History of the Future
editPoul Anderson's "The Snows of Ganymede" was accompanied in the Winter 1955 issue of Startling Stories by a timeline of events in Anderson's ongoing future history, later known as the Psychotechnic League timeline. The timeline included the following editorial note:
- Back in the early 1940's Robert A. Heinlein let it be known that he was writing stories according to a consistent "future history." All his work fitted into a pattern of history as it might happen, and an outline of that history was published so that readers could see the stories in perspective.
- Poul Anderson, who wrote the lead novel in this issue, also uses such a history, and we're happy to publish part of it here.
- Anderson emphasizes two points about the history: "(A) This is only a bare outline of a much more complex thing; (B) the dates given are not to be taken too seriously, for that would take the scheme out of the range of science-fiction prediction and into the realm of fantasy and prophecy, which is not one I care to inhabit."
- He hasn't tried to make all of his stories conform to the scheme and has no wish to do so, but on the opposite page you'll find the first 250 years of Anderson's history, which closes with the action in The Snows of Ganymede. Other stories already written but which cannot be shown on the abbreviated chart are The Troublemakers, 2205; Gypsy, 2815; Star Ship, 2875; The Star Ways, 3120; Entity, 3150; and Symmetry, 3175.
Stories that hadn't yet been written appeared in parentheses.
| Date | Story | Events | Technology | Sociology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 - 1980 | (Marius) | Korean War . . World War III: Defeat of Soviets Civil wars in Europe; the Great Jehad . . .
Conference of Rio African nations gain autonomy | Hydrogen-lithium reaction Needle gun Robot files Improved psychiatry Early psychotechnology Petroleum synthesis Rover bomb | Socialism in America . . Postwar period of chaos Period of recovery UN greatly strengthened Religious fanaticism Privacy laws . . USA constitutional amendments |
| 1980 - 2010 | Un-Man | UN suppresses Brazil-Argentine War Extensive reclamation on Earth . . . Anti-UN junta suppressed Attempt at dictatorship stopped | Improved spaceships Automatic factories General field theory Shock & paralysis beams Outdoor air-conditioning Longevity | Growth of Psychotechnic Institute . . . . Population control |
| 2010 - 2040 | (House in the Sky) | Abolition of national armies University of Luna founded Outer-planet expeditions . . . Second Conference of Rio Venusian break with UN | Synthetic virus Hyperbolic orbits Psychomatics Air transformation Superdielectrics Food synthesis | The Second Industrial Revolution . . . . Further steps toward full world government |
| 2040 - 2070 | The Big Rain | Currency reform Suppression of Venusian nationalists . Ganymede colonized . | Small atomic motors Interplanetary radio Frictionless motors Electric blaster | UN space navy . Planetary Engineering Corps Basic language invented |
| 2070 - 2100 | (Wolf) | Growing discontent on Earth due to failure to solve prob- lems of 2nd Industrial Revolution . Anti-robot riots | Military robots Artificial regeneration Automatic spacecraft Anthropoid robot | The "New Enlightenment" . Order of Planetary Engineers . The Encyclopedic Foundation |
| 2100 - 2130 | Quixote and the Windmill | Convention of Luna Venus made habitable The Humanist Manifesto Space Ark to Centauri: 120-yr. voyage. A device to get rid of malcontents | Space liner service Molar potential barrier Traveling reclamation outfit Synthetic nonprotoplasmic life Minimal spaceships | Solar Union founded . Growth of clan system on Venus . Pancosmic religion begins |
| 2130 - 2160 | Holmgang | . Revelations of gov't corruption . . Mars made habitable | Interplanetary power beam designed Neural regeneration . Nuclear damping fields | Period of worsening conditions on Earth, leading to a great interplanetary emigra- tion and development. Slow decline of scientific progress, but much engineering work |
| 2160 - 2190 | (Cold Victory) | Abortive humanist revolution | . | |
| 2190 - 2200 | The Snows of Ganymede | Jovian dictatorship overthrown | . |