Douglas Adams – Hitching a Ride with Generations of Fans Douglas Adams was a man of entertainment. His body of work includes radio shows, books, and scripts for the famous television series “Dr. Who.” However, Adams is most famous for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. A story of interstellar travels, and why one should always have a towel handy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has captivated generations of readers. What follows is a look into Douglas Adams’ life, a peek into what the story is all about, and the legacy The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has left in its wake.
Douglas Adams Noel was born March 3rd, 1952 in Cambridge. Attending St. John’s College in England, Adams achieved a Master’s degree in English literature.
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Arthur Dent, our main character, dressed only in his bathrobe and pajamas is ready to lay down in front of the construction equipment to prevent them from bulldozing his home. Enter his friend, Ford, and alien who has hitchhiked his way to Earth. Ford knows there is a bigger problem coming their way and that to save his friend he needs to get him off the planet. Arming Arthur with the necessary towel, the two proceed to hitchhike onto a passing ship, moments before the Earth is destroyed. The purpose of destroying Earth is to make way for a new intergalactic freeway. Unfortunately, the duo has landed on a ship of paper-pushing villains, and must hitchhike again. This time they are picked up by the President of the Universe, Zaphod Beeblebrox, who has stolen a ship with an improbability drive and kidnapped himself, and his companion, Trillion. The ships companion turns out to be Arthur’s long lost love interest who was lured by Zaphod into seeing the galaxy and having an adventure. The foursome travels to the universe's strongest computer to find the answer to basically everything. This seemingly nonsensical story has had broad impact on generations of readers. One such reader credits the fact that he takes a towel everywhere he goes, as the guide instructs, for saving his life. Tim Wynne-Jones fell during a hike in a remote area of Kathmandu. He states that a towel “would also seem to come in useful if you find yourself in a far-flung corner of our own modest little “mostly harmless” planet” (Wynne-Jones). His bright orange towel is what flagged down passersby, who rescued