... Credit Copyright: Apollo 9 , NASA Explanation: One hundred seventy-three years ago on February 8th, Jules Verne was born in Nantes, France. Inspired by a lifelong fascination with machines, Verne wrote visionary works about "Extraordinary Voyages" including such terrestrial travels as Around the World in 80 Days , Journey to the Centre of the Earth , and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea . ... Verne's characters rode a "projectile-vehicle" fired from a huge cannon constructed in Florida, USA. ...