A character named “Elon” appeared in Wernher von Braun’s 1952 science fiction novel Project Mars, which described a future where humans had colonized Mars. In the story, this Elon figure was elected as President of Mars.

Von Braun, who worked on rocket development for Nazi Germany and later became involved with NASA, wrote the book. The coincidence has recently drawn attention due to the real-life entrepreneur Elon Musk’s role in space exploration through SpaceX.

In the novel, “Elon” was not a personal name but rather the title of an elected leader—a position chosen by universal suffrage for five years.