Visonary Arthur C Clarke Dies
Sir Arthur C Clarke, one of the founders of modern Science Fiction, died at the age of 90 in his home in Sri Lanka today. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998. Although he predicted the use of telecommunications satellites in 1945, most of his other technological foresights proved over-optimistic. He strongly believed that space exploration could turn human attention away from conflict and war, and unite humanity in an endeavor to reach the stars.
Born on Dec. 16, 1917, in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England, Clarke had an early interest in scientific matters, but no advanced training in the field. He began writing Science Fiction in the late 1930s. His writing was interrupted by World War II, when he served in the Royal Air Force and actually had the opportunity to apply some of his scientific thinking. He helped develop the first radar-controlled system for landing airplanes in bad weather, and in 1945 published a technical paper describing the use of geo-stationary satellites as relays for terrestrial communication.
After the war Clarke began to publish Science Fiction stories and novels, the most famous being 2001: A Space Odyssey, which later was turned into a movie with Clarke’s collaboration. Another of his novels Childhood’s End is well known and highly regarded among Science Fiction fans.