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Werner von Braun called the guy, the “Elon” before the trillionaire was a twinkle in his daddy’s eye…
In 1953, former NAZI, Project PAPERCLIP import, and father of the V-2 and Saturn-V rockets, Dr. Werner von Braun, published Project Mars, a science fiction novel to generate interest in rocketry and manned space exploration. Von Braun's book also mentioned the name of the man who would lead a 10-person "Kabinett" to administer Mars. Coincidentally or not, Von Braun named the fellow, Elon.
PDF to same.
This really, really bugs me.
An excellent article from The Debrief:
Did Wernher von Braun Actually Predict Elon Musk Would Rule Mars Over 70 Years Ago?
by Tim McMillan
The Debrief, January 28, 2025
In the annals of space exploration history, a curious coincidence recently captured the imagination of science enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike.
On January 27, a social media claim went viral, alleging that Wernher von Braun, the famed German-American rocket scientist, had predicted a leader named “Elon” would guide humanity’s colonization of Mars. This claim originates from a passage in The Mars Project, an obscure science fiction book by von Braun in 1948.
Snip...
However, a closer examination of the facts—and the historical context surrounding von Braun’s work—potentially offers a more nuanced and ultimately less mystical explanation for the bizarre coincidence.
Snip...
In the text, von Braun envisions a Martian society with a political structure akin to a technocracy. The leader of this society is referred to as “Elon,“ a title rather than a proper name.
“The government of Mars consisted of ten men. At its head was a governor elected by the general population for five years at a time, whom the Martians called the ‘Elon,‘” von Braun wrote.
Why von Braun chose the name “Elon“ for the leader of the Martian colony in The Mars Project remains a subject of speculation. One plausible explanation is that von Braun, who was once a member of the Nazi Party and came to America through Operation Paperclip, likely deliberately avoided German words commonly associated with leadership titles, such as Führer, due to their apparent connections to Adolf Hitler.
Continues...
https://thedebrief.org/did-wernher-von-braun-actually-predict-elon-musk-would-rule-mars-over-70-years-ago/
Some passages seem to have struck and stuck.
A self-fulfilling wannabe Martian dictator leader displays a traditional fascist gesture of salutation on behalf of a client.
PS: Heinlein’s “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag” may be what reality itself consists of.
In 1953, former NAZI, Project PAPERCLIP import, and father of the V-2 and Saturn-V rockets, Dr. Werner von Braun, published Project Mars, a science fiction novel to generate interest in rocketry and manned space exploration. Von Braun's book also mentioned the name of the man who would lead a 10-person "Kabinett" to administer Mars. Coincidentally or not, Von Braun named the fellow, Elon.
PDF to same.
This really, really bugs me.
An excellent article from The Debrief:
Did Wernher von Braun Actually Predict Elon Musk Would Rule Mars Over 70 Years Ago?
by Tim McMillan
The Debrief, January 28, 2025
In the annals of space exploration history, a curious coincidence recently captured the imagination of science enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike.
On January 27, a social media claim went viral, alleging that Wernher von Braun, the famed German-American rocket scientist, had predicted a leader named “Elon” would guide humanity’s colonization of Mars. This claim originates from a passage in The Mars Project, an obscure science fiction book by von Braun in 1948.
Snip...
However, a closer examination of the facts—and the historical context surrounding von Braun’s work—potentially offers a more nuanced and ultimately less mystical explanation for the bizarre coincidence.
Snip...
In the text, von Braun envisions a Martian society with a political structure akin to a technocracy. The leader of this society is referred to as “Elon,“ a title rather than a proper name.
“The government of Mars consisted of ten men. At its head was a governor elected by the general population for five years at a time, whom the Martians called the ‘Elon,‘” von Braun wrote.
Why von Braun chose the name “Elon“ for the leader of the Martian colony in The Mars Project remains a subject of speculation. One plausible explanation is that von Braun, who was once a member of the Nazi Party and came to America through Operation Paperclip, likely deliberately avoided German words commonly associated with leadership titles, such as Führer, due to their apparent connections to Adolf Hitler.
Continues...
https://thedebrief.org/did-wernher-von-braun-actually-predict-elon-musk-would-rule-mars-over-70-years-ago/
Some passages seem to have struck and stuck.
A self-fulfilling wannabe Martian dictator leader displays a traditional fascist gesture of salutation on behalf of a client.
PS: Heinlein’s “The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag” may be what reality itself consists of.
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