John Jacob Astor (John Jacob Astor)

(July 13, 1864 - April 15, 1912)
If it is true that everyone pays for his faith, the soul of the brave Colonel John Jacob Astor must now dwell on Saturn ...
Perhaps the most ambitious vision for the future dropped in the late nineteenth century John Jacob Astor (John Jacob Astor, 1864-1912). His novel "Journey to other worlds" ( "A Journey in Other Worlds: A Romance of the Future"), . appeared in 1894, . was written under the obvious influence of Percy Greg (Astor, . example, . He borrowed the term "apergiya), . but the action of the book firmly attributed to the future - for a hundred years ahead,
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Earth in 2000 appears to the reader a fantastic and beautiful world. Sea furrowed her mechanical "skaters" on an air cushion, hovering in the sky maholety to "apergicheskoy" draft, and the hero travels the country on an electric phaeton. Active Alignment grandiose project of the Earth's axis - more precisely, to reduce its inclination to the ecliptic plane, from 23 to 11 degrees, which would make seasonal changes in climate are not so pronounced ...
The political world order, however, is far from completely around: while the American continent, from Canada to the north to Cape Horn in the south, and gradually merged into the United States of the Americas, Eurasia, continued strife-torn. "Cold War" between Russia, France and Germany dragged on; cunning Brits did not fail to take advantage of the weakening of their continental opponents and the spread of colonial influence throughout Africa and Asia.
Ship heroes of the novel, "Callisto", was sent to "apergicheskoy" traction beyond the Solar System, but first makes a stop in Jupiter, then Saturn. On Jupiter, characters in the book reveal almost the Garden of Eden, awaiting the appearance of his Adam and Eve, but on Saturn, on the contrary, it is possible to speak with the souls of the righteous dead earth. The author points out in the introduction, that "science has become the main, after religion, the hope for mankind", and this idea he has consistently pursued through the whole novel ...
While the contribution of Astor in fantasy limited only to this book, his biography is worthy to dwell on it more.
John Jacob Astor was the fourth hereditary millionaire. His great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor first, are among the most well-known industrialists in American history: in the late eighteenth century, he made a huge fortune in the fur trade. His great-grandson was born July 13, 1864 in the family home in the town Rinebek New York State. After Harvard, he went in 1888 to travel and returned to the States after three years in order to take the reins of management of family capital. In addition to literary works, Astor also keen inventor. With Edison in this field, he certainly never reached, but his inventive account the useful thing, like a bicycle brake (patent is registered to his name in 1898). In addition, he participated in the creation of turboprop engine and pneumatic road CRUSHERS.

In 1897, inspired by the example of his cousin, William Waldorf Astor, who built a New York hotel, John Jacob Astor invested in the construction of another luxury hotel. Standing close to the case have a common name, which was destined to become famous throughout the world - the Waldorf-Astoria. At that time, it was the largest hotel complex in the world. Subsequently Astor also built hotels, St. Regis and Knickerbocker ".
During the Spanish-American War Astor gave his personal yacht Nurmakhan "for the needs of the American government, as well as completely outfitted at his own expense a battery of mountain artillery. He himself did not intend to sit in the rear, and in 1898 received the rank of colonel in the volunteer battalion.
Since 1891, Astor was married to Ava Uilling, and they had a son and daughter. However, in 1909, Astor suddenly filed for divorce, and in 1911 married with an eighteen Madeleine Force (Son of Astor, Wilma Vincent, was a year older than her). Public opinion is met with a muffled grunt of this marriage, and the couple chose to go overseas, to give the noise die down. They traveled to Egypt, lived in Paris, and decided to return to New York only when Madeleine was already in the fifth month of pregnancy.
In April 1912, Astors and their servants (when John was a waiter at La Madeleine - a maid and a nurse) took two first-class cabin on the Titanic ".
... Immediately after the fatal blow Astor left the cabin to find out what happened, and almost immediately returned with the message that the ship collided with ice. The incident, he said, was not dangerous. However, over time, first-class passengers were asked to rise from the cabins on the promenade deck. Astors settled among the sporting equipment on the gym floor. John was unmoved, he showed no concern, even when the passengers began to take seats in the boats - he believed that the huge deck liner is much safer than the overloaded lifeboat. At a quarter to two in the morning on the deck appeared mate Charles Laytoller, who ordered the lower the boats, and only after that Astor helped his wife, her maid and nurse to get through the porthole is closed promenade deck of the boat N 4. He said Laytolleru that Madeleine "in a delicate situation," and asked him whether he could join her. Laytoller replied that the men should remain on deck until all the women do not sit in the boat. Astor nodded, stepped aside, and all the remaining time quietly watching from afar the attempts by passengers into the water others boats.
His body was lifted from the water April 22 - exactly one week after the disaster.
Madeline and the other passengers lifeboat N 4 remained alive. At La Madeleine in August, a son, who at the baptism was named in honor of his father - John Jacob Astor Fifth. For Russia the reader would find it interesting that Astor's daughter from his first marriage, Ava Alice Muriel Astor, later became the Princess Obolensky, the wife of an officer of the White Guard of Prince Sergei Obolensky.
If it is true that everyone pays for his faith, the soul of the brave Colonel John Jacob Astor must now dwell on Saturn ...