Nikola Tesla was an inventor and physicist who is best remembered for his contributions to the
AC power system and radio, but he may have also built a death ray. At a 1937 luncheon in his
honor, Tesla claimed to have created a weapon that could shoot a concentrated beam of energy
capable of bringing down fleets of airplanes. He further claimed to have built, demonstrated, and
used this weapon. When Tesla entered negotiations with the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the
Soviet Union to sell his device, Tesla claimed that one of these parties had sent people to break
into his room and steal his invention, but that this theft was impossible since the blueprint for the
weapon was entirely in his mind. Unfortunately, Tesla died with the blueprint in his mind before
anyone could get one. On second thought, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.