The Dean of Science Fiction Trivia Quiz

Answer: Anson

Robert was born in July 1907, in Butler, Missouri, and raised in Kansas City. Both these places feature often in his works, especially in "To Sail Beyond the Sunset", first published in 1987. This was the last of his novels to be published during his lifetime, as he died in May 1988.

Answer: Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov

Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov all wrote 'hard sci-fi'; their engineering and science was 'real' in that they followed the principles known at the time of writing, and made their work plausible and more realistic and believable because of this attention to practical detail.

Many of the things they wrote later came about, and it was Heinlein who coined the term 'waldoes' for any precision piece of machinery used to manipulate small parts.

Answer: John W. Campbell

It was under Campbell's wing that Heinlein, and several other important sci-fi authors sold their first work, and the period when he was the editor of "Astounding" has since been called "The Golden Age of science fiction."
The first story of Heinlein's to appear in the magazine was "Life Line."

Answer: He had tuberculosis

Heinlein graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant, before he was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, and had to leave the service.
It was Heinlein's invention of the water bed during his convalescence from tuberculosis, and his writing them into his novels, that meant they could not be patented by anyone else when they became popular in the US from the 1960s onwards.

Answer: Willa-Jane Tannhauser

Eleanor was his first wife, and they divorced after only a year of marriage. His second marriage, to Leslyn, lasted from 1932 to 1947, also ending in divorce.
He married Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein in 1948, and they were together until his death in 1988.

Answer: Saturday Evening Post

The story was "The Green Hills of Earth", and it is acknowledged as the first time a science fiction author "broke out" into the mainstream in the US.
The "Saturday Evening Post" can trace its roots back to 1797, and became the best selling publication in the United States. By the 1960s it was in decline, but is still published every second month.

Answer: Destination Moon

"Destination Moon" won the Oscar for Best Special Effects. It was directed by George Pal of "When Worlds Collide" fame, and as well as writing the novella, Heinlein was a technical adviser during the making of the film. It is famous for the attention to technical detail, and the realism of the 'space scenes'.

Answer: Carotid artery bypass

One of the first operations of its type, the bypass gave Robert a 'new lease of life' after he had suffered ill health for years. He went on to write five more books before he died, in his sleep, in 1988.

Answer: Beneficial spin-offs of the space programme

Heinlein gave his opinions and presented evidence on the benefits that had arisen for older people and the disabled from the space programme. This followed his own 'literary science' and his continued interest in engineering.

Answer: McHenry Library

Named for the founding Dean of the university, the McHenry Library is part of the University of California in Santa Cruz. It is also home to the archival collection of the rock band The Grateful Dead.