Join historian Felicia Kreuzer an she takes a journey through the unconventional endeavors of Hugo Gernsback in this AWA Shares presentation. Hugo Gernsback, (1886-1967), the “Father of Science Fiction,” was an editor, publisher, author, scientist, and inventor, best known for his books Ralph 124C 41+ (1911) and Ultimate World (1958), and the magazines Modern Science (1908) and Amazing Stories (1927), the first science fiction pulp magazine. Through these publications, he disseminated his thoughts on new scientific ideas and innovations. In total, Gernsback edited and published over 50 publications and founded the radio station WRNY in 1925. A self-proclaimed science prophet, he also predicted scientific developments—including radar and television. Among his more than thirty patents are a a combined electric hair brush and comb (US Patent 1,016,138), 1912; an ear cushion (US Patent 1,514,152), 1927; and a hydraulic fishery (US Patent 2,718,083), 1955. These and many more of Gernsback’s inventions would feel right home on the pages of his farcical publication Popular Neckanics Gagazine (1947), dedicated to “love and solving its great mystery.”
