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”.
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.