Tech Whiz: 6 Bestselling Books that Inspired Technology

“Modern Technology is not merely an evolution; it’s an emergence that empowers us to shape a future unbound by yesterday’s limitations”

– Business suggestions

The advancement of technology over the years has shaped our modern life. From the internet and smartphones to helicopters and atomic power, the different brands of technology has changed our life. In fact, it can be said that the evolution of technology has helped mankind achieve the heights it has today.

It is undeniable that any technology is the product of a brilliant scientific mind. Logic and reasoning are keys to the growth of technology. At the same time, imagination also plays a significant aspect. Without imagination, nobody would have been able to come up with the different modern conveniences we have today. We all know that imagination is the domain of authors. However, you will be surprised to know how far the imaginations of our favorite authors can go. In fact, many of the gadgets that we use today are products of the boundless creativity of an author.

If you have difficulty believing that, do take a look at the list of some of the bestselling books that inspired some of the most used technology today.

Book: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Author: Jules Verne

Technology: Submarine

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was published as a book by Jules Verne in 1870. It follows Captain Nemo and his companions as they travel twenty thousand leagues underwater in their ship the Nautilus. The detailed design and the working of the Nautilus inspired Simon Lake, an American inventor. Lake was so intrigued by Captain Nemo’s underwater adventures that he came up with the Argonaut, the world’s first successful open-water submarine in 1898. In fact, Verne’s depiction of the underwater vehicle was so realistic that today’s modern submarines share many of their features with the Nautilus.

Book: The World Set Free

Author: H.G. Wells 

Technology: Atomic Bomb

H.G. Wells was one visionary author. Many of his books inspired a number of the technologies that we have today. One of his most dire predictions was the atomic bomb. In his 1914 novel, The World Set Free, Wells comes up with a massively destructive weapon akin to today’s atomic bomb. He focuses on the pros and cons of harnessing atomic power in this book. Wells shows how atomic power can either lead to utter destruction or compel men to let go of violence and embrace peace. Hungarian-American physicist and inventor, Leo Szilard, came up with the idea of building atomic bombs after reading Well’s The World Set Free.

Book: Clipper of the Clouds

Author: Jules Verne 

Technology: Helicopter

Jules Verne’s Clipper of the Clouds is also known as Robur the Conqueror. The 1886 book revolves around Robur, an inventor, who is intent on proving that his heavier-than-air flying machine, the Albatross, is much superior to the lighter-than-air one built by the members of the Weldon Institute. Russian-American aviator, Igor Sikorsky, found inspiration in Verne’s book and grew up to invent the modern-day helicopter.

Book: The War of the Worlds

Author: H.G. Wells 

Technology: Liquid Fueled Rocket

The War of the Worlds was penned by H.G. Wells between 1895 and 1897. It was published as a full-length novel in 1898 by William Heinemann. The book is one of the earliest ones that tells us the story of a war between extra-terrestrial beings and humans. In the book, Martians decide to invade Earth as they are in need of more resources. A man from Surrey and his younger brother from London get embroiled in the affairs of the Martians as they invade southern London. American inventor, Robert H. Goddard, was gripped by Wells’ description of interplanetary travel. This led him to build the first liquid-fueled rocket that was launched successfully on March 16, 1926.

Book: Ralph 124 41+

Author: Hugo Gernsback 

Technology: Television, Video Calling, Space Flight, Synthetic Cloth, Solar Power

Ralph 124 41+ was first published by Hugo Gernbeck in Modern Electrics in 1911. Later, he published it as a book in 1925. The story follows a narrator who uses various technological wonders to save the heroine. In the futuristic world depicted in the book, solar power is harnessed and used in all its glory. The hero actually travels into space in his own space vehicle to rescue his lady love. In addition to all this, Gernsbeck gave his readers glimpses into then never-before-heard technologies like the television and synthetic cloth.

Book: 1984

Author: George Orwell

Technology: Government Surveillance

1984 was George Orwell’s last book completed during his lifetime. Published in 1949, the dystopian thriller presents to us a world fraught with war and revolution. The world is under the control of “The Party’ led by the supreme leader, Big Brother. Winston Smith secretly defies the party and soon gets embroiled in the political shenanigans of the day. In 1984, George Orwell shows how invasive the government and big conglomerates can be. He depicts how fragile privacy can be. At the time of the writing of 1984, the technology to keep surveillance over the public was not yet available. Yet today, government surveillance is a reality. Whether we know it or not, today’s government has access to most, if not all, of our personal data.

Conclusion

Fiction mirrors reality. Quite astonishingly, fiction inspires reality as well. As evidenced by this list, a number of today’s technology has been influenced by the boundless imagination of authors. Many a time, we discount science fiction books as nothing but flights of fantasy. However, we never know when a thing predicted in our favorite science fiction novel can become an actuality with the help of a scientifically brilliant reader. Something that appears to be fantastical today may exist in real life tomorrow.

After all, as Arthur C. Clarke said in the Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Do comment and let me know your favorite technology-inspiring novel from this list.