Forrest J. Ackerman

This is THE MAN. The Acker-man is the chief and champion appreciator of science fiction. At the age of 5 he embarked on a journey that benefits us all, and is universally recognized as the master of sci-fi knowledge. He is known to have coined the term "sci-fi" and rightfully earned the very first Hugo Award. He has the largest collection of sci-fi memorabilia in the world, and when Hugo Gernsback (the award's namesake) was awarded a Hugo, Ackerman delivered it to him personally. Best known to many as the original editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, Ackerman is a super-hero of sci-fi that puts even The Smoking Astronaut to shame.

 Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

Emigrating to the U.S. three years after his birth in 1920, Asimov's parents opened a string of successful candy stores in New York. It was here he read fanciful stories in the pulp fiction of the day which ignited the imagination of a young genius. The avid reader Asimov skipped grades and graduated from high school at 15. His first sale of fiction was to Amazing Stories in 1938. In 1941 he sold his story "Nightfall" to Astounding Science Fiction which was met with great public praise, and 30 years later was voted as the greatest sci-fi short story of all time. It was while teaching biochemistry in 1951 that Asimov decided he wanted to write full time. His idea of "full time" was basically all day, every day. His best known works include the Foundation saga, and I, Robot, in which famous 3 laws of robotics. Beyond science fiction, however, Asimov published in depth studies of astronomy, chemistry, biology, physics, and most notably history, in which he covered topics ranging from the Holy Bible to ancient civilizations, to William Shakespear. Among his triumphs were 5 Hugo awards and 3 Nebula awards. Aside from his myriad short stories and articles written for magazines, Asimov published nearly 500 books before his death in 1992, and is remembered as one of the masters of science fiction.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-present)

Clarke moved to London in his late teens where he became an important member of the British Interplanetary Society. During WWII, he served in the RAF as a radar specialist, and in 1945 he published a technical report called Extraterrestrial Relays. His paper layed down specifics on the possibility of a communication network consisting of manmade satellites launched into geostationary orbits. The accuracy of this vision alone is enough to have earned Clarke a place in history, but he is better known for his many award winning novels of science fiction. His earliest works were printed in a 1946 issue of Astounding Science. He has since published well over 50 novels, perhaps the most famous of which being 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was the novelized version of the Oscar winning film he made with director Stanley Kubrick. It was based on Clarke's short story The Sentinel, and was quite a psychedelic sensation in 1969. Clarke was also on hand to co-anchor CBS television coverage of Apollo missions 11, 12, and 15. While novels continued, Clarke later hosted the speculative series Mysterious World. In May of 2000 his vast accomplishments won him the "Award of Knight Bachelor" from the British Crown family. This was done at a ceremony near his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he has lived as an avid supporter of marine research since 1956.

 Robert Heinlein (1907-1988)

Born in Butler, Missouri, Heinlein graduated from Annapolis with a Bachelor In Naval Engineering. He served aboard the destroyer U.S.S Roper and the carrier U.S.S Lexington before a bout of tuberculosis forced a discharge in 1934. Heinlein entered into various business ventures, but found success at writing science fiction stories. He published his first book, Rocketship Galileo, in 1947, which was the basis for the landmark film Destination: Moon(1950). This led to a stream of adventure novels aimed at younger readers. Among these were titles like Space Cadet, Red Planet, and Have Space Suit, Will Travel. Later years saw novels dealing with more serious societal issues like love, death, and politics. They also saw him land several Hugo Awards for his ongoing and influential works. Heinlein's health began to deteriorate in th eearly 1970's, and his work was on hold for a few years until arterial surgery improved his condition. He continued writing and published his last novel, To Sail Beyond The Sunset in 1987. Robert Heinlein died of emphysema in May of 1988. He is remembered fans and peers as one the greatest authors in the history of science fiction.

 Jules Verne (1828-1905)

With over 100 books translated into dozens of languages, Jules Verne is one of the most widely read authors of the modern era. The majority of these publications were fictional adventures, or "romances" as Verne called them. Among them was generally found the common elements of travel and advanced technology. Verne was fascinated by the sciences of geography and engineering, and his goal was to write stories that would both educate and entertain. His "romances" were larely vehicles for the exposition of these sciences, and so fastidiously researched were the technical aspects of the devices his characters used, his stories take on a decidedly prophetic nature.

His 19th Century works predicted the powered derigible, scuba diving, the submarine, and a manned flight to the moon that blasted off from the south tip of Florida. The Frenchman Verne was said to have been a great admirer of America's Edgar Allen Poe, and less than enthusiastic about the works of his English contemporary, H.G. Wells. Verne found Wells' work too full of unexplainable elements, and did not view his own writing as science fiction per se, but as what any logical scholar could imagine eventually happening. His popularity brought him great wealth, and Verne made actual journeys to America and the Mediterranean before his death in 1905.