Excerpt from "Chapter 8—History of the Cannon," in From the Earth to the Moon: Passage Direct in Ninety-seven Hours and Twenty Minutes

Published in 1865; available at Space Educators' Handbook, Johnson Space Center, NASA (Web site)

Science fiction is imaginative literature that is based on scientific principles. This literary genre, or distinct type of literature, is unlike fantasy literature such as The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973), which portrays fantastical events that have no basis in the real world. Science fiction emerged in the nineteenth century after science became increasingly important to society. It was not until the early part of the twentieth century, however, that a large number of authors began to write science fiction, mainly in the form of short stories. Magazines such as Amazing Stories and Astounding Science Fiction, both founded in the 1930s, brought science fiction into the homes...