Facts about H.G. Wells
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Wells's 1908 novel A Modern Utopia presented a detailed vision of a world government administered by a scientifically-educated elite called the Samurai.
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Approximately 13 million copies of Wells's books were sold worldwide by 1946, making him one of the most commercially successful authors of the early twentieth century.
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Wells's 1933 film Things to Come, adapted from his own 1933 novel, depicted a future world ravaged by aerial bombardment and featured innovative special effects by Ned Sparks.
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Wells's 1898 novel The War of the Worlds depicted an extraterrestrial invasion of England using advanced Martian weapons, establishing the template for modern science fiction invasion narratives.
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At age 46, Wells wrote The Outline of History, a 1920 survey of human civilization that sold over two million copies and became one of the best-selling educational books of the twentieth century.
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During World War I, Wells served as a propagandist for the British government, writing pamphlets and articles promoting the Allied cause between 1914 and 1918.
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Over 50 novels and short story collections authored by Wells between 1895 and 1946 explored social reform, political ideology, and technological advancement alongside speculative scenarios.
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The Time Machine, published in 1895, earned Wells international acclaim and established him as a leading voice in speculative fiction at age 29.
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Wells studied biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science in South Kensington during 1884-1887, directly influencing his scientific approach to science fiction.
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In 1901, H.G. Wells published The First Men in the Moon, featuring detailed descriptions of lunar gravity at one-sixth Earth's strength.