page_title: Harry Grindell Matthews
section_title: Death ray
hierarchical_section_title: Harry Grindell Matthews / Death ray
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of a purported "death ray" invented by British engineer Harry Grindell Matthews from a 1925 radio magazine. In 1921 Grindell-Matthews claimed to have invented a ray that would stop a magneto. In a demonstration to some select journalists he purportedly stopped a motorcycle engine from a distance. He claimed that with more power it could shoot down airplanes, explode gunpowder, stop ships and incapacitate infantry from a distance of 4 miles. He refused to say how the ray worked or allow anyone to examine it. In 1924 the British War Office contacted him and asked for a demonstration. He didn't answer them, but in a demonstration to a newspaperman reportedly ignited gunpowder. The popular media was fascinated with him and he became a celebrity. The British He went to France, then the United States, threatening to sell it to a foreign power if the British did not meet his terms. Despite his claims to have "8 offers" for his device, and several subsequent false announcements, apparently no government agency would invest. By the time this picture was published, he was working for Warner Brothers movie studio. A 1924 film The Death Ray by Pathé shows Grindell-Matthews operating a (fictional) death ray cannon; this picture may have been taken from that film. Caption:"CARRIER RAYS THAT KILL. A spectacular night-demonstration of the "death ray" apparatus of H. Grindell-Matthews (described in detail by the inventor for the first time in Popular Radio) was recently held on the island of Flatholme in England. The inventor states that this machine is now capable of projecting its death-dealing powers more than 3,000 feet. "
context_page_description: Harry Grindell Matthews was an English inventor who claimed to have invented a death ray in the 1920s.
context_section_description: In 1923 Matthews claimed that he had invented an electric ray that would put magnetos out of action. In a demonstration to some select journalists he stopped a motorcycle engine from a distance. He also claimed that with enough power he could shoot down aeroplanes, explode gunpowder, stop ships and incapacitate infantry from the distance of four miles. Newspapers obliged by publishing sensational accounts of his invention.
  The War Office contacted Matthews in February 1924 to request a demonstration of his ray. Matthews did not reply to them but spoke to journalists and demonstrated the ray to a Star reporter by igniting gunpowder from a distance. He still refused to say how the ray actually worked, but just insisted that it did. When the British government still refused to rush to buy his ideas, he announced that he had an offer from France.
  The Air Ministry was wary, partly because of previous bad experiences with would-be inventors. Matthews was invited back to London to demonstrate his ray on 26 April to the armed forces. In Matthews's laboratory they saw how his ray switched on a light bulb and cut off a motor. He failed to convince the officials, who also suspected trickery or a confidence game. When the British Admiralty requested further demonstration, Matthews refused to give it.
  On 27 May 1924, the High Court in London granted an injunction to Matthew's investors that forbade him from selling the rights to the death ray. When Major Wimperis arrived at Matthews's laboratory to negotiate a new deal, Matthews had already flown to Paris. Matthews's backers appeared on the scene as well and then rushed to Croydon airport to stop him, but were too late.
  Public furore attracted interest of various other would-be inventors who wanted to demonstrate their own death rays to the War Office. None of them were convincing. On 28 May Commander Kenworthy asked in the House of Commons what the government intended to do to stop Matthews from selling the ray to a foreign power. The Under Secretary for Air answered that Matthews was not willing to let them investigate the ray to their satisfaction. A government representative also stated that one ministry official had stood before the ray and survived. Newspapers continued to root for Matthews.
  The government required that Matthews would use the ray to stop a petrol motorcycle engine in the conditions that would satisfy the Air Ministry. He would receive £1000 and further consideration. From France, Matthews answered that he was not willing to give any proof of that kind and that he already had eight bids to choose from. He also claimed that he had lost sight in his left eye because of his experiments. His involvement with his French backer Eugene Royer aroused further suspicions in Britain.
  Sir Samuel Instone and his brother Theodore offered Matthews a huge salary if he would keep the ray in Britain and demonstrate that it actually worked. Matthews refused again – he did not want to give any proof that the ray worked as he claimed it would.
  Matthews returned to London 1 June 1924 and gave an interview to the Sunday Express. He claimed that he had a deal with Royer. The press again took his side. The only demonstration Matthews was willing to give was to make a Pathé film The Death Ray to propagate his ideas to his own satisfaction. The device in the movie bore no resemblance to the one government officials had seen.
  In July 1924, Matthews left for the US to market his invention. When he was offered $25,000 to demonstrate his beam to the Radio World Fair at Madison Square Garden, he again refused and claimed, without foundation, that he was not permitted to demonstrate it outside England. US scientists were not impressed. One Professor Woods offered to stand in front of the death ray device to demonstrate his disbelief. Regardless, when Matthews returned to Britain, he claimed that the USA had bought his ray but refused to say who had done it and for how much. Matthews moved to the US and began to work for Warner Bros.
caption: 1925 photo that purports to show a night demonstration of the ray on the island of Flat Holm
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