"De la terre à la lune: trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes" by Jules Verne is a science fiction novel published in 1865. After the American Civil War ends, a Baltimore gun club of former artillerymen seeks new purpose by proposing an audacious project: launching a cannon shell to the Moon. When a French adventurer volunteers to travel inside a hollow projectile, the club's president and his rival join him for the journey, transforming scientific ambition into human exploration. Their December launch marks the beginning of an extraordinary voyage.