Can you match the book to the action?
Which aircraft did Jules Verne's novel 'The Clipper of the Clouds' (1886) inspire?
Leonardo da Vinci sketched imaginary flying machines a bit like helicopters back in 1493. But in the late nineteenth century, Verne's novel described a machine much like a modern helicopter. The man who made the helicopter a reality, Igor Sikorsky, had read Verne's book and loved it so much that he said it was 'imprinted in my memory'.
Where did Upton Sinclair's novel 'The Jungle' (1906) make a difference?
Despite its title, 'The Jungle' is set in the tough world of Chicago's meat packing factories. After the book came out, US President, Theodore Roosevelt asked for an official report on the meat industry. This led to the 'Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906', which aimed to make food hygiene better. Sinclair was unhappy because the 1906 Act didn't improve safety for factory workers. The 1906 Act led to the formation of the Food and Drug Administration, the body responsible for protecting public health in the USA.
H. G. Wells' sci-fi novel, 'The War of the Worlds' was performed on US radio in 1938. It was one of the earliest stories about people fighting Martians. But why did it cause such a stir?
It was reported that the radio show caused mass panic- with thousands of people believing that it was news of real alien invasion. But the frightening headlines that followed have now been shown to be an example of exaggeration. It's thought to have been an attempt by the papers to attack radio which was - at the time - a new form of accessing information, and a source of competition to traditional newspapers.
Mark David Chapman murdered the rock star John Lennon (from The Beatles) in 1980. He said at the time that a particular book had inspired him to kill Lennon. Which book was it?
Chapman wanted to become the main character – a teen called Holden Caulfield – from Salinger's novel. Holden isn't a murderer in the book, though. The Bible was also an important book for Chapman: he was a devout Christian who tried to get more people to read Bible pamphlets. In a statement after Lennon's murder, Chapman said that although he wanted to be Holden, a small part of him was 'the Devil'.
What did Olaudah Equiano's 'The Interesting Narrative' (1789) stir up?
Although the slave trade wasn't defeated by one single thing, Equiano's memoir of his time as a slave had a big effect on readers. It was very popular and went through eight editions in Equiano's lifetime. It also set the pattern for other stories about slavery, like The History of Mary Prince (1831) and Harriet Beecher Stowe's, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Because of these books, politicians and the public in the UK and US couldn't ignore the horrible realities of slavery.
The 'Licensing Order of 1643' allowed the English Parliament to ban books they didn't agree with. What was the poet, John Milton's reply?
Parliament could stop religious groups they disagreed with from printing their books. As a result, Milton felt that people weren't being allowed to judge for themselves on important topics. To protest, Milton wrote a book called Areopagitica (1644). This protest book ended up being one of the most famous arguments for freedom of speech ever written.
What was banned in Leipzig, Germany as a result of Goethe's book, 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' (1774)?
Goethe's main character, Werther, shoots himself. The book was very popular with young people, who copied the character's way of dressing – including his yellow trousers. There were reports that the book was leading readers to kill themselves, too. Whether or not this was true, the idea led to the book, and Werther's trousers, being banned in the city.