Space has always been a fascinating mystery. One of the first popular films, titled A Trip To the Moon (1902) describes a group of astronomers who traveled to the moon and explored its surface. It also discusses their curious encounters with the lunar inhabitants, called Selenites, bringing to Earth a captured Selenite.
There are many examples in history that portray the extraterrestrial secrets and mysteries of this natural satellite.
A year after the release of A Trip to the Moon (1902), the Wright Brothers invented their first successful airplane, The Flyer. Airplanes developed overtime to transport luggage, cargo, and people. This proved that transportation by air is possible. However why stop there? Why not create a means to explore the mysteries of space?
Garrett P. Serviss predicted that one day man will fly to the moon, without knowing that this will come true 57 years later. The article is featured in June 28, 1912 Newark Evening Star and Newark Advertiser.
The article below shows a drawing of how the planets will group together, creating “the greatest sunspot of all history.” Prior to inventions, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, people relied on illustrations to understand the puzzling aspects of space.
Article featured in July 18, 1919 Perth Amboy Evening News.
(Contributed by Kristi Chanda)
Source:
The Wright Brothers: Close to a True Airplane. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1902/index.cfm.
Voyage Dans La Lune. A Trip to the Moon (1902). (n.d.). AMC Filmsite: Filmsite Movie Review. Retrieved from https://www.filmsite.org/voya.html.