More than 30 years before the first atomic bombs were made, H.G. Wells’ 1914 novel, “The World Set Free,” depicted a war where atomic energy fueled powerful explosives. Inspired by the potential applications of new scientific discoveries, science fiction authors like Wells imagine possible future outcomes stemming from today’s cutting-edge technologies. While many of these ideas don’t come to pass, sometimes–as in “World Set Free”–these futures are surprisingly close to reality.
H.G. Wells’ The World Set Free: