Born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866, Herbert George Wells is best known for his legendary sci-fi novels, including The War of the Worlds and Time Machine, which earned him the nickname ‘the Shakespeare of science fiction’.
One of the most prominent futurists Britain has ever seen, he foresaw the advent of many things which would go on to change the world, including space travel, nuclear weapons, satellite television and something resembling the World Wide Web.
But as well as his fiction, which tackled topics such as time travel and alien invasion, he was also well-known for being a social critic.
Born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866, Herbert George Wells is best known for his legendary sci-fi novels, including The War of the Worlds and Time Machine, which earned him the nickname ‘the Shakespeare of science fiction’
An outspoken socialist and pacifist, his later works became more political and he began to describe himself more as a journalist than an author.
He also co-founded The Diabetic Association charity, known today as Diabetes UK and worked as a teacher.
Wells married his cousin, Isabel, in 1891 but the couple separated when he fell in love with one of his students, Amy Robbins.
They then moved to Woking in Surrey, where the author was arguably at his most creative and productive, planning and writing The War of the Worlds, which has since been commemorated in the town with a martian statue.
Despite his relationship, he was believed to have had many mistresses before moving to Hannover Terrace in London, where he lived until his death of unspecified causes in 1946, aged 79.
It was in Woking, Surrey, where the author was arguably at his most creative and productive, planning and writing The War of the Worlds, which has since been commemorated in the town with a martian statue