This Day in Science Fiction History: 16 June

Fictional Entry—Monday/Sunday/Saturday, June 16, 1980/1985/1990*

Dead scientists in the Army research base where Project Blue was created. (© ABC 1994)

Selections from The Arnette Daily newspaper

Car Crash on 93

 …Yesterday evening around 8:30 PM, a 1976 Chevrolet Nova crashed into the outer gas island at Bill Hapscomb’s Texaco on State Road 93. Three gas pumps were damaged in the crash. No fire or explosion occurred.

“Didn’t see his taillights flicker once,” said Tommy Wanamaker, who was present at the gas station for the crash. “He’d been goin’ faster than a dog trot like he was, we’d all been dead. Blowed up, I mean.”

The driver, Charles D. Campion of California, was a US Army sergeant. He died en route to the hospital. His wife, Sally, and daughter, LaVon, were found dead at the scene. The cause of all three deaths is reported as possibly flu infection or pneumonia…

Deadly Summer Flu Grips Town

…The mayor has issued a proclamation that if you are feeling ill, stay home. Several residents, including fifteen children, have died in the last three days from a deadly form of flu. The proclamation states that if you have any of the following symptoms (fever greater than one hundred degrees, vomiting, stuffy nose, or enlarged neck glands) stay at home and drink fluids. The county hospital is currently overfilled and understaffed due to the recent death of Dr. Birtchfield and Nurses Hazelton and Smith…

Anthrax Outbreak and Martial Law 

…of the U.S Health Service declared Arnette under martial law because the surrounding area is experiencing an outbreak of a new strain of Anthrax. The deadly disease, thought originally to be a highly contagious form of the flu, is in fact crossing over from animals. All the sheep in a fifty-mile radius are to be slaughtered and the bodies burned on site. Any other animals, livestock or pets, showing signs of infection should be killed and disposed of in the same manner as the sheep.

The martial law proclamation also states “Starting at 6 pm tonight, a curfew is in effect. Residents must be in their homes or risk arrest. This curfew is to help contain the disease and prevent its spread beyond the local area.”

All residents are advised to follow all orders from the Health Service personnel until…

 The Stand / The Stand: Complete & Uncut Edition

Book

Stephen King

1978 / 1990

* The year of the Captain Trips pandemic changed to 1985 when The Stand was released as a mass-market paperback in 1980. The date changed to 1990 with the release of The Stand: Complete & Uncut Edition in 1990.

This Day in Science Fiction History examines notable events, real and fictional, concerning fantasy and science fiction in various media.