British · 1952–2001
Douglas Adams created "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and permanently altered comic science fiction. The British author began the franchise as a BBC radio series, then expanded it into novels that combined absurdist humor with genuine philosophical wit. Adams's invention of the number 42 as the answer to life, the universe, and everything entered popular culture. He died at forty-nine, leaving fans to wonder what he might have written next.