Project Gutenberg 2019-11-28 Public domain in the USA. 80 Major, R. W. Major, R.W. Monument Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, March 1960 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Monument" by R. W. Major is a science fiction short story published in the early 1960s. The narrative revolves around Dr. Charles King, a scientist known for his accidental discoveries, who aims to unveil his groundbreaking invention—perpetual motion. Through a mix of humor and science, the story explores the unintended consequences of scientific experimentation, as Dr. King deals with both his fame and infamy. The plot follows Dr. King's journey as he prepares for a press conference to showcase his invention, a pendulum designed to demonstrate perpetual motion. However, when he pulls the switch to activate his creation, nothing happens, leading to a series of comedic and tragic events, culminating in his unexpected heart attack amidst mockery from reporters. Unbeknownst to him, the machine does function, causing the entire Solar System to swing like a pendulum, revealing the irony in Dr. King's career and the tumultuous relationship between scientific ambition and its unforeseen ramifications. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 64.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Science fiction Short stories Scientists -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour 33571 2025-06-24T08:21:44.384649 text/html 9716 2024-10-17T14:58:56 text/html 92661 2025-06-24T08:21:46.092656 application/epub+zip 91506 2025-06-24T08:21:44.785661 application/epub+zip 75852 2025-06-24T08:21:44.560662 application/epub+zip 123172 2025-06-24T08:21:47.289649 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 116197 2025-06-24T08:21:45.888649 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 100684 2022-09-27T13:27:38.752204 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 27742 2023-09-26T06:54:15.201659 text/plain 7961 2024-10-17T14:58:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 15534 2025-06-24T08:21:47.434660 application/rdf+xml 30831 2025-06-24T08:21:44.650720 image/jpeg 5094 2025-06-24T08:21:44.604666 image/jpeg 292918 2025-06-24T08:21:44.395696 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog