Episode 1 - In the Abyss, by H. G. Wells

Though H.G. Wells is obviously one of the best-known masters of early science fiction, there are many of his works that are unknown to the larger audience. For those who dig deep into the genre, this story, written in 1896, will be familiar. But for most, it still represents an era of short storytelling that faded out with time. To gauge the significance of what Wells put on paper, it's worth keeping in mind that the device used in this story to visit the ocean depths was fully describing the bathysphere. But the bathysphere wouldn't be invented for another thirty years.

Wells also touched on the human predilection to dispose of various items in the ocean, by describing how they affect what lies below. In this description, Wells showed himself not only one of the first to be thinking about the ramifications of dumping waste, but was already thinking about less-obvious ways it might change the world it invades.