February 8th: Jules Verne Birthday

Jules Verne, French writer born 8 February 1828, author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Around the World in 80 Days. Here are 10 things you may not know about Jules Verne:

1. Jules Verne is the second most translated author in the world since 1979, below Agatha Christie and above Shakespeare.
2. His teacher at boarding school was the widow of a naval captain who told her students her husband had been cast away on a desert island. It is thought her tales awoke his passion for travel.
3. Legend has it that Jules Verne tried to run away to sea at 11, but was caught by his father just before ship sailed, sent home, and made to promise any future travels would be imaginary!
4. As a young man he belonged to a dining club called Eleven Bachelors, who continued to meet long after all 11 had got married.
5. First published novel: Five weeks in a Balloon. However, there is no balloon in Around the World in 80 Days, although one is shown in the film adaptation.
6. Captain Nemo was intended to be a Polish scientist whose family had been killed by the Russians, but Verne's publisher strongly disagreed because he did not want to alienate the Russian market. Verne, in turn, did not want to follow the publisher's suggestion of an anti-slavery campaigner, so as a compromise, the Captain's past was left vague.
7. Verne has a crater on the far side of the Moon named after him.
8. Jules Verne has been credited with predicting television, films, the atomic bomb, computers and the internet, but none of these things appeared in any of his books.
9. He gave up a career in law in order to write.
10. He travelled extensively and eventually bought himself his own ship, the Saint-Michel, and as he grew richer, he upgraded to the Saint Michel II and then Saint Michel III.