A legendary scientist Wernher von Braun may have predicted in his 1952 science fiction novel that the name "Elon" would rule over planet Mars.
Wernher von Braun May Have Predicted Elon Would Conquer Mars
Dr. Wernher von Braun, the German rocket scientist who went from designing Nazi missiles to assisting the United States in getting NASA off the ground, wrote a book in the years after WWII speculating about life on Mars — and how human civilization will be led by an "Elon," according to a published article in Fox News.
Dr. von Braun may have predicted this in his 1952 science fiction novel titled "Project Mars." Even though the book was written 70 years ago, it became trending on social media last week, according to a published article in the New York Post.
Moreover, Von Braun was a key figure in the advancement of rocket science. The book portrays a Martian government headed by ten men who report to a chief "elected by universal suffrage for five years under the name or title of Elon."
What is Project Mars?
The book titled "Project Mars" is a space fantasy about a mission to planet Mars, according to a published report in CNET. In the book, Von Braun imagined a representative democracy on Mars, with a president-like king known as Elon.
Von Braun wrote in his book "The Martian government was directed by ten men, the leader of whom was elected by universal suffrage for five years and entitled 'Elon.' Two houses of Parliament enacted the laws to be administered by Elon and his cabinet."
In his fictitious nation, the upper legislature consists of 60 people chosen for life terms by Elon, and they can vote yes or no on legislation but cannot amend or change it in any way. The lower house is elected, not by country, but by occupation.
Speaking about destiny, did you know that Von Braun's 1953 book "Mars Project," referenced a person named Elon that would bring humans to Mars? Pretty nuts pic.twitter.com/m28yFU4Ip6
— Toby Li (@tobyliiiiiiiiii) December 30, 2020
He clarified that this was due to transportation infrastructure making the entire globe accessible in four hours and Martians having made racial discrimination, nationalism, and "local patriotism" redundant.
Elon Musk's Reaction
An article contributor from CNET discussed the name "Elon" in the book "Planet Mars." However, it only gained more attention in December 2020 when reporter Toby Li tweeted about this passage from the book.
Elon Musk responded and tweeted, "Are we sure this is real?" He also added, "Destiny. destiny. No escaping that for me."
Just last month, Elon Musk has jokingly declared himself as the "Imperator of Mars" on his Twitter bio.
On the other hand, one Twitter user said that the name "Elon" in the book does not refer to a person, but rather, it was a term used to reference the name of the position like an elected meritocratic president.
This could also be a coincidence as according to the baby-name site Nameberry, the name "Elon" means "oak tree in Hebrew," It was also mentioned on the page that "Before Musk arrived on the scene, Elon was the name of a Biblical judge."
