Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is a dystopian fiction novel by Ray Bradbury that was originally published as a shorter novella in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.

Accuracy as a vision of the future

Several aspects of the fictional 24th century future depicted in the novel have become reality in the late 20th and early 21st century:

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• Live television broadcasts of police pursuits of fugitives, aided by helicopter-mounted cameras and supplemented by voice-over commentary by announcers.
• "Earshell radios" closely resemble the Sony Walkman and the iPod.
• Some have argued that television content has in certain ways become more empty (see reality television).
• Anti-depressant pills have become much more common, and commercialized.
• The burning of books such as those from the Harry Potter series continues in Christian countries such as United States, and similarly the Holy Bible in Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia.
• Abortion and caesarian section are generally used for non-medical or non-lifesaving reasons.
• Reliance on anonymous tips by law enforcement agencies (movie version).
• Political candidacy determined by media corporations through manipulating presentations and report schemes (see spin (public relations)).

But the following have not happened yet (and Bradbury argues that the purpose of his fiction is to keep such things from happening):

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• Routine use of robots for pursuing suspects (currently in development for military application).
• Government endorsement of high speed land vehicles on public highways.
• Wall-mounted flat-screen televisions that are built into the walls of a house are currently a luxury; most are either placed on special stand or are mounted onto the surface of existing walls.