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From: bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Hear, Hear to  Peter Mikes
Message-ID: <548@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 11:59:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.548
Posted: Wed Aug 14 11:59:54 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 04:05:14 EDT
References: <466@sri-arpa.ARPA> <161@prometheus.UUCP> <591@mmintl.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 24

> In article <161@prometheus.UUCP> pmk@prometheus.UUCP (Paul M Koloc) writes:
> >  HOWEVER, [the laser] was ENVISIONED long before it was invented.
> >Take Flash Gordon movies and their use of the laser-like "death ray!".
> 
> It is easy to imagine a death ray.  The idea has undoubtably occurred
> independently to many people.  There are many possible inventions which
> could match this idea: lasers, particle beams, flamethrowers, etc.
> This is about as much of a coincidence as the fact that you and my
> uncle are both named Paul.

I believe that Archimedes is supposed to have used a sort of "death
ray" on enemy ships (a line of defenders with mirrors was alleged to
have focussed sunlight on invading ships, setting them afire).
It may not have been Archimedes, and I believe there is question about
whether it really happened, but the idea is certainly very old.

-- 
"Men never do evil so cheerfully and so completely as when they do so from
	religious conviction."  -- Blaise Pascal

	Bill Jefferys  8-%
	Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712   (USnail)
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