One of the first time travel stories recorded appears in a Hindi epic written in 400 BCE. However, the idea of time travel didn’t gain commercial popularity until 1895 when H.G. Wells wrote The Time Machine. Today, time travel is a widely recognized concept in philosophy, physics and fiction. Scientists even say that time travel is possible — they just haven’t discovered the secret to achieving it yet.
Having the ability to go to a specific time to fix supposed mistakes or to see how your life turns out is something that we have all wished we could do at one time or another. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the concept has captured the imagination of people all over the world. Depictions of time travel are found in many popular novels, television shows and movies with more being produced every day.
Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day is observed annually on December 8. This is a time for fellow time travel enthusiasts to travel to the past or future while still enjoying the comforts of the 21st century. You can honor this day by dressing, talking and acting like someone from another time. The whole point is to be creative and just enjoy the day. While the origins of the holiday are unknown — who knows, maybe someone traveled back in time to add this day to the calendar — it’s been in existence since 2007.
The next best thing to actually going back (or forward) in time, is reading or watching someone else do it. Head to your local branch and check out the following books and movies full of time traveling characters.
