Harry Grindell Matthews facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Grindell Matthews
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Matthews in 1924
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| Born | March 17, 1880 Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, England
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| Died | September 11, 1941 (aged 61) |
| Education | Merchant Venturer's School |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Spouse(s) | Ganna Walska (m. 1938–1941; his death) |
Harry Grindell Matthews (born March 17, 1880 – died September 11, 1941) was an English inventor. He was famous for claiming to have invented a "death ray" in the 1920s.
Contents
Harry's Early Life and Cool Inventions
Harry Grindell Matthews was born on March 17, 1880, in Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, England. He went to the Merchant Venturers' School in Bristol. After his studies, he became an electronic engineer. During the Second Boer War, he served in the South African police force. He was injured twice during his service.
The Aerophone: Talking to Airplanes
In 1911, Matthews announced a new invention called the "Aerophone." This was a type of radiotelephone. He said it could send messages between a ground station and an airplane. He claimed it worked from a distance of two miles. The British government became interested in his experiments. On July 4, 1912, he even visited Buckingham Palace.
However, when the British Admiralty (the part of the government in charge of the navy) asked for a demonstration, Matthews had a strange request. He demanded that no experts be present. During the demonstration, four observers started taking notes and looked closely at his equipment. Matthews quickly stopped the demonstration and sent them away.
Newspapers supported Matthews, but the War Office (another government department) said there was no tampering. They claimed the demonstration simply failed. Later, the government said it was all a misunderstanding.
Remote Control Boats and Talking Pictures
In 1914, when the First World War began, the British government offered a reward. They would pay £25,000 to anyone who could create a weapon against zeppelins. They also wanted a way to remotely control unmanned vehicles. Matthews claimed he had a remote control system. It used special selenium cells.
He successfully showed his remote control system with a boat. He controlled it from a distance for the Admiralty at Richmond Park's Penn Pond. He received the £25,000 reward. However, the Admiralty never used his invention.
Matthews appeared in public again in 1921. He claimed to have invented the world's first talking picture. This was an interview with explorer Ernest Shackleton. It was recorded on September 16, 1921. This happened just before Shackleton's last expedition. The film was not a big success. Other talking picture methods already existed. But Matthews said his was the first to put sound-on-film.
The Mysterious Death Ray
In 1923, Matthews claimed his most famous invention: an electric ray. He said it could stop magnetos. These parts are important for engines to work. In a demonstration for some journalists, he stopped a motorcycle engine from a distance. He also claimed that with enough power, his ray could do amazing things. He said it could shoot down airplanes, explode gunpowder, stop ships, and even disable soldiers from four miles away. Newspapers quickly published exciting stories about his invention.
Government Interest and Doubts
The War Office contacted Matthews in February 1924. They asked for a demonstration of his ray. Matthews did not reply to them directly. Instead, he spoke to journalists. He showed a reporter from The Star how his ray could ignite gunpowder from a distance. He still refused to explain how the ray worked. He just insisted that it did. When the British government did not immediately buy his ideas, he announced he had an offer from France.
The Air Ministry was cautious. They had bad experiences with inventors before. Matthews was invited back to London. He was asked to demonstrate his ray to the armed forces on April 26. In his laboratory, they saw his ray switch on a light bulb and turn off a motor. However, he failed to convince the officials. They suspected he was using a trick or a confidence game. When the British Admiralty asked for another demonstration, Matthews refused.
On May 27, 1924, a court in London stopped Matthews from selling his death ray rights. This was because his investors wanted to protect their money. When a Major Wimperis arrived to make a new deal, Matthews had already flown to Paris. His backers rushed to Croydon airport to stop him, but they were too late.
Public Debate and Matthews' Refusal
The public excitement led other inventors to offer their own "death rays." None of them were convincing. On May 28, Commander Kenworthy asked in the House of Commons what the government would do. He wanted to know how they would stop Matthews from selling his ray to another country. The Under Secretary for Air replied that Matthews would not let them properly investigate the ray. A government official also said that one person had stood in front of the ray and was fine. Newspapers continued to support Matthews.
The government asked Matthews to prove his ray worked. They wanted him to stop a petrol motorcycle engine under specific conditions. He would get £1000 and more money later. From France, Matthews said he would not give that kind of proof. He claimed he already had eight offers to choose from. He also said his experiments had caused him to lose sight in his left eye. His connection with a French supporter, Eugene Royer, made Britain even more suspicious.
Sir Samuel Instone and his brother offered Matthews a large salary. They wanted him to keep the ray in Britain and prove it worked. Matthews refused again. He did not want to show proof that the ray worked as he claimed.
Matthews returned to London on June 1, 1924. He gave an interview to the Sunday Express. He claimed he had a deal with Royer. The press again took his side. The only demonstration Matthews was willing to give was for a Pathé film called The Death Ray. He wanted to spread his ideas his own way. The device in the movie looked nothing like what government officials had seen.
In July 1924, Matthews went to the United States to sell his invention. He was offered $25,000 to show his beam at the Radio World Fair. This event was at Madison Square Garden. Again, he refused. He falsely claimed he was not allowed to demonstrate it outside England. US scientists were not impressed. One professor even offered to stand in front of the device to show he did not believe it. When Matthews returned to Britain, he claimed the USA had bought his ray. But he would not say who bought it or for how much. Matthews later moved to the US and started working for Warner Bros..
More of Harry's Inventions
In 1925, he invented something he called the "luminaphone."
On December 24, 1930, Matthews was back in England. He had a new invention: a Sky Projector. This device could project pictures onto clouds. He showed it in Hampstead. He projected an angel, the words "Happy Christmas," and a clock face onto the clouds. He showed it again in New York. This invention was also not successful. By 1931, he was facing serious money problems. He had used most of his investors' money to live in fancy hotels.
In 1934, Matthews found new investors. He moved to Tor Clawdd, Betws, in South Wales. He built a strong laboratory and his own airfield. In 1935, he claimed he was working on aerial mines. In 1937, he said he had invented a system to detect submarines. In 1938, he married Ganna Walska. She was a Polish-American opera singer and perfumer. She had been married four times before. Her previous husbands had been very wealthy.
In 1935, he worked with a wealthy woman named Lucy, Lady Houston. He planned to test his submarine detection ideas from her luxury yacht, the Liberty. Later research in 2010 explained how Matthews faced difficulties in carrying out his plans.
Later, he promoted the idea of the "stratoplane." He also joined the British Interplanetary Society. His reputation for strange inventions meant the British Government was no longer interested in his ideas.
Personal Life
Harry Grindell Matthews was the fifth husband of singer Ganna Walska. They got married in 1938. He passed away from a heart attack on September 11, 1941.
See also
- Samuel Alfred Warner - another inventor who claimed to have created naval weapons in the early 1800s.
