How long does it take to go around the world?
It used to take years. But by the 1800s, technology let people travel faster. Jules Verne wrote a book about that. In his story, Phileas Fogg sets off from London, England. Fogg returns 80 days later. The book is Around the World in Eighty Days.
Verne wrote parts of the story in a newspaper in 1872. He published the on January 30, 1873. Verne was French. So, the title was Le tour du monde en 80 jours. People soon translated the text into English. They also turned it into plays, films, TV shows, and games.
Verne had written adventure books before. He published Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864. He also wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in 1870. Yet Around the World in Eighty Days became his most popular work. It is still one of the most famous books. And it’s now 150 years old.
In Verne’s tale, Fogg figures that a traveler could cross the planet in 80 days. Another character, Andrew Stuart, doesn’t believe that. “I’d like to see you do it in 80 days,” he tells Fogg. Fogg feels certain. The offers to make a bet. “Do you accept?” he asks. With the deal done, Fogg leaves at once. And he begins a great adventure in literature.
Fogg hires a servant named Passepartout. Together, they take a train through Europe. Then they sail on a steamboat to Egypt. The Suez Canal opened in 1869. That let ships pass from Europe to Asia without having to sail around Africa. Fogg rides into the Indian Ocean.
The travelers hop on a train in India. But there’s a problem. The railway isn’t done. So, Fogg buys an elephant. He climbs on top and marches through the forest. Soon they sail to Hong Kong and Japan. From there they take off across the Pacific Ocean.
Workers finished the railroad in 1869. That let people ride a train across America. Fogg and Passepartout do that. They go from San Francisco to New York in a week. From there, they sail home to England.
Readers loved Verne’s adventure. Phileas Fogg was fiction. But he inspired real journeys. One was from Nellie Bly. In 1889, she began her ’round-the-world trip. Bly completed it in 72 days.
Around the World in Eighty Days continues to inspire. Just ask Victor Vescovo. He has traveled to the North Pole, the South Pole, and the bottom of every ocean. “Verne didn’t use fantasy or magic,” said Vescovo. “He showed us something realistic but not yet done,” he explained. The explorer called that “his greatest gift.”
Updated January 27, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
