Time Travel audiobook cover - A History

Time Travel

A History

James Gleick

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Categories:
ScienceTechnology & the Future

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Time Travel
Origins & History+
Fictional Rules & Dilemmas+
Science & Philosophy+
Paradoxes & Physics+
Everyday Time Travel+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6
Why did the concept of time travel only capture society's imagination at the end of the nineteenth century?
  • A. Ancient texts containing prophecies were finally translated for the general public.
  • B. Rapid technological and scientific growth made the future seem distinctly different from the present for the first time.
  • C. Albert Einstein's discovery of relativity made people realize time was not a constant, one-way street.
  • D. Pulp magazines began paying writers large sums for fictional stories about alternative timelines.
Question 2 of 6
How did early science fiction writers in pulp magazines resolve the theoretical problem of meeting oneself in the future?
  • A. By establishing that the time traveler would remain invisible to their future self.
  • B. By deciding that any encounter with a future self would instantly erase the traveler's memory.
  • C. By proposing that meeting a future self would cause a fatal tear in the space-time continuum.
  • D. By concluding that each 'self' encountered in a different time period is a completely distinct entity.
Question 3 of 6
How did Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity alter the scientific understanding of time?
  • A. It proved that time moves in a constant, universal loop.
  • B. It suggested that time is relative and moves slower the faster you travel.
  • C. It demonstrated that time travel backward is mathematically impossible.
  • D. It introduced the concept of the multiverse and infinite parallel timelines.
Question 4 of 6
What reasoning did Stephen Hawking use to express his skepticism about the reality of time travel?
  • A. The butterfly effect guarantees that the universe would have already been destroyed by a time traveler.
  • B. The grandfather paradox creates a mathematical impossibility that prevents backward time travel.
  • C. If time travel were possible, we would already be surrounded by tourists from the future.
  • D. Human memory is too flawed to survive the psychological effects of a closed timelike curve.
Question 5 of 6
According to the book, how has cyberspace and the internet transformed our everyday experience of 'time travel'?
  • A. It allows us to halt time, alter our past by editing digital footprints, and plan for a seemingly immortal digital future.
  • B. It provides highly accurate virtual reality simulations that can predict future historical events.
  • C. It proves the multiverse theory by connecting millions of different user perspectives simultaneously.
  • D. It completely disconnects us from the past, focusing society entirely on instantaneous present moments.
Question 6 of 6
How has the cultural desire regarding time travel shifted from the late nineteenth century to today?
  • A. People in the past wanted to change their personal mistakes, while today people want to observe historical events.
  • B. Early time travel enthusiasts primarily wanted to visit the future, whereas modern culture often focuses on returning to the past.
  • C. Nineteenth-century readers wanted to explore alternative universes, while modern readers prefer realistic future prophecies.
  • D. The focus has shifted from traveling via machines to traveling exclusively through the human mind.

Time Travel — Full Chapter Overview

Time Travel Summary & Overview

Time Travel (2016) details the history of a captivating concept. These blinks explain how the idea of time travel came into the popular consciousness, what problems the theory presents and how you might already be time traveling without even knowing it.

Who Should Listen to Time Travel?

  • Anyone who has ever wanted to travel through time
  • Students of physics
  • Lovers of science fiction

About the Author: James Gleick

James Gleick has written a range of books on the history of science and scientific thinking that cover chaos theory and the lives of prominent figures.

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