Back in the 1940s, Robert A. Heinlein, the "Dean of American science fiction writers," put together an outline of American history for the next two hundred years.  It was basically a framework on which to hang a number of related short stories and novels utilizing the same background.  This "Future History" series, after being completed, was published in a single volume a quarter-century later as The Past through Tomorrow. A number of commentators, beginning with the critic Algis Budrys, have noted some remarkable congruences with actual events.  From the vantage point of 1940, Heinlein predicted a social upheaval during the '60s (which he called the "Crazy Years"), the rise of the religious right a few years later, and the effective abandonment of the space program, with private entrepreneurs taking over leadership in manned space travel in the 21st century, just to mention just a few points. But there...(Read Full Post)