Cynthia's Attic: From the Earth To The Moon

Cynthia's Attic series is about a dynamic time-traveling duo, Cynthia and Augusta Lee (Gus). As they prepare for their final adventure, I couldn't help thinking back to one of my favorite authors, Jules Verne. His fantasy/fiction ideas have become more real as time goes by. Who knows? Maybe time-travel will be a reality one day!

Jules Verne's novels are still read and studied today. But I've always been interested in the fact that his stories are prophetic in describing modern times. Paris in the 20th Century is an often cited example of this describing air conditioning, automobiles, electricity, television, even the Internet!

Another example is From the Earth to the Moon, which, apart from using a space gun instead of a rocket, is very similar to the Apollo Program, as three astronauts are launched from the Florida peninsula and recovered through a splash landing. In the book, the spacecraft is launched from "Tampa Town." Although Tampa isn't the NASA launch site, Tampa, Florida is approximately 130 miles from Cape Canaveral.

In other works, Verne predicted the inventions of helicopters, submarines, projectors, jukeboxes, and other later devices.

He also predicted the existence of underwater hydrothermal vents that were not discovered until years after he wrote about them.

In the Mysterious Island Verne predicts the development of Hydrogen engines. A group of castaways discuss what will happen when the world's coal reserves are used up, when one of them exclaims, "Water [will replace coal]. Water broken down into its component elements by electricity. . . the hydrogen and oxygen of which it is constituted will be used to furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light. One day, the holds of steamships and the tenders of locomotives will be filled with those two compressed gases, powering their engines with an incalculable calorific force."

Wish he'd predicted the use of other renewable energies like solar power and wind power to replace our dependence on oil! Hmmm...maybe he did.


To read more about this fascinating author, visit Jules Verne Wikipedia page.

Coming Spring 2012 - Cynthia's Attic: Legend of Lupin Woods!

For more Cynthia's Attic Books - Mary Cunningham Books