Death ray

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the science fiction weapon see Ray gun; for other meanings, see Deathray (disambiguation).

The death ray or death beam was a theoretical particle beam or electromagnetic weapon of the 1920s through the 1930s that was claimed to have been invented independently by Nikola Tesla, Edwin R. Scott, Harry Grindell Matthews, Graichen [1], as well as others. [2] By 1957 the National Inventors Council was still issuing lists of needed military inventions that included a death ray. [3] The concept was never put into action, but fueled science fiction stories, and led to the science fiction concept of the hand held ray gun used by fictional heroes such as Flash Gordon.

Contents

[edit] Archimedes

According to mythology, the concept of the "burning mirror" or death ray began with Archimedes who created such a mirror with an adjustable focal length to track and set fire to the Roman fleet as it invaded Syracuse. Historians, however, acknowledge that the earliest accounts of the battle did not mention a "burning mirror" and that only Archimedes' ingenuity combined with a way to hurl fire were relevant to the victory. A Byzantine writer hundreds of years later is suggested to have imagined this 2200-year-old death ray, which is attributed to Archimedes. [4]

[edit] Edwin R. Scott

Edwin R. Scott, an inventor from San Francisco, claimed he was the first to develop a death ray that would destroy human life and bring down planes at a distance. [5] He was born in Detroit, and he claimed he worked for nine years as a student and protegé of Charles P. Steinmetz. [6]

[edit] Harry Grindell-Matthews

Harry Grindell-Matthews tried to sell what he reported to be a death ray to the British Air Ministry in 1924. He was never able to show a functioning model or demonstrate it to the military. [5]

[edit] Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla claimed to have invented a death ray using what he termed teleforce in the 1930's and continuing the claims up until his death. [7] He offered the US War Department the secrets of his teleforce weapon on September 22, 1940 (http://www.rense.com/general10/deathray.htm) but was assumed to be crazy. Tesla then offered his device to several European countries. Records which recently turned up in Russia showed that his proposed death ray was based on a narrow stream of atomic clusters of liquid mercury or tungsten accelerated by high voltage, probably produced by a huge Tesla Coil. At the time of his death, a prototype compact version of the "death ray" called an "Anti-Tank gun" was located in a trunk in the basement of his hotel. Immediately after his death a Russian spy had raided the room and the safe containing the schematics of the "death ray". The FBI never found any of the important parts of the schematics nor the trunk with the prototype. The foundation is in "The Art of Projecting Concentrated Non-Dispersive Energy Through Natural Media."


[edit] References

  1. ^ "Finds a 'Death Ray' Fatal to Humans. German Scientist Says it Inflames and Destroys Cells, Hence Aids in Disease. Expects to Split Atom. Dr. Graichen Has Device to Make Blind See With Light Sent Through the Skull.", New York Times, June 4, 1928, Monday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "Berlin, June 3, 1928. The discovery of a new "death ray," capable of destroying, though not intended to destroy, human life, has just been announced by Dr. Graichen, a young physicist and engineer employed as an experimenter by the Siemens Halske Electric Company." 
  2. ^ "The 'Death Ray' Rivals.", New York Times, May 29, 1924, Thursday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "The inventors of a 'death ray' multiply every day. To H. Grindell-Matthews and Professor T.F. Wall have been added two other Englishmen, Prior and Raffe, and Grammachikoff, a Russian. Herr Wulle, 'chief of the militarists' in the Reichstag, has informed that body that the Government has a device that will bring down airplanes, stop tank engines, and 'spread a curtain of death.'" 
  3. ^ "Council Seeking Death Ray and Greaseless Bearing for Armed Forces", New York Times, November 3, 1957, Sunday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "Washington, DC, Nov. 2, 1959 (AP) Anyone who has a death ray lying around the house, a hole digger that disposes of the dirt as it goes along, or a greaseless ball bearing that can be used in temperatures ranging" 
  4. ^ The MythBusters television program attempted to replicate this idea, but found it highly impractical, partly due to the possibility of the power source (the sun) being unstable at night or on a cloudy day.
  5. ^ a b "Denies British Invented 'Death Ray'. E.R. Scott Asserts He and Other Americans Preceded Grindell-Matthews.", New York Times, September 5, 1924, Friday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "Washington, DC, September 4, 1924 Edwin R. Scott an inventor of San Francisco, today challenged the assertion of Mr. Grindell-Matthews, who sailed for London on the Homeric last week, that the latter was the first to develop a 'death-ray' that would destroy human life and bring down planes at a distance." 
  6. ^ "Death Stroke", Time (magazine), Monday, August 10, 1925. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. "Utmost secrecy always shrouds the structural details of new munitions of war. This one, announced last week by its inventor, Dr. Edwin R. Scott, is called the 'death stroke' or 'canned lightning.' The Navy Department, which has been in touch with Dr. Scott's researches, hinted that the ultraviolet ray was involved, but Dr. Scott stated specifically: 'There is no ray or beam about it.'" 
  7. ^ "Nikola Tesla Dies. Prolific Inventor. Alternating Power Current's Developer Found Dead in Hotel Suite Here. Claimed a 'Death Beam'. He Insisted the Invention Could Annihilate an Army of 1,000,000 at Once.", New York Times, January 8, 1943, Friday. Retrieved on 2007-07-21. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links