In a certain sense, the story was also a showcase of the vastness of the British Empire at that time, as the majority of places visited by Fogg were British colonies. The journey, as described in the story, was technically possible with the new technology of its era. Advances such as the ceremonial last spike in a first transcontinental railroad in the United States of America (May 10, 1869), construction of the Suez Canal in Egypt (1869) and linking of Indian railways across the sub-continent (1870) were ushering in an era where-at least for a wealthy few-passengers on common carriers would be able to readily purchase around-the-world journeys which formerly were multi-year adventures attempted on sailing ships by a hardy, pioneering minority. Widespread deployment of steam power on land and sea was slashing travel times on an unprecedented scale in the mid to late 1800s an intercity journey by stagecoach that used to take a week was often completed same-day by rail. Unlike much of Verne's work, Around the World in Eighty Days is not a work of science fiction. The itinerary can, with some difficulty and deviations, be re-created today. The story describes Phileas Fogg of London and his French valet Jean Passepartout circumnavigating the world in 80 days in an effort to win a £20,000 wager-a small fortune in that era. Around the World in Eighty Days (French: Le tour du monde en quatre-vingt jours) is a novel by Jules Verne, described contemporaneously as taking place in the last quarter of 1872, as the historical British Empire on which "the sun never sets" was nearing its peak.
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