The future began in 1928

In 1928, Anthony “Buck” Rogers first appeared in a novella called Armageddon 2419, and then in an issue of Amazing Stories, a comic book. A year later, his first name was changed to William for a sequel. He was created by Philip Francis Nowlan but has continued in popularity for nearly 100 years. (Buck Rogers)

The character has been featured in radio, television, movies and more in varying forms. He became the basis for many copycat characters over the years. So what made this character so popular?

The backstory of Buck Rogers is that he is a veteran of World War I, and when people first saw him portrayed about a decade after the war, they could relate to that experience. He worked in a coal mine, which a lot of Americans did at the time, and he was the victim of a cave-in. He awoke from that experience nearly 500 years later, and Americans saw the imaginative opportunities for time travel, which included some interesting opportunities for space travel.

His adventures, whether in books, television, movies or comics, allowed other Americans to connect, to their past and the dreams of the future.  His fights for the good gave readers and viewers something of which to be proud.

A TV show called Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century was popular in 1979-1981. This made about 21 million dollars. You are able to watch the series for free on Tubi, or you can see Buck Rogers, played by Gil Gerard, in the first episode on NBC.

A reboot of the series is scheduled to take place later this year, with George Clooney behind the scenes to bring us back to the original character. (The Guardian)