Jules Verne (1828-1905) is one of the most recognizable names in Western literature, coming to be known as one of the Fathers of Science-Fiction. Although he studied to be a lawyer and held stock trading jobs, he quickly learned that he had a knack for weaving adventurous stories of travels and expeditions. It didn't hurt that one of his teachers may have been inventor Brutus de Villeroi, who created the first submarine for the U.S. Navy. Verne wrote about air travel and space travel 50 years before either was possible. One of his most famous works is A Journey to the Center of the Earth, a classic adventure novel published in 1864. The story involves a German Professor Von Hardwigg, who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the center of the Earth. He, his nephew Harry, and their guide Hans encounter many adventures on the journey, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards. One of Verne's main ideas with his stories was also to educate readers as to the different kinds of extinct creatures throughout different geological ages, from ice ages to dinosaurs. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works, and Journey to the Center of the Earth continues to be a popular classic today.