In fiction, the planet Mars, fourth from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in at least 5,000 works, portrayed differently as planetary science has advanced. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as it became clear there is no life on the Moon. Mars then was a setting for utopian fiction. The War of the Worlds (1897), H. G. Wells's novel about an invasion of Earth by sinister Martians, had a major influence on science fiction. After 1900, life on Mars was often depicted as decadent, as in Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series. Exotic life appeared in stories like Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey". Later in the 20th century, Mars colonization became a popular theme, as it became clear Mars is lifeless, though some works, like Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, feature native life. Terraforming Mars became a major theme in works like Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, and some works depict an initial expedition to the planet.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_in_fiction

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1888:

The body of Mary Ann Nichols, the alleged first victim of an unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper (depicted), was found in Buck's Row, London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper

1942:

The Matagorda hurricane, the most intense and costliest tropical cyclone of the 1942 Atlantic hurricane season, dissipated after causing $26.5 million in damages and eight deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1942_Matagorda_hurricane

1969:

On the final day of the Isle of Wight Festival 1969, an event attended by approximately 150,000 people over three days, Bob Dylan appeared in his first gig in three years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Wight_Festival_1969

2019:

A sightseeing helicopter crashed in the mountains of Skoddevarre in Alta, Norway, killing all six people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Alta_helicopter_crash

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

kampung: 1. (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) A traditional village. 2. (Singapore) A district or suburb where a former village once stood. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kampung

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The real story can never be told. It is untellable. The real (as real) is inaccessible, being gone in time. There is no point in glancing at the past, in summoning it up, in re-examining it, except on behalf of art — that is, the meaningful-real.   --William Saroyan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Saroyan