Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Perhaps we saw the 1950s movie with Kirk Douglas, or maybe we had the snot scared out of us on the Disney World ride as kids — regardless, Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is indelibly etched into the collective memory. The original, by Jules Verne, was published in 1869, when submarines were in their infancy; once again Verne predicts much of what would come technologically. The crew of an American ship sets off to investigate a giant sea monster — only to find it, fight it, and then discover that it's a submarine. It's called the Nautilus and was built by the mysterious Captain Nemo. Fortunately, he lets the multinational crew live long enough to go exploring with him, until — like many 'mad scientist' types — he grows bored of his quarry and becomes increasingly unhinged. One last thing: don't let the name Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea fool you. Twenty thousand leagues is over two and a half times the circumference of the Earth; the title refers to the total distance they traveled. Enjoy!