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Archives On The Air 79: "Sci-Fi Was My High"—The Forrest Ackerman Collection

American Heritage Center

Forrest Ackerman is not a household name but he made a big impact in popular culture.

Ackerman was a magazine editor, literary agent and writer. He spent his life creating a community around science fiction.

He was at the first science fiction convention in 1939. Ackerman dressed as a man from the future. This started the trend of dressing up at conventions.

In 1953 he coined the term “sci-fi”.

Credit American Heritage Center
Lobby card for Attack of the Crab Monsters, a 1957 film, from Forrest Ackerman's collection of science fiction memorabilia, 1957. Box 141, Forrest J Ackerman papers.

In 1958 Ackerman co-founded the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland. The magazine created a new space for fans of horror and sci-fi.

Ackerman died in 2008. His tombstone reads simply, “Sci-Fi was my high.”

Some of his collected sci-fi memorabilia including movie posters and a tribble from Star Trek are available in the Forrest Ackerman papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.