What is Sci-Fi Squared?

Each year we have different programs and events at the Square, and this year we decided to bring them together under an overarching theme, allowing us and our visitors to more fully explore a topic throughout the year.

This year, our theme is Science Fiction at Heritage Square, or Sci-Fi Squared, and we are excited to discover more about it with you!

When you visit Heritage Square, be sure to check out our electrifying exhibit about electricity and Sci-Fi in the Visitor Center. What you learn may shock you!

Sci-Fi History

How far back does Science Fiction go? Though the term Science Fiction was popularized in the 1920s, people have been writing stories that would fall under that genre of fiction for at least a couple thousand years. Victorian Era writers in particular produced Science Fiction novels like Frankenstein, From the Earth to the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Time Machine, and many more.

Learn more about the history of Science Fiction, and how science and literature are connected, by reading our September 2023 blog article, Science & Science Fiction. Learn about the connection between science fiction and the Industrial Revolution by reading our January 2024 blog article.

The First Sci-Fi Film

This September is the 121st anniversary of the first Science Fiction film ever made – Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), directed by Georges Méliès in 1902.

At 14 minutes long, this silent film shows a group of scientists traveling to the moon in a cannon shell, much like the characters did in Jules Verne’s novels, From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Round the Moon (1869). Watch the film in its entirety below:

Downloads

You’ll find Sci-Fi themed kids’ coloring pages and activities here.

Coloring Pages

• • Astronaut
  • Atom
  • Beaker
  • Mad Scientist
  • Robot 1
  • Robot 2
  • UFO

Activity Sheets

• • Science Fiction Word Search
  • Robot Word Search
  • Frankenstein Maze
  • Outer Space Maze