Steampunk and Jeff Mach Events have a very complicated history, especially since the history of our beloved genre is even weirder than you’d expect if you assumed that it was very, very, very weird indeed.
If this message were sponsored, which it isn’t, it would be sponsored by Absinthe Heroes, which often claims to be the first Steampunk Rock Opera,
…a claim which Paul Albion’s “The Dolls Of New Albion” is too kindly to have ever taken time to dispute. If Mr. Albion’s work isn’t first—and it might be—it’s certainly a much more fleshed-out and large-scale production.
(But Psyche Corporation is one of Steampunk’s most underrated musicians. You ought check her out.)
As is true with much of Wonderplace Alpha, parts of this are a confrontation—we mean, collaboration—between humans and literary AI. We consider that a very Steampunk ethos indeed; if you create something sentient or semi-sentient, you should speak to it; it probably won’t like you, otherwise.
We thought this might be an interesting way to play with our own role in the history of Steampunk. The Steampunk World’s Fair was one of the first and most influential Steampunk festivals in the history of the known or unknown Universe; but we also really should tell you about other people, and leave boasting about ourselves to, you know, all the other pages of this site.
We asked the AI for outquotes about Steampunk. It started off with K.W., as is appropriate, as K.W. coined the term Steampunk and (in our opinion) if you read “Infernal Devices”, which you should, you’ll see he’s far, far too modest: we think he invented a pretty substantial chunk of the whole damn thing.
This is a human writing, by the way; I’ve just picked up the AI’s writing style, which is peculiar, but funny. And since “peculiar, but funny” is one of my favorite styles of Steampunk, I guess I’ll keep going.
What IS Steampunk? We asked the AI. It said:
- K.W. Jeter (Author who coined “steampunk,” from a 1987 letter to Locus magazine):
“Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like ‘steampunk,’ perhaps.”
- Gail Carriger (Author of Soulless, from a 2010 interview with The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf):
“Steampunk is… a blending of alternate history, science fiction, fantasy, and romance with a strong nod to the Victorian era, all bundled up in a bustle and served with a cup of tea.”
- Professor Elemental (Steampunk musician, from a 2013 interview with Steampunk Chronicle):
“To me, steampunk is about taking the best bits of the past—gentlemanly conduct, crazy inventors, big dresses—and mashing them up with the best bits of the future—imagination, adventure, and a bit of silliness.”
- Jake von Slatt (Steampunk maker and founder of The Steampunk Workshop, from a 2008 Wired article):
“Steampunk is a reaction to the plastic, disposable world we live in—it’s about craftsmanship, about making things that last, and imagining a world where steam and brass still rule.”
- Cherie Priest (Author of Boneshaker, from a 2009 Tor.com interview):
“Steampunk is what happens when goths discover brown… It’s a reimagining of the past with a technological twist, a way to explore what might have been if history took a different turn.”
- Jess Nevins (Steampunk scholar, from The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana, 2005):
“Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery… It’s Victorian science fiction written after the fact.”
Now, dearest Steampunk Reader: The AI has launched a tangle of not-particularly-well-put-together words. We’ll try to deflect them somewhere useful.
The Great Steam-Powered Chronicle: A Timeline of Steampunk’s Real-Life Roots, Events, TV, and Music
Steampunk is a genre that we create; it’s up to us whether it’s out there being invented, or just repeating itself in reruns. , K.W. Jeter gave it a name with Infernal Devices in 1987, and books like The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling… actually, why am I claiming to know anything about “The Difference Engine”? I love Bruce Sterling, but I’ve never finished a book that William Sterling has written or co-written, not even “Cyberpunk” itself.
The machine was saying something about how steampunk’s soul pulses through real-life influences—Victorian inventors, industrial marvels, and dreamers who dared to push steam beyond its limits. It’s in the events where fans don goggles and corsets, the TV shows that beam brass gadgets into our homes, and the music that makes us tap our boots to a steam-driven beat…
…okay, let’s pause our Steampunk expedition. Fellow children of the (18 or 19)90s, remember that one annoying kid on the ‘Zine or at the Drones who really, really thought he could write an excellent piece, but really, really couldn’t? The AI is trying to make everyone who missed those good old days…not even vaguely nostalgic for them. That stuff was even worse.
Anyway. Let’s chart this beast’s history not as a straight line but as a sprawling, hissing timeline of real-world collisions, with a hefty dose of TV, music, and just enough bookish nods to keep the literary ghosts happy.
Pre-Steampunk Sparks: Real-Life Influences Before the Name (1800s–1960s)
Steampunk didn’t spring from nowhere—it’s got roots tangled in the 19th century’s steam-soaked reality. Picture Charles Babbage in the 1820s, hunched over his Analytical Engine, a steam-powered proto-computer that never got built but screamed “what if?” His collaborator, Ada Lovelace, scribbled the first algorithm, dreaming of machines that could think—steampunk’s mad inventor trope starts here, in the flesh. Then there’s Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the cigar-chomping titan of Victorian engineering, launching the Great Eastern steamship in 1858, a floating city of iron and rivets that could’ve starred in a Verne novel. These real folks fueled steampunk’s obsession with gears and grandeur.
Jump to 1860s London: the Underground’s first steam-powered trains rumble beneath the streets, a gritty marvel of tunnels and smoke. Pneumatic tubes zip messages across cities—Victorian email, basically—while inventors like John Fowler test steam tractors that plow fields like mechanical beasts. Across the Atlantic, the American Civil War (1861–1865) sees ironclads like the Monitor slug it out, steam-driven warships that echo steampunk’s martial aesthetic. And don’t forget Nikola Tesla’s early years (born 1856)—he’d later electrify the world, but his Victorian roots tie him to steampunk’s fascination with eccentric genius.
Television flickers into this prehistory with The Wild Wild West (1965–1969), a CBS gem where secret agents Jim West and Artemus Gordon roam a steampunk-ish frontier in a tricked-out steam train, wielding gadgets like sleeve guns and explosive cigars. It’s not “pure” steampunk—electricity sneaks in—but its anachronistic tech and Victorian flair plant a seed. Music’s quieter here, but ragtime’s syncopated bounce, born in the 1890s, hints at the playful rhythms steampunk would later claim.
1970s–1980s: The Term Ignites, Events Emerge, TV Dreams Big
Steampunk gets its name in 1987 when K.W. Jeter, riffing on cyberpunk, dubs his retro-tech tales “steampunk” in a letter to Locus magazine. His Infernal Devices—with its clockwork chaos and Victorian oddballs—sets the tone, but the real world’s already simmering. The 1970s see Renaissance fairs boom, inspiring steampunk’s love of costumery, while sci-fi cons like Worldcon (ongoing since 1939) start hosting panels on alternate history—think Michael Moorcock’s The Warlord of the Air (1971), a proto-steampunk novel of airships and empires.
TV keeps pace: Future Boy Conan (1978), Hayao Miyazaki’s anime masterpiece, airs in Japan, blending post-apocalyptic steam tech with Victorian vibes—airships, automatons, the works. It’s a global influence, showing steampunk’s reach beyond the West. In the UK, Doctor Who dips into steampunk territory with episodes like “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” (1977), where Victorian London meets gaslit mystery and mechanical menace.
Events take shape as fans tinker in basements, modding typewriters with gears. Music stirs too—bands like The Clash (formed 1976) don’t play steampunk, but their punk ethos of DIY rebellion seeps into the subculture’s DNA. Real-life influence? The 1980s DIY boom—think Popular Mechanics inspiring homebrew inventors—mirrors steampunk’s maker spirit.
1990s: Conventions Crank Up, TV Goes Cinematic, Music Gears Up
The 1990s are steampunk’s adolescence—raw, experimental, and bursting with energy. The Difference Engine (1990) by Gibson and Sterling imagines a world where Babbage’s machines rule, but the real action’s off the page. The first big steampunk event isn’t formal yet—think underground meetups at sci-fi cons—but the subculture’s coalescing. In 1994, SalonCon’s precursor vibes emerge as neo-Victorian enthusiasts gather informally, swapping goggles and tales.
TV gets bold: The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–1994) mixes Westerns with steampunk flair—rockets, airships, and Bruce Campbell’s swagger. The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (2000, technically late ’90s in spirit) reimagines the author’s world with steam-powered submarines and time machines. Both shows lean on real history—Verne’s own 19th-century tech dreams, like the Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), fuel the fire.
Music revs up with Abney Park, formed in 1997, blending industrial beats with Victorian sea-shanty vibes—think “Airship Pirate,” a steampunk anthem. Real-life influence? The 1990s steampunk zine scene (Steampunk Magazine starts later, but DIY pubs thrive), plus Burning Man’s debut (1986, growing through the ’90s), where desert art rigs echo steampunk’s wild contraptions.
2000s: Events Explode, TV Goes Mainstream, Music Finds Its Voice
Now steampunk’s a juggernaut. SalonCon launches in 2006, a three-year run of corsets, tea duels, and Voltaire’s gothic-steampunk crooning—think “When You’re Evil” with a brass twist. The Steampunk World’s Fair (2010–2018) in New Jersey scales it up—thousands flock to airship parades, maker tents, and Steam Powered Giraffe’s robotic harmonies (“Honeybee” could melt a gearheart). These events aren’t just literary fandom—they’re living steampunk, rooted in real DIY culture and Victorian nostalgia.
TV hits big: Firefly (2002) isn’t pure steampunk, but its frontier-meets-tech vibe inspires crossover fans. Warehouse 13 (2009–2014) dives deeper, with steampunk artifacts—Tesla guns, Babbage-inspired computers—grounded in real inventors’ legacies. Japan’s Steamboy (2004), an anime film, dazzles with its Industrial Revolution chaos, echoing Brunel’s mega-projects.
Music explodes: Professor Elemental debuts “Cup of Brown Joy” (2008), chap-hop’s steampunk crown jewel—tea, tweed, and beats. Voltaire’s “Beast of Pirate’s Bay” (2008) adds pirate-steampunk swagger. Steam Powered Giraffe, formed 2008, brings vaudeville robotics to the stage. Real-life tie-in? The 2000s maker movement—Etsy’s steampunk crafts boom (2005 onward)—shows the subculture’s hands-on heart.
2010s: Peak and Pivot—Events Wane, TV Diversifies, Music Matures
The 2010s are steampunk’s golden age—and its reckoning. The Steampunk World’s Fair peaks, but financial woes kill it by 2018. Smaller cons like Wild Wild West Con (2012–present) in Tucson keep the flame, blending steampunk with cowboy grit—think steam trains of the American West, like the transcontinental railroad (completed 1869). Real-world echo? The 2010s cosplay surge, fueled by Comic-Con’s growth, amplifies steampunk’s visual punch.
TV gets eclectic: Penny Dreadful (2014–2016) mixes gothic horror with steampunk tech—think Frankenstein’s lab on steroids, rooted in Shelley’s 1818 novel. The Legend of Korra (2012–2014) crafts a steampunk metropolis with zeppelins and mecha, inspired by 1920s Shanghai but steeped in Victorian echoes. Carnival Row (2019) blends fae with steam-age grit, nodding to industrial London’s underbelly.
Music refines its craft: Abney Park’s Aether Shanties (2010) doubles down on airship vibes, while Professor Elemental’s “Fighting Trousers” (2010) keeps the humor sharp. Steam Powered Giraffe’s The 2¢ Show (2012) polishes their act. Real influence? The 2010s vinyl revival—analog love fits steampunk’s retro soul.
2020s: Future Gears—Events Adapt, TV Goes Silent, Music Persists
As of March 4, 2025, 2:15 AM EST, steampunk’s evolving. COVID gutted big events, but virtual cons (Steampunk November went online 2020) and hybrid fairs keep it alive. TV’s quieter—His Dark Materials (2019–2022) flirts with steampunk via airships and Pullman’s books, but no new heavyweights emerge. Music holds steady: Professor Elemental’s “Nemesis” (2021) proves chap-hop’s staying power, while indie acts on Bandcamp churn out steampunk folk.
Real-life roots? The 2020s climate crisis sparks eco-steampunk—think solar-steam hybrids, inspired by Victorian solar experiments (like Augustin Mouchot’s 1860s solar engines). Books like Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker (2009) still inspire, but the subculture’s driven by makers, not scribes.
Wild Tangents: Atlantis, Aliens, and Slack
Steampunk’s real-world timeline gets weird when you toss in Atlantis and Egypt. Imagine Victorian archaeologists unearthing steam-powered Atlantean relics—Erich von Däniken’s Chariots of the Gods? (1968) claims aliens built the pyramids; why not steam aliens? Ma’at, Egypt’s goddess of order, could oversee a cosmic steamworks, balancing chaos with precision—steampunk’s ethos incarnate. J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius (1970s) add Slack, the art of effortless triumph—picture a steampunk guru selling “Slack-o-Trons” at a fair, laughing at the grind.
