E. E. Smith
A food engineer who moonlighted as a visionary writer, inventing the galactic-scale 'space opera' and inspiring generations of storytellers.
1890–1965 (age 75)·Food engineer and science-fiction author·Birthday: May 2·The Lost Generation
Biography
Edward Elmer 'Doc' Smith lived two professional lives, each seemingly from a different universe. By day, he was a meticulous food engineer, an expert in doughnut mixes and powdered sugar who held patents for industrial processes. By night, he was a pioneer, typing out cosmic epics that would define a genre. His first serial, 'The Skylark of Space,' written in the 1910s and published in 1928, broke science fiction free from Earth's gravity, flinging heroes across galaxies with super-science. This was followed by his magnum opus, the Lensman series, which introduced concepts like psychic lenses, interstellar civilizations, and a millennia-spanning war between pure good and absolute evil. Smith’s prose was pulpy and his characters archetypal, but the sheer scale of his imagination—the planets, the fleets, the cosmic forces—was unprecedented. He provided the blueprint for everything from 'Star Wars' to modern space fantasy, proving that a man who worked with flour could also conjure the stars.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
E. was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When E. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
E.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1950Turned 60
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 70
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Died at 75
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
Key Achievements
- Wrote the Lensman series, a foundational work of space opera that influenced countless later authors and filmmakers.
- Published 'The Skylark of Space,' often cited as one of the first true space operas and a major influence on the genre's development.
- Was a professional food engineer who specialized in the chemistry of flour and developed commercial doughnut mixes.
- Received the prestigious Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series in 1966 for the Lensman novels.
Did You Know?
He earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering and worked for years as a food chemist for companies like Dawn Donut.
The initial draft of 'The Skylark of Space' was written as early as 1915 on the backs of company letterhead.
He was a close friend and correspondent of fellow sci-fi author John W. Campbell.
The concept of the 'Lens' in his series—a telepathic tool granted by ancient aliens—inspired similar ideas in later fiction, like the 'Green Lantern' power ring.
“The inertialess drive is the key to the universe; without it, interstellar travel is impossible.”
