2. Jules Verne
Jules Verne was a French writer and an important pioneer in sci-fi genre. His classic novels are Around the World in 80 Days, A Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Jules predicted that underwater, air and space travel will become practical means of transportation in the future. After Agatha Christie, his books are the most translated in the literary world. In 1989, his great-grandson discovered an unpublished manuscript in a safe called “Paris in 20th Century” which illustrates a world with gas-powered carts, high-speed trains, glass skyscrapers, calculators and even a worldwide information network.