopia of 2054, when enlightened humans have done away with the instruments of death and destruction.

* Electric guns project unmanned satellites around the Moon (2054).

* A special kind of wall television screen produces animated images on large surfaces.

* Citizens of the future are required by the government to wear personal communication devices on their sleeves (2054).

* Disease has been completely eradicated (2054).

Book: WHEN THE SLEEPER AWAKES

Published in 1899. Set in 2100 A.D.

Successful Predictions:

* Liquid all-purpose foods.

* Automatic doors.

* Portable television sets.

* Air conditioning.

* Video recordings.

* Light globes that change night into day.

* Propeller airplanes.

* Mechanized agriculture.

* Wheeled trucks.

* War between armed aircraft.

* Aerial bombings.

Future Predictions:

* Automatic clothes-making machines (they measure and produce on the spot).

* Moving conveyor roadways.

* Special pleasure cities to placate the masses.

* Printed books have been replaced by video cassettes which tell stories.

* All of Earth's population is concentrated in the great supercities (London, for example, has over 33 million inhabitants).

* One man, the hero of the story, has rested in suspended animation for over 200 years; by the year 2100, when he awakens, he has inherited virtually all property on Earth due to fortuitous investments by the trustees of his estate; the world government, therefore, officially acts in his name.

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