When the World Screamed was a story written about Professor Challenger

Professor Challenger

George Edward Challenger, better known as Professor Challenger, is a fictional character in a series of science fiction stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...

 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...

. It was first published in Liberty Magazine, 25 February-3 March 1928.

Plot summary

Professor Challenger, with the help of Mr Edward Malone and Mr Peerless Jones, drills into the earth until he reaches the mantle

Mantle (geology)

The mantle is a part of a terrestrial planet or other rocky body large enough to have differentiation by density. The interior of the Earth, similar to the other terrestrial planets, is chemically divided into layers. The mantle is a highly viscous layer between the crust and the outer core....

, convinced that it is a sentient being, akin to an echinus

Echinus (sea urchin)

Echinus is a genus of sea urchins.-Species:Species in this genus include:* Echinus acutus de Lamarck, 1816* Echinus affinis Mortensen, 1903* Echinus alexandri Danielssen & Koren, 1883* Echinus elegans Düben & Koren, 1846...

, and that by doing so he will be the first person to alert it to mankind's presence. He awakens the giant creature, which then proceeds to destroy his excavation, covering the spectators with a noxious liquid in the process.

External links

• When the world screamed at the Classic Literature Library