A Heinlein Concordance

A Heinlein Concordance

created by M. E. Cowan

Robert A Heinlein

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 presented by the Heinlein Society

Sir H. Rider Haggard

(1856–1925) English author of romantic adventure novels. Many of his novels were set in Africa, though they relied as much on imagination as on geographical and social facts.

Allan Quatermain: Hero of adventure novels by H. Rider Haggard, including King Solomon's Mines (1886) and Allan Quatermain (1887).
When the World Shook: H. Rider Haggard's novel of modern English adventurers who find an ancient god (and beautiful daughter) asleep beneath a South Seas volcano. It was published in 1919 by Longmans, Green and Company. [Library of Congress call number PZ3.H123Wh]

(Orphans of the Sky, Rocket Ship Galileo)

Otto Hahn

(1879–1968) German chemist who shares the credit with radiochemist Fritz Strassmann for discovering nuclear fission. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944.

("Blowups Happen")

Halcyone

In Greek myth, the daughter of Aeolus (god the winds), and wife of Ceyx. Halcyone threw herself into the sea when her husband drowned. Out of pity, the gods changed the pair into kingfishers. Zeus forbade the winds to blow seven days before and after the winter solstice, the period believed to be the birds' breeding season. The expression "halcyon days", a time of peace and calm, comes from this myth.

(Friday, Starman Jones)

Hall of the Mountain King

In Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, Peer finds his way into the cavernous hall of the Mountain King (a troll), and narrowly escapes with his life. Edvard Grieg's musical suite for the play, in particular the music for this scene, is arguably better known than the play itself.

("The Menace from Earth")

"Halls of Montezuma"

The anthem of the United States Marine Corps.

(Starship Troopers)

hamadryad

(Also dryad) In Greek myth, a nymph (minor female deity) associated with trees. They were not immortal, but were extremely long-lived; and were on the whole kindly disposed toward men.

(The Number of the Beast, Time Enough for Love)

Alexander Hamilton

(1755?–1804) A major author of the Federalist papers, and first secretary of the Treasury of the United States (1789–95). He was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.

(The Day After Tomorrow)

Hanseatic League

An alliance among northern German towns and German merchant communities in other countries, formed to protect their mutual commercial interests. The league dominated trade in northern Europe from the 13th to the 15th century. [Medieval German Hanse, "guild" or "association"; from the Gothic word for "troop" or "company"]

(Citizen of the Galaxy)

Harvard University

Oldest university in the United States, founded in 1636 in Cambridge (originally New Towne), Massachusetts. It was named after the Puritan minister John Harvard, whose will endowed the college with his books and half his estate.

(I Will Fear No Evil, The Red Planet, The Rolling Stones)

Hasan-e Sabbah

(?–1124) Leader of an Islamic sect, the Nizari Isma'ilites. He is commonly believed to be the founder of the order known as the Hashishin (Assassins), notorious in the orders' early years for instilling in its members a religious duty to murder the enemies of the sect. Christian crusaders brought the term "assassin" back to Europe, where it acquired the meaning of one who murders an important person for hire or for ideological reasons.

(Starship Troopers, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

Hastings

English town on the English Channel that was the site of the decisive battle in 1066 between the invading forces of William of Normandy and the defenders under King Harold. After Harold was killed and the English routed, William claimed the English throne.

(Starship Troopers)

Hawaii

A constituent state of the United States, a group of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean 2,400 miles (3,800 km) west of San Francisco. The state is named for the largest island in the group. The Hawaiian islands were originally settled by Polynesians, possibly from the Marquesas Islands, around 400 CE, and by another wave of immigrants from Tahiti around 900–1000. Captain James Cook was the first European to visit the islands, in 1778. The United States prevailed in the competition among it, France, and Great Britain for dominance of the island; Hawaii became a U.S. state in 1959.

Oahu: Third-largest and most populous island of Hawaii, the site of the state capital, Honolulu. It is between the islands of Kauai (to the northwest) and Molokai (to the southeast). Pearl Harbor and Waikiki Beach are on Oahu.

(Farmer in the Sky, "If This Goes On—")

Charles Hayden Planetarium

Both the Science Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City have a Hayden Planetarium. They were funded by the Charles Hayden Foundation of New York.

(Have Space Suit — Will Travel)

Heidelberg

City in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, on the Neckar River. First mentioned in 1196, it was the capital of the Rhenish Palatinate (Pfalz) until 1720. Heidelberg University (Ruprecht-Karl-Universität) is the oldest university in Germany. Today its main "industry" is tourism; several million people visit it each year.

Red Ox: (In German, Zum Roten Ochsen) A pub frequented by students at Heidelberg University. The building dates to 1703, and the pub has been owned by the Spengel family since 1839.

(The Number of the Beast, Starman Jones)

Hekate

In Greek myth, the goddess of magic and spells, sometimes associated with the underworld. She is sometimes associated with Artemis (in Rome, Diana or Selene) as the moon goddess. [Greek, "she who works her will"; sometimes spelled Hecate]

(Citizen of the Galaxy)

Helen of Troy

In Greek myth, the daughter of Leda and the god Zeus, married to King Menelaus of Sparta. She was abducted by Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy. The Trojan War was fought to restore her to her husband.

(Glory Road, The Rolling Stones)

Heliopolis

City on L`Île du Levant, built in 1931 by Gaston and André Durville as a resort for naturism. [Greek, "city of the sun"]

(Glory Road)

"Hello, Central, Give Me No Man's Land"

Song written in 1918 by Jean Schwartz, Sam M. Lewis, and Joe Young. It depicts a small child trying to call her daddy, who is overseas fighting in World War I.

Heloise

(1098–1164) Abbess of the convent of the Paraclete in Nogent, France. She is best known for her romance with the theologian Abelard.

(I Will Fear No Evil, The Puppet Masters)

John Henry

Hero of a U.S. folk ballad, a "steel-driving" man who worked on building the railroads. When a steam drill is brought to the job, John Henry declared a contest to show that a man can do more and better work than a machine. He outperformed the steam drill, but the colossal effort burst his heart and he "died with his hammer in his hand".

(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)

Patrick Henry

(1736–1799) Orator and politician, a major figure in the American War for Independence. He was a member of Virginia's revolutionary Committee of Correspondence, a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775, and Virginia's first governor after the colonies declared independence from Britain. He is best known for a rousing speech in 1775 in which he argued for declaring independence: "But as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

(Time for the Stars, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Tunnel in the Sky)

Hercules

In Greek and Roman myth (Greek Herakles, Roman Hercules), the son of the god Zeus (Roman Jupiter) and the mortal Alcmene. He is the greatest of the legendary heroes; his feats are described in numerous legends. Upon his death, he was elevated to godhood and took his place as Zeus' son in Olympus.

(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

Hermes

In Greek myth, the god associated with the protection of cattle and sheep, also portrayed as the messenger of the gods. He became the god of roads and doorways; the Greeks (and later the Romans) erected stone pillars near their doors as symbols of his protection. He is sometimes considered the patron of thieves, and some myths portray him committing spectacular thefts. His Roman counterpart was Mercury.

Hesperus

In Greek and Roman myth, the son or brother of the titan Atlas. Originally identified with the evening star, he was later identified with the morning star, the bringer of light. Hesperus is variously described as the father of the Hesperides (the guardians of the golden apples) or of their mother, Hesperis.

Elizabeth M. Hewitt

Possibly, the name is inspired by the Elizabeth M. Hewitt who was appointed in 1908 as one of the first 20 members of the Navy Nurse Corps. (There doesn't seem to be an actual rose named Elizabeth M. Hewitt.)

(Stranger in a Strange Land)

Hilton

Worldwide hotel chain founded by U.S. businessman Conrad Hilton (1887–1979).

(Between Planets, Friday, Podkayne of Mars, Time Enough for Love, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

hippodrome

Ancient Greek stadium designed for horse racing, and especially for chariot racing.

(Time Enough for Love)

Hippolyta

In Greek myth, Queen of the Amazons. In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, she is the bride of Theseus, duke of Athens.

(Time Enough for Love)

Michinomiya Hirohito

(1901–1989) Emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989.

(To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

hobgoblin

In medieval English folklore, a mischievous, sometimes malicious fairy; sometimes called Puck.

(Starman Jones)

Hoboken, New Jersey

City in northeastern New Jersey on the Hudson River opposite Manhattan Island. It adjoins Jersey City and Union City. The Dutch bought the site in 1630 from the Delaware tribe, and named it Hobocan from the Delaware term Hobocan Hackingh ("Land of the Tobacco Pipe"). In 1742, Colonel John Stevens, builder of the first U.S. steam locomotive, bought the site and laid out a more formal town.

(Tunnel in the Sky)

Dr. Walter Hohmann

German engineer who calculated that the most economical path from one planet to another is an elliptical orbit tangent to the orbits of both planets; even though it is not the shortest or fastest path, it requires the least fuel and energy. Such a path is called a Hohmann orbit in his honor.

(Space Cadet)

Holiday

U.S. magazine that publishes features on domestic and foreign travel for experienced leisure traveler. It is currently published as Travel Holiday Magazine

("The Man Who Sold the Moon")

"The Holy City"

Hymn written by Stephen Adams in 1893; it is also known as "Jerusalem, Jerusalem".

(Job: A Comedy of Justice, "If This Goes On—")

Home Life in Colonial Days

Book by Alice Morse Earle, originally published in 1898 by the Macmillan Company. It was reprinted in 1974 and 1992 by Berkshire Traveller Press (Berkshire House), Stockbridge MA; and in 1975 by Jonathan David Publishers, Middle Village NY. [Library of Congress call number E162.E18]

(Farnham's Freehold)

homunculus

Before the role of the ovum in reproduction was discovered, it was widely believed in Europe that the sperm contained a miniature person, which needed only to increase in size to be born as a fully developed baby. [Latin, "little man"]

(Friday)

Honda

Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles and automobiles, founded by engineer Honda Soichiro in 1946 and headquartered in Tokyo. The company has been a pioneer in developing fuel-efficient, low-pollution vehicles, which are sold worldwide.

(Friday)

Hong Kong

Former British crown colony off the southern coast of the Kwangtung province of China. It comprises the island of Hong Kong and adjacent islets. It is a major banking and investment center. Although it came under the control of the Chinese government in 1997, it remains a major center of capitalism, significant in international trade and finance.

(Between Planets, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Friday, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress)

Herbert Clark Hoover

(1874–1964) 31st president of the United States (1929–1933). A graduate from Stanford University, Hoover worked as a mining engineer before entering politics. The Great Depression, which began during Hoover's administration, and which Hoover seemingly made no effort to ameliorate, overshadowed Hoover's humanitarian accomplishments: he led relief efforts in Europe during and after World War I and in the United States following the Mississippi River flood of 1927.

(Podkayne of Mars, To Sail Beyond the Sunset)

Horatius Cocles

Roman hero who, according to legend, defended the Sublician bridge (in Rome) against Lars Porsena and the entire Etruscan army, thereby giving the Romans time to cut down the bridge. His name has become a byword for making a last-ditch defensive stand and for sacrificing oneself for the greater good.

(Starship Troopers)

Emerson Hough

(1857–1923) Iowa-born author of western novels. He also wrote the nonfiction "The Story of the Cowboy" (1897), and for many years was a columnist for the Saturday Evening Post. He was a pioneering conservationist; his exploration of Yellowstone Park in 1895 helped persuade Congress to pass a law protecting buffalo.

("Coventry")

"House at Pooh Corner"

Children's book published in 1928 by English author A. A. Milne. The author of light comedies for adults and a writer for Punch, Milne is probably best known for his stories about the young Christopher Robin (named for Milne's son) and his toy animals, including the bear Winnie the Pooh. [Library of Congress call number PZ7.M64Ho 1928b]

(The Cat Who Walks Through Walls)

House of Orange

Princely dynasty that is the ruling family of the Netherlands. The name derives from a medieval principality in Provence.

(Double Star)

Sam Houston

(1793–1863) A leader of the struggle by U.S. emigrants in Texas to take the territory from Mexico. He was twice elected president of the Republic of Texas (1836–38 and 1841–44). When Texas became part of the United States, he became one of its senators. The city of Houston is named after him.

("The Black Pits of Luna", Friday, "Logic of Empire")

Edmond Hoyle

(1671–1769) Author of authoritative books on games, especially card games. His rules manuals has been reprinted and adapted in many editions over the years.

(Farnham's Freehold)

Henry Hudson

(1565–1611?) English navigator who, sailing for the English (1607, 1608, 1610–11) and the Dutch (1609), tried to discover a route from Europe to Asia through the Arctic Ocean. The Hudson River in New York, and Hudson Bay north of Canada are named for him.

(Time for the Stars)

Humpty Dumpty

Either from the nursery rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Or a reference to the character in chapter 6 of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, who sat on a wall and discussed semantics with Alice.

(Time Enough for Love)

Hyatt Hotels

Hotel chain founded in 1957 by Hyatt R. von Dehn, with the construction of Hyatt House at Los Angeles International Airport. Additional Hyatt hotels were built along the West Coast in the next decade, and the chain now owns hotels worldwide. (The Cabaña Hyatt operated in Palo Alto, California, from 1963 through 1979.)

(Friday)

Hydra

In Greek myth, a many-headed monster who was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. If one of the hydra's heads was cut off, two grew back in its place. Slaying the monster was one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. He accomplished the deed with the help of his friend Iolaus; as Hercules cut off each head, Iolaus used a torch to cauterize the stump before the new heads could grow.

(Citizen of the Galaxy)

hydrogen bomb

(Also thermonuclear bomb; colloquially h-bomb) Weapon in which the destructive power results from an uncontrolled, self-sustaining nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium. This type of bomb differs from an atomic bomb in that its energy is released when two light atomic nuclei fuse into a heavier nucleus. In an atomic bomb, by contrast, a heavy atomic nucleus (uranium or plutonium) fissions into two lighter nuclei.

Join The Heinlein Society and Pay Forward the legacy of Robert A. Heinlein and Virginia Heinlein.

The Heinlein Society was founded by Virginia Heinlein on behalf of her husband, science fiction author Robert Anson Heinlein, to "pay forward" the legacy of Robert A. Heinlein to future generations of "Heinlein's Children."