20 Things You Didn't Know About Science Fiction

Posted on January 31, 2008

Discover Magazine lists 20 Things You Didn't Know About Science Fiction. Here's a snippet:

1 Arguably the inspiration for much science fiction traces back to classical mythology. Think of it-Earthlings abducted by beings from the sky, humans morphing into strange creatures, and events that defy the laws of nature.
2 Birth of the (un)cool: In 1926 writer Hugo Gernsback founded Amazing Stories, the first true science-fiction magazine.
3 Gernsback loved greenbacks. He tried to trademark the term science fiction, and he paid writers so little that H. P. Lovecraft later nicknamed him "Hugo the Rat."
4 Rat's revenge: The most famous sci-fi writing award is called the Hugo.
5 Writers for the early pulp magazines would often write under multiple pseudonyms so they could have more than one article per issue. Ray Bradbury-taking this practice to another level-used six different pen names.
6 Serious science-fiction heads say sci-fi carries schlocky, B-movie connotations. Many prefer the abbreviation SF.
7 Prominent physicists and space travel pioneers have (often secretly) contributed to SF lit. German rocket genius Wernher Von Braun wrote space fiction and was an adviser to sci-fi movies such as Conquest of Space.

Actually, book editors will tell you that the term "SF" means "Speculative Fiction" which denotes a more serious or even literary science fiction. Cyberpunk is a subgenre of SF, for example. Sci Fi is used to denote space opera, like Star Trek or Star Wars. But it's true that some fans use the term "Sci Fi" to refer to anything in the genre and others use it to refer to B movies. When in doubt, say "SF" so as not to offend an author you might meet at a convention. Hope that clears things up.

SCIENCE FICTION