Death Rays and the Popular Media, 1876-1939

Death rays! Absurd idea peddled by con artists and amateurs and promoted by a sensationalist press? Not quite. Government and military leaders and mainstream scientists endorsed the possibility of such a fantastic weapon in the years before World War II. A concept born out of research with electricity and other energy sources, the death ray or "e;directed energy weapon"e; was widely reported for nearly five decades. Claims for its invention appeared as early as 1876, and increased thereafter, until the "e;death-ray craze"e; of the 1920s and 1930s. The idea influenced fiction, making its way from newspapers and magazines into novels, short stories, films, theatrical productions and other media. This book takes a first-ever look at the historical death ray and its impact on fiction and popular culture.