English
William J. Fanning, Jr., Fanning
(author)
Death Rays and the Popular Media, 1876-1939 ebook
151,31 DKK
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 …
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.
Ebook
151,31 DKK
Publisher
McFarland
Published
01.08.2015
Length
280 pages
Genres
Films, cinema
Language
English
Format
epub
DRM
LCP
ISBN
9781476621920
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.