Saturday, 28 February 2026

Two Time Charts

Robert Heinlein's Future History Chart has six headings:

DATES (1951-2600)
STORIES
CHARACTERS 
TECHNICAL DATA
SOCIOLOGICAL
REMARKS

Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History Chart (not called that yet) has five headings:

Date (1950-2190, but stories not listed here go to 3175)
Story
Events
Technology
Sociology

Technical/Technological Similarities
Heinlein: sun-power screens; psychosomatics; synthetic foods; weather control; the "Barrier."

Anderson: sun-power; psychometrics and psychodynamics; food synthesis; air transformation; molar potential barrier.

New weapons in both.

New Means of Travel
Heinlein: mechanized roads. Anderson: flying homes.

Sociological
In both, "religious fanaticism." In Heinlein, this becomes "New Crusade" and "religious dictatorship" whereas Anderson later has a pancosmic religion.

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