Herbert George Wells was born in the London suburb of Bromley, Kent, England on September 21, 1866. His father worked as a shopkeeper and a professional cricketer until he broke his leg. He developed an early love for literature by secretly reading books in the library of an estate where his mother sometimes worked as a housekeeper. His father's business failed, so young Wells was apprenticed to a draper. Wells became a teacher/pupil at Midhurst Grammar School in 1883. He obtained a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London but left in 1887 without a degree. He then taught in private schools for four years, earning his B.S. degree in 1890. In 1891, he married his cousin Isabel, while continuing to teach for a correspondence college. After 1893, Wells worked as a full-time writer, soon leaving Isabel for one of his brightest students, Amy Catherine, who he married in 1895. His first novel was "The Time Machine," a parody of the English class system. "The Island of Dr. Moreau," a tale about a mad scientist transforming animals into human-like creatures soon followed in 1896. In 1897 came "The Invisible Man," a Faustian story about a scientist who tries to gain extraordinary powers via his research. The following year came "War of the Worlds," a story of a Martian invasion of Earth made even more famous by Orson Welles' authentic sounding Mercury Theater radio broadcast which created a panic in the United States in 1938. In the early 1900's, Wells became a socialist who wrote mostly about social topics, his most important works being "Kipps," "The History of Mr Polly" and "The Outline of History." Although he soon grew disenchanted with socialism's leaders, he met with Lenin in 1920 and continued to push for various reforms such as the League of Nations. Although hopeful for the best, he was extremely pessimistic about mankind's chances and warned that scientific and cultural advances are not always beneficial. With the rise of Nazism, Wells was quick to condemn Hitler, causing his books to be burned by Goebbels during the infamous book burnings at German universities. The German SS also placed Wells near the top of their list of people to be executed once the Nazis seized control of Britain. Unfazed, Wells spent his last years in London, refusing to relocate for the German Blitz of WWII before his death at his home on August 13, 1946.