15 Engaging Insights Into Isaac Asimov's Life and Legacy

Isaac Asimov is renowned for creating iconic science fiction series such as the Foundation and Robot books. However, his vast body of work also includes mysteries, short stories, science guides, essays, and even a humorous book. Notably, Asimov made contributions to Star Trek, though only after reconsidering the show. Dive into these 15 remarkable facts about the legendary Humanist.

1. Isaac Asimov's parents were immigrants who operated candy stores.

Born in Petrovichi (now part of Russia) around 1920, Isaac Asimov was only three years old when his family moved to the U.S. After a few years in Brooklyn, his father, Judah, saved enough from various jobs to purchase a candy store. The store operated 19 hours a day and was vital in sustaining the family through the Great Depression. During the 1930s, Judah expanded by acquiring multiple candy stores in Brooklyn. The Asimov family resided in several Brooklyn apartments, including two directly above their stores. Isaac, his father, and his sister became U.S. citizens in 1928, with his younger brother being born later in 1938.

2. Isaac Asimov's Passion for Science Fiction Began at His First Job.

At the age of 9, Asimov began working in his family's candy stores. His father expected him to work long hours, and Asimov became accustomed to early mornings and late nights helping manage the shop. Even when he took other part-time jobs, like working at a fabric company or as a typist for a college professor, he continued to work in the family business. The stores sold magazines alongside candy, and young Isaac eagerly read the science fiction stories in those magazines, sparking his lifelong love for the genre.

3. Isaac Asimov Faced Rejection from Almost Every School He Applied To.

At 15, Asimov applied to Columbia College, only to be turned down because the school's "[quota for Jews for the coming year was already filled]," as he later recounted. Instead, he attended Seth Low Junior College, which was affiliated with Columbia, but that school soon closed, leading him to transfer to Columbia, where he earned a Chemistry degree in 1939. He then applied to five different medical schools in New York, but was rejected by all of them. He tried again, only to face the same outcome. Asimov also applied to Columbia's graduate school for chemistry but was denied once more.

4. Despite a Rough Start, Isaac Asimov Went on to Earn a Doctorate.

After discussions with Columbia's faculty, Asimov persuaded the university to admit him as a graduate student for one year on a probationary basis. His grades met the required standard, and in 1941, he earned a master's degree in chemistry. Between 1942 and 1945, he worked at the Philadelphia Naval Air Experimental Station. Knowing that the draft would soon be in effect after the Pearl Harbor attack, he preferred to contribute to the war effort rather than avoid service as a Ph.D. candidate. He later reflected that he "hoped that my labors might serve as directly useful for that war effort, and I knew I could do more as a reasonably capable chemist than as a panicky infantryman, and perhaps the government would think so too." After the war, he was drafted for a 9-month army service, then returned to Columbia, where he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1948.

5. Isaac Asimov Enjoyed a Successful Academic Career.

Asimov advanced through the academic ranks, starting as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia, where he focused on finding ways to fight malaria. He then moved to Boston University’s medical school as a biochemistry instructor, where his lectures gained popularity, earning him a promotion to associate professor within a few years. He also co-authored a biochemistry textbook titled Biochemistry and Human Metabolism. In 1958, he stopped teaching to concentrate exclusively on writing science fiction. In 1979, Boston University recognized his accomplishments by naming him a full professor.

6. Isaac Asimov Wrote Under the Pen Name Paul French.

In the 1950s, Asimov penned a series of six children's science fiction novels under the pseudonym Paul French. The books, known as the Lucky Starr series, follow the adventures of David "Lucky" Starr across the solar system. As the publisher, Doubleday, hoped to adapt the series into a TV show, Asimov chose to use a pen name in case the adaptation was subpar—he didn’t want to be associated with something that might end up being embarrassing. However, he also resented the idea that people believed he was hiding behind the pseudonym to safeguard his reputation in the science community. In the end, the TV show never materialized, and some of the books are now credited to both French and Asimov.

7. Isaac Asimov Wrote a Sci-Fi Musical for Paul McCartney.

If you check the Boston University archives, you might come across a story outline titled "Five and Five and One." Asimov wrote this for Paul McCartney, a lifelong science fiction enthusiast, who had asked him to write a screenplay for a sci-fi musical. The idea, which McCartney envisioned, involved a band that discovered they were being impersonated by aliens, and he believed Asimov was the ideal writer for the task. Unfortunately, McCartney didn't like Asimov's treatment, and the project never came to life.

8. Isaac Asimov Had an On-and-Off Relationship with Mensa.

Asimov was no stranger to joining exclusive clubs. Among the groups he was a member of were the Baker Street Irregulars (a prestigious group for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts), the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the Wodehouse Society, and Mensa. After joining the world’s oldest high-IQ society, Asimov participated in events and served as an Honorary Vice President. However, he drifted in and out of active membership due to some unpleasant individuals who were "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs," as he put it. According to Asimov, these people, like him in his younger years, used their intelligence to assert dominance over others, often feeling overlooked and unsuccessful. This attitude led them to become bitter and disagreeable.

9. After a Brief Disagreement, Isaac Asimov Joined Forces with the Creator of Star Trek.

In 1966, Asimov wrote a critique for TV Guide, arguing that many sci-fi shows of the time, including Star Trek, inaccurately portrayed science fiction. Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, responded with a letter defending the show. In his letter, Roddenberry admitted that he was a big fan of Asimov's work and explained that the show hired multiple scientific consultants to ensure accuracy, while also facing the challenge of producing a new episode every week. Roddenberry concluded by expressing his belief that Star Trek would inspire new fans of science fiction who would go on to buy Asimov’s books.

Following their exchange, the two men became friends, with Asimov eventually becoming a fan of Star Trek. He even served as a consultant for the show, offering Roddenberry a few plot ideas and suggestions on character development. Meanwhile, Roddenberry tried to develop a movie based on Asimov’s I, Robot, but the project never came to fruition under his direction (both Roddenberry and Asimov passed away a decade before the 2004 Will Smith film was made).

10. Isaac Asimov Was the Inventor of the Word Robotics.

While the term robot was introduced in 1921 by Czech writer Karel Čapek in a play, where it referred to human-like machines working on assembly lines, Asimov became the first to coin the word robotics in 1941 in his short story "Liar!" He used the term to describe the technology that powers robots. The following year, in his short story "Runaround," Asimov introduced his famous Three Laws of Robotics: a robot cannot harm a human, must obey human commands, and must protect itself, as long as it does not conflict with the first two laws.

11. Isaac Asimov Suffered from Severe Acrophobia and Aviophobia.

Though Asimov was a man of logic and reason, he could never reason his way out of his two greatest fears: heights and flying. His acrophobia began in his early twenties after two terrifying roller coaster rides. Both rides took place on dates, and Asimov had expected that his date would scream and cling to him—something he thought would be quite charming. However, the experience was quite the opposite. As he recalled in his memoir, "I screamed in terror and hung on desperately to my date, who remained calm and unmoved."

A second roller coaster experience at Coney Island cemented his fear, and after a couple of early airplane trips, Asimov never boarded a plane again. For travel, he relied on cars and trains for trips across the U.S. and took cruise ships for his voyages to Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. It's an ironic twist, considering that his Foundation series has now ventured into deep space, thanks to SpaceX.

12. Isaac Asimov Met His Second Wife at a Book Signing Event.

Asimov married his first wife, Gertrude, in 1942 after a six-month courtship. Together, they had two children. Over time, their marriage began to deteriorate, as Asimov explained, "It's just that annoyances multiply, frictions come slowly to seem irreconcilable, forgiveness comes more reluctantly and with worse grace." Asimov later attributed some of the issues in their relationship to his wife's smoking habit and rheumatoid arthritis, but he insisted they stayed together until their children were older.

In 1956, Asimov Encountered Janet Jeppson at a Convention.

In 1956, Asimov was at a convention signing autographs when he met Janet Jeppson, a psychiatrist who was also a fan of his work. A few years later, they crossed paths again at a writers' banquet, sparking a friendship that grew over the next decade. When Asimov and his wife Gertrude separated in 1970, Jeppson helped him find an apartment in New York just a few blocks from hers. Soon after, they began dating, and after his divorce was finalized in 1973, Asimov married Janet just two weeks later.

Asimov collaborated with Jeppson on several sci-fi novels, including the Norby series. While she did most of the writing, he polished her manuscripts and let publishers add his name to the book covers so more copies would sell. In the '70s, Jeppson began writing science fiction novels for children, using the name J.O. Jeppson, and she took over her husband's pop-science column after his death. She also compiled and edited a few of Asimov's memoirs, collecting entries from his journals and excerpts from his letters.

14. Isaac Asimov Contracted HIV During a Blood Transfusion.

In 1977, Isaac Asimov suffered a heart attack. Six years later, in December 1983, he underwent triple bypass surgery. During the procedure, he received a blood transfusion, but unbeknownst to the doctors, the blood was infected with HIV. Asimov contracted the virus, which ultimately developed into AIDS. He passed away from complications related to AIDS, including heart and kidney failure, on April 6, 1992.

15. The true cause of Isaac Asimov's death wasn't disclosed until 2002.

Although Asimov's family debated revealing his AIDS diagnosis, his doctors advised against it, as public knowledge of HIV was still limited, and fear of the virus was widespread. His HIV status remained a secret until 2002, a decade after his death, when his wife Janet revealed it in her posthumous collection of his letters and writings, titled It's Been A Good Life. In a letter to Locus Magazine, Janet explained, "I had private disagreements with the doctors about this secrecy, but they prevailed, even after Isaac's death. With the doctors now gone, Isaac's daughter and I decided it was time to share the truth about his HIV."