In 1873, French author Jules Verne astounded readers with his tale of adventurer Phileas Fogg pushing the then limits of the possible by travelling Around the World in 80 Days. Today European environmental satellite Envisat routinely makes the same trip every 100 minutes.
More at:
http://www.esa.int/export/esaEO/SEMDPYMKPZD_index_0.html