Happy Science Fiction Day!

Science Fiction Day, January 2, is the date that was chosen to correspond with the official birth date of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, born January 2nd, 1920. Asimov was responsible for some incredible works of science fiction literature such as Nightfall and the Foundation Trilogy.

Isaac Asimov (born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov; circa January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992)

January 2, is also the birth date of Charles Beaumont, born January 2, 1929. Today marks the 90th anniversary of Beaumont’s birth. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone episodes, such as “The Howling Man“, “Miniature“, “Printer’s Devil“, and “Number Twelve Looks Just Like You“, but also penned the screenplays for several films, among them 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, The Intruder, and The Masque of the Red Death. Novelist Dean Koontz has said, “Charles Beaumont was one of the seminal influences on writers of the fantastic and macabre.” Beaumont is also the subject of the documentary, Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man, by writer and filmmaker Jason V Brock.

Beaumont, Asimov, and the history of Science Fiction and Fandom are also prevalent topics in The Ackermonster Chronicles! (a 2012 documentary about Forrest J Ackerman), also by Jason V Brock.  The documentary is especially relevant since 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing (July 20, 1969); Forry speaks about “vindication!” when man landed on the moon for all the sci-fi believers who knew it would happen some day.