Oftentimes when we think of inventors, we think of scientists, laboratories, and experiments. But before an invention can be tested and manufactured, it must first exist as an idea. Coming up with this idea requires wisdom and imagination. Sometimes the first step of invention is simply putting pen to paper or typing a few inspired notes on a computer. Thus, many inventions take shape not in a laboratory but in the pages of a book. Indeed, it’s a fact that many modern inventions exist in science-fiction books long before they exist in reality.
Yes, it’s true: from scuba diving to outer-space satellites, many of today’s scientific marvels first exist in made-up stories. Take the example of the Kindle. No one had ever seen an electronic book reader like the Kindle before it was invented in 2007. However, at least one person imagined it way back in 1961. That person was Stanislaw Lem, a famous Polish science-fiction writer.
Lem wrote a book in 1961 called Return from the Stars. The book tells the story of an astronaut who, upon returning from an outer-space voyage, finds that life on Earth has changed. One thing he notices is that books no longer exist. Instead, people read what he calls “optons,” or “crystals with recorded contents.”
Though Lem was wrong about the disappearance of books, he was right about “optons.” Today, Kindles and other e-book readers are more popular than ever. In fact, some might say that Lem is the true inventor of the Kindle. Unfortunately, Lem died in 2006. Thus, he was never able to see his inspired idea become a reality.
2
Based upon the article, what is a reasonable conclusion the reader could make about Stanislaw Lem?
A.
Lem stole the idea of the Kindle from someone else.
B.
Lem lacked the money to manufacture the Kindle.
C.
Lem had enough imagination to be an inventor.
D.
Lem worked both as a scientist and a writer.