H.G. Wells was born in 1866 in Bromley, Kent, England. The youngest son of a shopkeeper and a maid, Wells was educated at Bromley Academy. His first novel, The Time Machine, was published in 1895. The novels The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896) and the War of the Worlds (1898) followed. First published in 1897, The Invisible Man is one of the most famous scientific fantasies ever written. The novel established the author's career, and 100 years later is a major reason Wells is still remembered as one of the first and best writers of science fiction and fantasy. He died in 1946.