Fun Fact #451
A Space Odyssey
When it comes to Science Fiction writers there is a group known as “The Big Three” which became fairly well known as each member –without meaning too– had a specialty: Asimov was the Master of “How” Heinlein Was “Why” but Sir Aurther C. Clarke by far focused on “Where”.
It’s not hard to see why, as a member of the Royal Air Force in World War 2 he was responsible in part for maintaining the GCA Radar needed to detect planes during the battle of Britain. In this role he developed a very keen sense of awareness not just of his surroundings but also how technology can be used to see the world –his obsession of learning all he could about detection earned him the nickname “Ego” (Marvel Comics would later reference him with the character of “Ego the Living Planet”).
Yet this knowledge became pivotal when the Soviet Union tried to Starve the city of Berlin, Germany in the post war period. Without his advancements made to the GCA radars it is likely Berlin Airlift may have failed as planes narrowly avoided collisions in the frantic chaos amid the Fog and snow. The success of the Airlift would later be credited as the official start of “The Cold War”.
His writing became heavily focused on communication, and detection. Leading him to become the first to theorize about Global Positioning Systems (GPS), computer networks (specifically online banking and fraud), Telecommunication (TV) Satellites and many other ideas. Meanwhile he worked on improving sonar; accidently discovering the underwater ruins of a Hindu Temple near the town of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in the process (now a major tourist attraction for scuba diving). He also was a commentator for CBS during the historic Apollo 11 Moon Landing Broadcast.
He is remembered for many spectacular works including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Friday (about a Female Robotic AI), and several other fictional works.
