Can fiction inspire real-world action?

From NASA hiring sci-fi writers to imagine future tech to a new crop of corporate consultants using fiction worldbuilding tools to helps companies imagine the future, fiction seems to have a revival in a changing world.

This is not something new. After he wrote ‘Dune’, Frank Herbert was invited to participate in real-world desert greening projects. After he wrote ‘The Ministry for the Future’, Kim Stanley Robinson was invited by policy makers and companies to help them find solutions for a more sustainable future. The three-finger salute in ‘The Hunger Games’ was adopted by student protesters against the Thai government in 2020.

Generally, we tend to discuss books in terms of character, plot, prose, theme. These are valid ways of looking at writing. But what about their impact? As humans, we are wired for stories. If this is true, can stories change the world?

Do you know any stories that had real-world impact? I want to hear from you!