"The First Men" is a 1960 science fiction short story by American writer Howard Fast. It was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in February 1960. It was later printed bundled with "The Martian Shop" (1959) in The Edge of Tomorrow. A full version of the story was also included in The Penguin Science Fiction Omnibus (1973) edited by Brian Aldiss. It is now freely available online. Plot introduction Fast's story is about how a group of scientists and educators, through a controlled environment, succeed in raising naturally gifted children into "man-plus"—people who possess comparatively super-human abilities. They possess unparalleled understanding of all technical subjects such as math, physics and unlock natural telepathy. They also excel at physical endeavors, such as sports and break numerous physical records. Their controlled environment, an isolated compound in California comprising , is a government sponsored facility granted for the raising of the children. The scientists were given fifteen years, later extended by three more years and a few weeks, to experimentally raise the children. By a very early age, the children surpass their teachers' knowledge. Plot summary The story begins as a series of communiqués between a sister, Jean Arbalaid, and her brother, Harry Felton, recently retired from the military. Jean and her husband, Mark, are renowned and well-connected psychologists. Since he is unemployed, Jean sends Harry on a series of trips to investigate some extreme cases of feral children. His reports back to her confirm her hypothesis that children are a result of their environment. Jean and Mark convince the US government to sponsor an experimental program to raise 40 children in a controlled environment, tailored to allow them to reach their full potential. The children in question, all babies when arriving at the government-sponsored compound, are all to be naturally gifted. The compound the government grants them is a secluded compound in California. The researchers are given 15 years to raise the children. Next she sends Harry to find a Professor Hans Goldbaum who, before World War II, had written a paper about how he had discovered a set of characteristics in babies that would determine whether or not they would grow to be mentally gifted. Finding him, Goldbaum agrees to join their project and he and Harry set out to find a diverse set of gifted babies (orphans and those they could buy) for the compound. After