Birthdays
Claudia Christian b. 1965 (Babylon 5)
Suzanne Collins b. 1962 (author, The Hunger Games)
Antonio Banderas b. 1960 (Spy Kids)
Jeff Corey b. 1914 died 16 August 2002 (Star Trek, Babylon 5)
For the past few weeks, I've been checking imdb.com before posting my list of birthdays each day. I've done some research but I still miss people. Today's addition from the big website is Jeff Corey, an actor with a long career who had guest roles on Star Trek and Babylon 5.
Many happy returns of the day to the living.
Prediction: The Third World War will start in August 1985 between the forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
Predictor: General Sir John Hackett and others, The Third World War August 1985, published 1978
Reality: I borrow from Paul Brians, the scholar who has done a very thorough job of cataloging fictional accounts of nuclear war.
"This nearly unreadable exercise in war-gaming by a group of professional military men, warning of Soviet aggression, is one long editorial for military preparedness. It assumes a conventional war beginning in Europe in August of 1985 which ultimately escalates to a limited nuclear exchange... An interesting article discussing President Reagan's enthusiasm for this book appeared in the October 27, 1984, issue of The Nation."
High ranking military men writing fiction about coming wars usually are lobbying for keeping their cushy jobs. The only one who really hit the nail on the head is General Billy Mitchell in 1924, predicting a Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor, likely launched on a Sunday. I haven't found any other predictions as canny as that.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
An exact date from Robert A. Heinlein. He doesn't get it right, but I'm going to argue that this belongs to Sensible Bob instead of Ridiculous Bob.
Join us then...IN THE FUTURE!
