In 1610, Galileo made observations about the Moon and Earth through his telescope, hinting at the possibility of lunar life. Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus also speculated about habitable worlds in space. H.G. Wells’s 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds, sparked interest in alien encounters. In 1887, J. H. Rosny Aîné wrote about a battle between tribes and alien life forms. Speculation about Mars having canals led to wild theories about extraterrestrial life.
Hugo Gernsback launched Amazing Stories in 1926, featuring tales of alien life. NASA’s SETI program in the 1960s focused on searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. Orson Welles’s 1938 broadcast based on The War of the Worlds caused hysteria. In 1929, the Hooker Telescope revealed details of the lunar surface, leading to speculations about lunar life forms.
Popular Science writers in 1929 and 1930 speculated about lunar crabs and giant beavers on the moon and Mars. Stanley G. Weinbaum’s 1934 story depicted bird-like Martians. Gray aliens became a common form in science fiction in the 1950s, associated with abductions. Arthur C. Clarke’s 1968 novel and Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey featured advanced alien beings. Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien introduced the terrifying Xenomorphs.
These highlights from the past century show our fascination with imagining what extraterrestrial life might look like. As we continue to explore the cosmos, the possibility of encountering intelligent alien beings remains a subject of intrigue and speculation.
