We really can’t blame you if you’ve never heard about Science Fiction Day—reading science fiction and dressing up as your favorite a superhero and taking part in Comic-Con may not be for everyone, but in the last few years Science Fiction Day has become a very popular and unique event marked on every true science fiction fan’s calendar.
Although it’s not an official holiday of any sort (meaning it is not recognized or declared by any government), Science Fiction Day is given some degree of credence by its recognition by organizations such as the Hallmark Channel and by the Scholastic Corporation. Science Fiction Day has expanded not only across the United States, but also across different parts of the world.
The History of Science Fiction Day
January 2, was the date that was chosen to correspond with the official birth date of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who is thought to have been born January 2nd, 1920, was is responsible for some incredible works of science fiction literature such as “Nightfall” and the “Foundation Trilogy”.
Isaac Asimov, originally a biochemist, was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books. Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and was a long-time member and vice president of Mensa International.
Asimov coined the term “robotics” in his 1941 story “Liar!”. Asimov also coined the term “spome” in a paper entitled, “There’s No Place Like Spome” in Atmosphere in Space Cabins and Closed Environments, and then the term “psychohistory” in his foundation stories to name a fictional branch of science which combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people.
Isaac Asimov was an atheist as well as a humanist, and a rationalist—he did not actually oppose religious conviction in others but was frequently angered by superstitious and pseudoscientific beliefs that tried to pass themselves off as genuine science.
How to celebrate Science Fiction day
While Asimov was one of the most prominent science fiction writers of the last century, fans usually like to show their appreciation to Science Fiction Day by reading books from authors such as Philip K. Dick or Kurt Vonnegut, but also by having a movie marathon. Films like Ridley Scott’s “Alien”, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001” or Garth Jennings “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” are thought to have been based on Asimov’s various works. “Alien”, one of the most famous woks of sci-fi horror cinema of all time, is about how “In space, no one can hear you scream” and how a close encounter of the third kind becomes a Jaws-style nightmare when an alien invades a spacecraft.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is about the mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, and journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Whichever you film you choose, you will be able to pay homage to Science Fiction Day.
Science Fiction Day should be a time to stop and appreciate every author who’s created a memorable character and even entire worlds, so whichever author happens to be you favorite, be sure to pay some extra attention to them on that day.
