Death ray
Encyclopedia
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
, and Graichen, as well as others. In 1957, the National Inventors
Council was still issuing lists of needed military inventions that included a death ray.
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.
Nikola Tesla
claimed to have invented a death ray which he called teleforce
in the 1930s and continued the claims up until his death.
Antonio Longoria
in 1934 claimed to have a death ray that could kill pigeons from four miles away and could kill a mouse enclosed in a "thick walled metal chamber".
. In Alfred Noyes
' 1940 novel The Last Man (US title: No Other Man), a death ray developed by a German
scientist named Mardok is unleashed in a global war and almost wipes out the human race.
Particle beam
A particle beam is a stream of charged or neutral particles which may be directed by magnets and focused by electrostatic lenses, although they may also be self-focusing ....
or electromagnetic
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...
weapon of the 1920s through the 1930s that was claimed to have been invented independently by Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, Edwin R. Scott, Harry Grindell Matthews
Harry Grindell Matthews
Harry Grindell Matthews was an English inventor who claimed to have invented a death ray in the 1920s.-Earlier life and inventions:...
, and Graichen, as well as others. In 1957, the National Inventors
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
Council was still issuing lists of needed military inventions that included a death ray.
History
Edwin R. Scott, an inventor of San Francisco, claimed he was the first to develop a death ray that would destroy human life and bring down planes at a distance. He was born in Detroit, and he claimed he worked for nine years as a student and protégé of Charles P. Steinmetz.Harry Grindell-Matthews tried to sell what he reported to be a death ray to the British Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
in 1924. He was never able to show a functioning model or demonstrate it to the military.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
claimed to have invented a death ray which he called teleforce
Teleforce
Teleforce was Nikola Tesla's charged particle beam projector, first mentioned publicly in the New York Sun and New York Times on July 11, 1934.-Introduction:...
in the 1930s and continued the claims up until his death.
Antonio Longoria
Antonio Longoria
Antonio Longoria was a scientist who claimed to have invented a death ray in the 1930s.-Biography:He was born in Madrid, Spain on August 14, 1890. He received his degree in engineering and a Ph.D. in medicine. In 1911 he emigrated to the United States. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he married...
in 1934 claimed to have a death ray that could kill pigeons from four miles away and could kill a mouse enclosed in a "thick walled metal chamber".
The death ray in science fiction
Although the concept of a death ray was never put into action, it fueled science fiction stories and led to the science fiction concept of the hand held ray gun used by fictional heroes such as Flash GordonFlash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
. In Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes was an English poet, best known for his ballads, "The Highwayman" and "The Barrel-Organ".-Early years:...
' 1940 novel The Last Man (US title: No Other Man), a death ray developed by a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
scientist named Mardok is unleashed in a global war and almost wipes out the human race.
In popular culture
- The idea that a death ray was possibly invented by Nikola TeslaNikola TeslaNikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
and may have caused the Tunguska eventTunguska eventThe Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
was explored in an episode of Dark Matters: Twisted but TrueDark Matters: Twisted But TrueDark Matters: Twisted But True is a television series featured on the Science Channel. It is hosted by John Noble.- External Links :*...
in a story entitled "Radio Waves of Death".
See also
- Heat-rayHeat-RayThe Heat-Ray is the primary offensive weapon used by the Martians in H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds and its offshoots.- In the novel :...
- Surgical strikeSurgical strikeA surgical strike is a military attack which results in, was intended to result in, or is claimed to have resulted in only damage to the intended legitimate military target, and no or minimal collateral damage to surrounding structures, vehicles, buildings, etc....
- Sonic weaponrySonic weaponrySonic and ultrasonic weapons are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction...
- Science fiction weapon
- Strategic Defense InitiativeStrategic Defense InitiativeThe Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...