What is Science Fiction?

Feverishly imaginative and innovative writers and illustrators fused scientific knowledge and technological advancements into their fictional stories, which lead to the 20th century explosion of a genre that had been foreseen in 19th century works by Jules Verne, Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells.

It was Hugo Gernsback, a Luxembourg native who emigrated to the United States, who sowed the seed for the term ‘science fiction’, which was first used in 1929. Three years before, Gernsback coined the term ‘scientifiction’ to describe the type of stories he published in his magazine, Amazing Stories, generally accepted as the first science fiction magazine. Although Gernsback’s concepts and ‘scientifiction’ adventures did not have much of a following in 1926, the stories soon gained in popularity and his clumsy term soon evolved into the much more catchy ‘science fiction’.

Only in 1953 did the shortened version ‘sci-fi’ become popular but, today, it’s the popular slang for a genre that has inspired generations of architects, scientists, astronauts and aficionados alike.