Jules Verne, the writer who saw the future. two centuries ago including ( electric submarines, trains, news broadcasts, Solar Sails, Lunar Module, Helicopter and much more )

Jules Verne photo: pinterest

Many authors of science fiction novels have provided some invention or how time will change our society. Few, however, were visionaries such as Jules Verne, the writer who has brightened our childhood with his novels of adventure, but we can now reread with new eyes, to see how he foresaw the evolution of technology and science.

In the nineteenth century, a French writer still unknown to the true value described in detail astronaut moon landing, which was to take place over nearly a century.

Similarly, in the novel "2000 Leagues Under the Sea", the young Jules Verne, passionate about science and an exuberant imagination, he wrote about submarines and about technology (now still in experiment) through which water was transformed into fuel enigmatic Captain Nemo outcast scientist.

Carefully observing the world around, Jules Verne foresaw in an incredible cities of the future will look like.

"Paris in the twentieth century" book written in 1863, describes in detail the beautiful capital of France, full of skyscrapers, and its inhabitants, that go with trains similar to those now called Maglev and use computers connected to the Internet .

Born in 1828, Jules Verne career followed his father, taking his doctorate in law in 1851, but also the frequency with pleasure Parisian literary salons.

Thus, in 1849 he was known here on the famous Alexandre Dumas and was friends with his son, who in turn would become a writer.

Poster promoting novel series "extraordinary journeys", published by Hetzel photo: pinterest

I showed his new friend the manuscript of a comedy, "Straw Ripped," which succeeded then a mount on the stage of a theater in Paris, it can be considered his literary debut. For 20 years, he continued to work in theater experience which has helped a lot in narrative construction of his novels, which are particularly captivating.

Success would come later, because the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel, whom he met in 1862 and which presented the manuscript of the novel originally entitled "Journey bubble".

Hetzel, who had already published famous authors such as Honoré de Balzac, George Sand and Victor Hugo, was delighted by the style of Jules Verne's novel because he wanted to launch a magazine that combines entertainment with science.

Under his coordination would appear the series' extraordinary journeys ", which will include 44 science fiction novels and adventure signed by Jules Verne.

These will include: "Five Weeks in a Balloon" (1863), "2,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1869), "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864), "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865), "Children captain Grant "(1867)," around the Moon "(1870)," around the World in 80 days "(1873)," Mysterious Island "(1874).

Jules Verne died in 1905 from complications arising from diabetes, leaving behind a prolific literary work and a vision that would change the world.


From this point of view, it is difficult to say whether he foresaw what would be in the future, which would become technological progress, or if his imagination is that which he has influenced other inventors and made this development possible.

Free to speculate in this regard, we should mention that Edwin Hubble scientists like Jacques Cousteau and Hermann Oberth were fascinated by Jules Verne's novels and acknowledged that these writings were full of fantasy for them a source of inspiration.

Inventions came to life as imagined by Jules Verne?



1. electric submarines. One of the most famous novels, "2,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1869) presents Captain Nemo crossing oceans aboard a giant electric submarine, Nautilus.

Electric submarine Alvin photo: pinterest

Submarine have luxurious rooms and was supplied with electricity. In 1964 it was built the submarine Alvin, which, although much smaller and can only accommodate 3 people, works on a similar principle, being battery powered.

2. News broadcasts. In 1889, Jules Verne wrote an article entitled "In 2889", which described the media future. Instead of the classic newspaper subscribers watching a program in which reporters talk to scientists and politicians about the major events of the day.

The first TV news program was broadcast only in 1920, so after 30 years from the time that the author described this form of mass communication.

3. Solar Sails. In 1865, the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" Jules Verne wrote about a spaceship powered light. Today there is something similar - solar sails.


On May 21, 2010, the Ikaros mission, Japan successfully launched a sail like this, to investigate the planets in our approach. Vela, a width of 14 meters, powered by solar energy

The project was first proposed in 1920 and aimed sails propel the space shuttle using solar radiation, without the need for additional fuel.

4. Lunar Module. Jules Verne described throughout the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" "projectiles" that were used to transport passengers to the moon.


They were attached to the "huge cannons" that they were drawn helped "projectile" to overcome the force of gravity, using the writer usually quite detailed descriptions of the technology imagined in his books.

Lunar module used in Apollo 11 mission photo: wikipedia.org

Now there are monthly modules, which NASA managed to reach the moon. These capsules are the crew members are attached to rockets that propel them and transporting them to the destination, exactly as he had imagined Writers French almost 200 years ago.

5. The ads written in the sky. Keen observer of the world around him, Verne foresaw and promising future of advertising, and the article "In the year 2889", he described a new method of advertising like writing in the sky.

"All these announcements have noticed huge clouds reflected, were so large they could be seen by the population of entire cities or even an entire country," wrote Jules Verne.

These insights are all the more impressive amazing as the writer does not have a background in engineering or physics. It is true that he had friends passion for science and invention, and it is likely that many ideas to come out of these discussions.

Sky writing was first used in 1930 by Skywriting Corporation in the United States, and among the first customers were counted Pepsi-Cola.

For such a project requires five planes flying in formation and each issue a special smoke over 3 km altitude, so the message is visible from a great distance.

6. Videoconferencing. Also in the article "In 2889" Jules Verne described "fonotelefotul", a precursor to technology that now allows the organization videoconferencing system makes it possible to connect to people at large distance from each other.

Here's how the writer imagined this technology, which has become a reality much sooner than he imagined: "Fonotelefotul transmit sensitive images through mirrors connected with wires".

7. Helicopter. It is true that the French novelist's passion for technology is not limited to discussions with friends. He always read magazines he found in clubs frequented and even take notes of these publications in their

In 1862, he became secretary of the Society of Aviation, which aimed "to encourage air transport machines heavier than air" as enouncing its founders.

The company soon attracted other members of the French intellectual elite, including George Sand, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne good friends.

The writer was one of the most ardent supporters of a project designed by Felix Tournachon, a journalist and avid photographer inventions, known under the pseudonym of Nadar, founder member of the Society of Aviation.


Nadar invented the helicopter. At least on paper. He imagined a device virtually fly using wings that rotate.

Cover novel "Robur the Conqueror" with drawing Albatros aircraft

Excited about the project that worked, Jules Verne wrote about in his books Aviation Society and Nadar's name even appears in the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" where amateur inventor is listed under the name Ardan.

The huge flying machine imagined by Jules Verne and his friends came to life in the novel "Robur the Conqueror" (1886), called Albatros, as the brilliant invention Robur.


The novel was illustrated by Leon Bennett after Jules Verne's clear instructions so that today we can see how he imagined this first aircraft.

"Flying crane" invented by Igor Sikorsky, after the appliance model Albatros described by Jules Verne

In 1939, he managed to get off the ground in one device, VS-300, which flew only a few centimeters, but can be considered the forerunner of today's huge Sikorsky helicopters.


Perhaps among writers of science fiction today is hiding another Jules Verne, and over tens or hundreds of years, his ideas, now considered pure fantasy, will become part of the lives of everyday people then living on Earth or on other planets.


Other articles on the same theme:

• Funerals for writer Edgar Allan Poe, 160 years after his death
• Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, great writer killed by a terrible disease
• 16 November 1849 a Russian court sentenced Fyodor Dostoevsky to death. At the last moment the execution was postponed.
• Vlad Dracula Biography (1431-1476)

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by National Geographic . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.