This article describes the Frank Reade dime novels, published in 1882, that are now recognized as the beginnings of the modern science fiction novel in the United States. They illustrate the hope that Americans of the time held for the future that newly invented technology could offer. Although the Frank Reade stories highlighted the promise of technology, they also provided a window into Gilded Age society. This article discusses some activities that focus on National Council for the Social Studies thematic strands and may be implemented in the classroom utilizing dime novels. (Contains 31 notes.)