National Science Fiction Day is an annual feast celebrated on January 2nd of every year. Imaginative concepts are emerging day by day in recent years and are recognized by several millions of people. Time travel, life on other planets, and other such fictional things are very well explained in many movies and literature books. On taking advantage, science fiction is celebrated with a Day in a calendar.
National Science Fiction Day is celebrated by many science fiction fans of the United States and even from all over the world. It is a Day that celebrates the birthdate of famous science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
Why National Science Fiction Day?
A medley of science and fiction is one of the most interesting genres in literature. Science Fiction, Sci-Fi, or SF has been incorporated in subtle forms in ancient works. In the ancient world where there was hardly any distinction between myths and facts, the stories from the classics such as the “Arabian nights” and “The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter” explore few elements of science fiction.
It is typical of Science fiction stories to explore questions that have boggled mankind’s conscience since the beginning of time. Many times the stories bring about themes of extraterrestrial life, parallel universe, time travel, the war waged between galaxies, etc creating a sense of wonder and desire to know what lies outside the monotony of our ordinary existence.
Father of Modern-Day Science Fiction
The National Science Fiction Day coincides with the birthday of a prolific American writer Issac Asimov. He was a professor of biochemistry at Boston University and is renowned for his works in science fiction. Asimov’s famous works include the “Foundation trilogy” and “Nightfall”. He coined the term “Psychohistory” in the “Foundation Trilogy” to define a fictional science based on the principles of sociology, history, and statistical mathematics employed to detect and predict the pattern of collective behavior in a particular group. Asimov also introduced the word Robotics in the Novel “Liar” in 1941.
Asimov was known for his hard science novels. Hard science fiction is a category in the Sci-fi genre which is a storyline that has its foundations based on the facts and logic, garnished with a hint of fictitious events.
Whereas the soft science fiction transverse more on the arena of social, psychology, anthropology, etc and can run a wild space ride on the reigns of imagination.
Though observed as an unofficial holiday, the National science fiction day gained credibility after its recognition by the American channel Hallmark and the multinational company Scholastic Corporation. Events like Comic-con and sci-fi conventions also play an important role in promoting the Sci-fi genre.
Besides the conceptual plots, science fiction storylines explore the collective response of the human race to a crisis, the future hopes, and a never-ending desire to preserve and conquer whatever comes in their way, be it, aliens, zombies, or doomsday!
Creativity and science go hand in hand and it has been the fuel of scientific advancements and exceptional Sci-fi literature from the dawn of civilization.
Part of Popular Culture
Many scholars of the science genre believe that the first piece of recorded fiction – the Epic of Gilgamesh – was also the first work of science fiction. Others believe that sci-fi became a legitimate genre of fiction during the late 16th and 17th century with the emergence of modern science.
People around the world celebrate science fiction in many ways. Generally, it isn’t celebrated on the same day. But people celebrate it once in a year. Basically, science fiction day is celebrated like a science fair in countries around the world. People (students of school and college) take part in the science fair.
