Back in the Golden Age of science fiction, a rough outline of the future began to form. It was largely hinted at in various stories that shared many common attributes. Whether or not this was done consciously is unknown, but the fans noticed the trends in the stories and pieced it together. Thus formed the Standard Sci Fi History. Although the details greatly vary, the outline was basically the same: Also called "Consensus Cosmogony" by Donald A. Wollheim, a science fiction fan and scholar who identified the trope. See also The Trope History of the Universe.