Well’s novel, apart from being the product of an agile mind, was influenced by some of the popular astronomical ideas of his time. Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli produced, in 1888 a wonderfully detailed map of Mars showing (above image), among features such as seas, islands, and other landmasses, a network of ‘canali’, or channels. Canali was misinterpreted in English as canals, and along with all its connotations of intelligent life, the idea of Martian canals entered popular belief. Continue reading
A Watery Mars; Canals, a duped radio audience, and geological excursions
2 Replies