Best known for his Foundation series, Isaac Asimov is proof of the power of resilience and self-belief. Early in his career, faced with rejection letters from publishers, Asimov simply redirected his manuscripts to another hopeful recipient. This unwavering persistence led to a career that spanned over five decades, during which he wrote or edited over 500 books and 90,000 letters.

In 1973, showcasing his penchant for order and efficiency, Asimov proposed the World Season Calendar. It was a logical restructuring of the Gregorian calendar into a tidy framework of four 13-week seasons, plus an extra "year day," to keep things neat. Perhaps in this extra "year day" Asimov could have learned to swim, or ride a bicycle—two skills he missed out on as he was so busy penning bestsellers.