Robert A. Heinlein Trivia

1. "The Roads Must Roll" is a 1940 short story by Robert A. Heinlein that takes place around 1970. In the story, what means of transportation has taken the place of the automobile for many commuters?

From Quiz Future History III: "The Roads Must Roll"

Answer: High-speed moving walkways

In "The Roads Must Roll", high-speed moving walkways are indeed used by commuters, with the walkways moving at speeds as high as 100 miles per hour. Flying cars, rocket propulsion, and space ships do not occur until later in the Future History Series. Interestingly, according to the final Future History chart produced by Heinlein, the story "Word Edgewise", which was never written, takes place in 1960 between "Let There Be Light" and "The Roads Must Roll".

From Quiz Future History II: "Let There Be Light"

Answer: The Man Who Sold the Moon

Rated by many as one of the best Science Fiction books of 1950, "The Man Who Sold The Moon" contained a number of stories from the Future History collection, including the title story ("The Man Who Sold The Moon"), "Let There Be Light", "The Roads Must Roll", and "Life-Line", the subject of my first Future History quiz. "Let There Be Light" was originally published in 1940 in the magazine "Super Science Stories". In the magazine version, Heinlein used the pseudonym Lyle Monroe.

From Quiz Robert Heinlein's Future History I: "Life-Line"

Answer: The Academy of Science

The Academy of Science is questioning (and for the most part blindly discrediting) Pinero for his wild claims. It is implied that Amalgamated Life Insurance is responsible for this invitation to be ridiculed, but no official representative individual was present. The Inquisition does not truly come into play in Heinlein's future histories until the novel "If This Goes On-", which takes place many years later.

From Quiz A Martian Named Smith

Answer: 1991

The working title for the book was "A Martian Named Smith". Heinlein once gave a speech at a science fiction convention that concluded with "besides who ever heard of a Martian named Smith?"

From Quiz Robert Heinlein's Juveniles

Answer: Rocket Ship Galileo

"Rocket Ship Galileo" (1947) may be the weakest of his novels for juveniles, and the Nazi bit reads a little old today. However, this book shows his early ability to focus on science and a step-by-step plausible (for his day) plot. It is a fun yarn. Interestingly, this novel was supposedly rejected for the crazy idea of going to the moon.

From Quiz Weddings in Heinlein

Answer: Wyoming Knott

First published in 1966, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" introduced the sentient 'computer person' Mycroft Holmes, known as Mike. It is also the novel in which Heinlein coined the phrase TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

From Quiz Double Star

Answer: Lawrence Smythe

Bonforte is due to be adopted into the most prestigious family nest on Mars. If he does not show up for the ceremony, years of trust and co-operation between humans and Martians will all have been for nothing, and there may even be a war between the races.

From Quiz Robert A. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers"

Answer: Filipino

Rico and a fellow trooper are loosely discussing history when he makes a comment in his native tongue. Rico explains that he has just spoken Tagalog, the language of Philippine Islanders.

From Quiz Heinlein Short Stories - First Lines

Answer: And he Built a Crooked House

"And he Built a Crooked House" was first published in "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine, in February 1941. It also appeared in the collection "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag" published in 1959. It is set in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, California, where apparently they "keep the violent cases"...

From Quiz Tunnel In The Sky

Answer: Patrick Henry High

Rod is taking the Advanced Survival course in High School even though he could graduate without it as it is technically a College course. He wants to work for the Colonial Service, leading expeditions of settlers to new planets as they are opened up for colonisation.

From Quiz Orphans of the Sky

Answer: 2119

The Proxima Centauri Expedition was sponsored by the Jordan Foundation, and was a massive colony ship designed to spend several generations en route to a new world suitable for colonisation.

From Quiz "Farmer in the Sky" by Robert A Heinlein

Answer: Stand tall Billy.

Bill's mother Jane died some years before the story opens, but he always tries to do what he feels she would have wanted him to do.

From Quiz Have Spacesuit - Will Travel

Answer: Skyway soap

Kip had sent in an entry with the winning slogan on it but someone else's entry arrived before his. As a consolation prize he was sent an authentic spacesuit made by Goodyear and used in the building of a space station.

From Quiz The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

Answer: Tolliver

"Tolliver must die by noon Sunday or we'll all be dead!"

From Quiz "The Number of the Beast"

Answer: Zebadiah John Carter

Zebidiah John Carter, owner of Gay Deceiver. Master swordsman, master pilot.

From Quiz Stranger in a Strange Land

Answer: Valentine Michael Smith

From Quiz Robert Heinlein's Future History I: "Life-Line"

Answer: When a person will die

The machine would accurately predict when a person would die, and as such Professor Pinero became an instant enemy of the life insurance industry, which tried to stop him from profiting from the device. Interestingly, in another much later Future History story, the novel "Methuselah's Children", Lazarus Long explains how he had gone to see Professor Pinero for his services, only to be told that the machine was apparently malfunctioning. I will not ruin that novel for you, so if you do not understand why this is interesting, it is time to pick up the book!

From Quiz A Martian Named Smith

Answer: The Police

"Friends" was written by Andy Summers and released on the B-side of "Don't Stand So Close to Me".

From Quiz Robert Heinlein's Juveniles

Answer: Red Planet

Not to be confused with the 2000 movie of the same name, "Red Planet" (1949) was Heinlein's third juvenile novel. It involves some of the themes that Heinlein liked to focus upon, including gun rights, government interference, revolution, and possibly his original version of Mars for his later novel "Stranger In a Strange Land". One of his better efforts, it shows a Mars that is slowly dying but still has some oxygen, Martians, plant life, and canals. A new revised version of "Red Planet" was released after Heinlein's death in order to put out a version that was closer to Heinlein's original intentions. The publishing house Scribner had an editor named Alice Dalgliesh who battled with Heinlein about the content of his novels. You can read more about these battles in the book "Grumbles from the Grave."

From Quiz Weddings in Heinlein

Answer: Empress of the Universe

Oscar is hired as a Hero, to protect Star on her quest to retrieve a stolen "Soul Egg" containing the memories of one of the previous Emperors. You can read their adventures in "Glory Road" which was first published in 1963.

From Quiz Double Star

Answer: Dak Broadbent

Dak is at first reluctant to tell too many details of the job, but soon realises he can, and must, trust Smythe to do the right thing, and be able to carry off the impersonation of Bonforte.

From Quiz Robert A. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers"

Answer: Marauder

Powered armor gives the Mobile Infantry the ability to move faster, hit harder, and survive longer in environments that would kill the unprotected man. When you have spaceships that can traverse stellar distances in a lifetime it's really ignorant to equip your soldiers with Twentieth Century technology. Dragoon, Fusilier, and Guerrilla are not the names of armored suits.

From Quiz Heinlein Short Stories - First Lines

Answer: A Tenderfoot in Space

Also titled "Tenderfoot on Venus", this story was first published in "Boy's Life" May - July 1958, and in "Requiem", published in 1991.

From Quiz Tunnel In The Sky

Answer: "Baby Bunting" survival suit

Rod is in two minds but takes along his suit anyway. He plans that he can always dump it if it is unnecessary, even though he would be sorry to lose it. When he arrives and checks in, Deacon Matson says he will mail it home for Rod as he won't need it, except that he would have failed had he not brought it.

From Quiz Heinlein First Lines

Answer: Double Star

When the politician Bonforte is kidnapped just hours before the most important interplanetary treaty in history must be signed, an obscure actor is hired to step in and cover for him. The day, and the treaty with Mars, are saved, but when Bonforte is assassinated, the one week job becomes a lifetimes commitment for the Great Lorenzo. "Double Star" was serialised in "Astounding Science Fiction" in February, March and April 1956, and won a Hugo Award.

From Quiz Orphans of the Sky

Answer: Huff

'Huff' is the scariest thing the survivors know - he is the Devil, the bogeyman, and the thing that goes bump in the night to them. Over the years, as the story of the mutiny has become garbled, he has metamorphosed into an all powerful symbol of Evil.

From Quiz "Farmer in the Sky" by Robert A Heinlein

Answer: Mayflower

The Mayflower was originally built to be a 'long distance' ship heading out to distant stars. When a new drive system was invented she became obsolete and was commandeered to transport colonists to Ganymede.

From Quiz The Heinlein Juveniles

Answer: Starship Troopers

Juan Rico reluctantly joined the military in order to impress his classmate, Carmen Ibanez, who went on to become a starship pilot. During the course of his service he was promoted, demoted and promoted again, eventually commanding his own squad, Rico's Roughnecks. He also found out that his dad had joined the MI after Buenos Aires was destroyed by the Bugs in their first attack on Earth where his mother died.

From Quiz Robert A. Heinlein's "The Puppet Masters"

Answer: Tempus Fugit

Apparently a derivative of hashish, it is used to make your subjective time seem much longer than the real time around you. Sam would use these in order to make a 24 hour leave seem like a week. Although they aren't habit forming Sam does admit to liking the mild euphoria that is produced as a by-product.

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Last Updated Feb 22 2025 5:48 AM

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