A Heinlein Concordance

created by M. E. Cowan

Robert A Heinlein

Introduction no frames index

From the stories:   A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ
From the real world:   a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w xyz

A Heinlein Concordance ©2004 M.E.Cowan

 
Galahad
In Arthurian legend, a Knight of the Round Table, the son of Sir Lancelot du Lac and Elaine, daughter of King Pelles. Described in legends as the most chaste of the Knights, he was the only one who succeeded in the quest for the Holy Grail. (Early legends, through the 12th century, identified Perceval as the knight who finds the Grail; by the 13th century, however, he is supplanted in this role by Galahad.)
(The Number of the Beast, Time Enough for Love)

Galileo Galilei
(1564–1642) Italian astronomer and mathematician who contributed fundamental discoveries to the sciences of motion and astronomy, and to the development of the scientific method. Of particular importance are his experiments with falling bodies and his observations of celestial bodies.
(Rocket Ship Galileo)

Gallipoli
Seaport in European Turkey, on the Dardanelles near the Sea of Marmara. It was the first European town conquered by the Ottoman Turks (in 1356). In 1915 during World War I, Gallipoli was the site of a prolonged battle in which the Allied forces suffered devastating losses.
(Starship Troopers)

Gallup, New Mexico
Seat of McKinley County, in northwestern New Mexico on the Puerco River, near the Arizona state line. Settled in 1880 as a Westward Overland Stagecoach stop, it became a construction headquarters for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad and was named for David L. Gallup, railroad paymaster.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice)

Gamma Leonis
Orange-yellow double star in the constellation Leo (the Lion), about 90 light-years from Earth. It is called Algeiba ("the forehead"); during the 17th and 18th centuries it was known, more appropriately for its position in the constellation, as Juba ("the mane").
(Starman Jones)

George Gamow (no first name)
(1904–1968; original spelling Georgy Antonovich Gamov) Russian-born U.S. nuclear physicist and cosmologist, an influential advocate of the Big Bang theory. He also contributed to hypotheses about the genetic code. His writings helped to popularize relativity and cosmology, particularly his 1947 book One, Two, Three ... Infinity.
(Rocket Ship Galileo)

Ganymede
Jupiter's largest moon, also called Jupiter III (numbered in order of discovery). The largest satellite in the solar system, it is larger than the planet Mercury. It is named for a character in Greek myth, the son of the king of Troy who (in one of several variations) was carried off by Zeus to serve as the cupbearer of the gods.
(Double Star, Farmer in the Sky, I Will Fear No Evil, The Rolling Stones, Space Cadet)

Gary, Indiana
Industrial city on Lake Michigan near Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by United States Steel Corporation as an adjunct to its nearby manufacturing complex, and named for the corporation's official Elbert H. Gary.
(Between Planets, Space Cadet)

Gaslight Club
Nightclub chain that opened its first club in Chicago in 1953. Other clubs were opened in New York City in 1956; Washington D.C. in 1959; Paris, France, in 1961; and another club at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in 1973. Only the O'Hare club is still in operation.
(I Will Fear No Evil)

Gath
One of the five royal cities of the Philistines, and the birthplace of Goliath. The name occurs several times in the Bible, especially in connection with the history of David. The chronicles of Sargon II of Assyria report that Assyria conquered the city in 712 BCE. Its exact location, however, has been lost since the time of Sennacherib (7th century BCE).
("If This Goes On—")

General Atomics
Company founded in 1955 in San Diego, California, to develop commercial applications for nuclear technology. It was originally a division of General Dynamics but is now privately owned.
(Friday, "Jerry Was a Man", The Puppet Masters, Stranger in a Strange Land)

General Electric
Company formed in 1892 by acquiring the Edison General Electric Company and two other electrical companies; after the merger, Thomas Edison remained associated with the company. It established a research laboratory in 1900. Diversifying steadily through the century, it produces a wide range of electrical products for consumers and industry, home appliances, aircraft engines, electronic medical equipment, and power systems.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel, Tunnel in the Sky)

General Motors
U.S. corporation founded in 1908 by the consolidation of several motorcar companies. From 1929 through the end of the 20th century, it was the world's largest automobile manufacturer.
(Podkayne of Mars, The Rolling Stones)

General Sherman Tree
Sequoia tree in Sequoia National Forest in California. It is the largest known tree in the world, nearly 275 feet (84 meters) tall and more than 102 feet (31 meters) in circumference. A few other trees are taller, but General Sherman has the largest total volume. It is named for William Tecumseh Sherman, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.
(Beyond This Horizon)

Geneva, Switzerland
Capital of Gιnθve canton in southwestern Switzerland, in the Rhone River valley on Lake Geneva. Modern Geneva is a center of financial activity and the headquarters for many international organizations.
(Time for the Stars)

George Washington Carver
(1861?–1943) U.S. agronomist whose development of new products derived from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans helped revolutionize the agricultural economy of the South. The son of a slave woman, after emancipation Carver was raised by his mother's former owners. He educated himself as best he could holding menial jobs, finally completing a high-school education in his 20s. After earning a bachelor's degree and master's degree in agricultural science from Simpson College in Iowa, he became head of the department of agriculture at Tuskegee Institute. Carver's research and especially its economic benefits made him world-famous. He was elected to Britain's Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce; and he counted Henry Ford and Mohandas Gandhi among his friends.
(I Will Fear No Evil)

Geronimo
(1829–1909) Chief of the Chiricahua Apache, who led his people's defense of their homeland for nearly 30 years. He surrendered to the U.S. cavalry in 1884, but escaped in 1885 and resumed his campaign until he was again induced to surrender in 1886.
(The Rolling Stones, Starship Troopers)

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Town in southern Pennsylvania just north of the Maryland border. It was the site of a momentous battle in the Civil War (1863). The Gettysburg Address, given by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, is one of the most famous speeches in U.S. history.
(Starship Troopers)

Ghana
Nation on Africa's west coast on the Gulf of Guinea, bordered by the Ivory Coast (west), Burkina Faso (northwest and north), and Togo (east). Its capital is Accra. A former British colony, it was the first sub-Saharan country to gain its independence from colonial rule, in 1957. (It should not be confused with the medieval African trading empire of the same name, which was the territory that now comprises southeastern Mauritania and part of Mali.)
(I Will Fear No Evil)

Giant Forest
Area within Sequoia National Park in California where the largest sequoia trees are found.
(Beyond This Horizon)

Gideon
Israelite judge and warrior whose deeds are described in the Biblical Book of Judges. In one account, Gideon led the tribe of Manasseh in slaying the Midianites; but, influenced by the cult of his adversaries, he induced Israel into idolatry. In another, Gideon replaced the idol and altar of Baal with the worship of Yahweh, who inspired Gideon and his clan to destroy the Midianites as a sign of Yahweh's supremacy.
(Job: A Comedy of Justice, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

Gimbel's
Department store founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the 1880s by Isaac Gimbel (1857–1931). The Gimbel family opened a store in Philadelphia in 1894, and in New York City in 1910. Stores were also established in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Beverly Hills, and other cities. After the company was purchased by Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company in 1973, its fortunes waned; the last Gimbel's store closed in 1987.
(I Will Fear No Evil, "The Menace from Earth")

Globe Theater
London Theater in which the plays of William Shakespeare were performed after 1599. It was located in the Bankside district of Southwark. A modern reproduction has been constructed on the site.
(Time Enough for Love)

Robert Goddard
(1882–1945) U.S. inventor considered to be the father of modern rocketry. He launched the first liquid-fuel rocket in 1926. Although he never developed an operational rocket, he obtained 214 patents related to rocket technology.
(Between Planets, "Blowups Happen", Double Star, I Will Fear No Evil, "The Menace from Earth", Methuselah's Children, "The Roads Must Roll")

Lady Godiva
Wife of Leofric, 11th-century earl of Mercia, whom legends say rode through the market town of Conventry completely nude (though covered to her knees by her long hair) to coerce her husband into relieving the tax burden on the town's inhabitants. The chronicler Ranulf Higden (d. 1364) wrote that Leofric freed the town from all tolls except those on horses. Records from the reign of Edward I show that in Leofric's time, no tolls were paid in Coventry except on horses.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

Gog and Magog
In the Biblical Book of Revelation, a power ruled by Satan that will manifest itself immediately before the end of the world. In the Biblical passage and in other apocalyptic literature, Gog is joined by a second hostile force, Magog; but in the books of Genesis and Ezekiel, Magog is apparently the place of Gog's origin.
(Friday)

The Golden Bough
Book on comparative religion by Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941), originally published in 1890 and reissued in many subsequent editions. Frazer's theme is the evolution of modes of thought from the magical to the religious and, finally, to the scientific. The Golden Bough also emphasized the melding of priestly functions and secular rule in the person of the "divine king". [Library of Congress call number BL310.F63]
(Time Enough for Love)

Golden Rule
Popular term for Jesus' admonition in the Biblical Book of Luke, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)

Golden Treasury of English Songs and Lyrics
Poetry anthology compiled and published in 1861 by English critic and poet Francis Turner Palgrave (1824–1897).
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Novel by James Hilton, published in 1934, about the teaching career and emotional development of a Latin professor, Arthur Chipping, at an English boys' school (he is nicknamed "Mr. Chips" by his students). [Library of Congress call number PR6015.I53G6]
(Starman Jones)

Goodyear
U.S. manufacturer of tires, rubber, chemical, and plastic products, founded in 1898 and headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was named for Charles Goodyear, U.S. inventor of the process for vulcanizing rubber.
(Have Space Suit — Will Travel)

Ulysses S. Grant
(1822–1885) U.S. general, commander of the Union armies during the Civil War (1864–65); and 18th president of the United States (1869–77). Christened Hiram Ulysses Grant, he reversed his personal names when he enrolled in the United States Military Academy. His congressional appointment erroneously listed his name as Ulysses S. Grant; he eventually accepted the error, insisting that the initial stood for nothing but probably appreciating the appropriate abbreviation of "U.S." Grant.
(Tunnel in the Sky)

Great Pyramid
The largest of three pyramids erected on the west bank of the Nile River near Giza, Egypt. Built during the 4th Dynasty (c. 2575 – c. 2465 BC), they were collectively one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The Great Pyramid, the oldest of the three, is the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu (Greek Cheops).
(Stranger in a Strange Land)

Great World
Amusement park which operated on Kim Seng Road in Singapore from the 1920s until 1964. It contained rides, a midway, restaurants, live theater, cinemas, and a cabaret.
(Glory Road)

gremlin
A supernatural cause of mechanical failures and other "things going wrong"; it is generally perceived as a gnome that acts out of mischief rather than malice.
("It's Great to Be Back!", "Space Jockey")

Gretna Green
Town in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, just across the border from England. It was a popular destination for eloping couples in the 18th and 19th centuries because Scotland's marriage laws, which required only that the couple publicly state before witness their intention to be married, were much more lenient than those of England, and the age of consent was lower.
(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)

Zane Grey
(1872–1939) Author of more than 80 popular novels about the American west, beginning with Betty Zane, based on an ancestor's journal. His writings helped to establish the conventions of the genre of western novel.
("Coventry")

Greyhound Lines, Inc.
American corporation that operates intercity bus routes. Several bus companies were merged in 1925 and 1926 to form the Motor Transit Management; this company officially became Greyhound Corporation in 1930. The business was devoted solely to transportation until 1961, when it diversified and acquired other products. In 1987, however, the bus operation became an independent company again.
(Friday, Stranger in a Strange Land)

griffin
(Also spelled griffon or gryphon) A mythological creature that has a lion's body (winged or wingless) and a bird's head, usually that of an eagle. The image probably originated in the Levant in the 2nd millennium BCE; it spread throughout western Asia and into Greece as an artistic motif.
(Tunnel in the Sky)

Grim Reaper
An epithet for the personification of Death.
(Friday)

Grinnell, Iowa
City in east central Iowa. It was founded by Josiah Bushnel Grinnell, a Congregational clergyman, Abolitionist, Congressman, and railway promoter from New York City.
(The Puppet Masters)

Gripsholm
Transatlantic passenger ship commissioned by the Swedish American Line in 1925, and named for Gripsholm Castle on Lake Mδlaren near Stockholm, Sweden. She was chartered to the U.S. State Department during World War II and used for exchanging and repatriating prisoners of war. The ship was sold and renamed in 1954, and decommissioned in 1966.
("The Menace from Earth")

Grove Press
Publishing company founded around 1949 and purchased by Barney Rossett in 1951. He developed it into one of the most influential publishing houses of its time by publishing such authors as Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Eugene Ionesco, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Che Guevara, and Malcolm X. Grove Press successfully challenged U.S. censorship laws by publishing D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, William Burroughs' The Naked Lunch, and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. The company was sold in 1985, and the imprint name went out of use.
(I Will Fear No Evil)

Mrs. Grundy
A character who is frequently mentioned (but who never appears onstage) in Thomas Morton's 1798 play Speed the Plough. The name has become a byword for prudish constraints on behavior, or social pressure to behave according to rigid moral standards.
(I Will Fear No Evil)

Che Guevara
(1928–1967, full name Ernesto Guevara de la Serna) Communist theoretician and tactician who played a significant role in the Cuban revolution and was involved in guerrilla movements in Guatemala, Congo, and Bolivia. He was a member of Castro's government from 1959 until 1965. His writings include an influential manual on guerrilla warfare and a history of Cuba's revolutionary war. [The misspelling of "Guevera" for "Guevara" in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is probably deliberate; the characters make other errors with names and historical data.]
War of the Guerrillas
English translation of Guerra de guerrillas by Che Guevara. The Spanish and English editions were originally published in 1961, the English edition by Review Press. [Library of Congress call number U240.G8313]
(Farnham's Freehold, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)

Guggenheim
U.S. family of industrialists and philanthropists. Swiss immigrant Meyer Guggenheim (1828–1905) built an import firm in Philadelphia that was the basis of the fortune he invested in mining and refining operations. By the early 20th century, the family dominated the mining industry worldwide. Meyer's children, besides expanding the family's industrial interests, established a number of charitable foundations for the advancement of science, art, and scholarly research.
("Let There Be Light")

Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
(1738–1814) French physician who, as a member of the French National Assembly after the Revolution of 1789, was instrumental in passing a law requiring all executions to be carried out "by means of a machine". His purpose was to provide a relatively painless method of execution. He did not invent the decapitating machine that became the standard method of execution in France; it acquired his name (guillotine) because of his support for its use.
(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

 

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