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Join our search for the 51st Thing! Exclusive podcast content - find out all about it after hearing how high-tech 'death ray' led to the invention of radar. The story begins in the 1930s, when British Air Ministry officials were worried about falling behind Nazi Germany in the technological arms race. They correctly predicted that the next war would be dominated by air power. To address the problem, Britain launched a number of projects in hopes of mitigating the threat - including a prize for developing a high-tech 'death ray' that could zap a sheep at a hundred paces. But even though the project failed to develop such a weapon, it did result in something potentially far more useful that was able to detect planes and submaries - radar. And it was an invention that was crucial in the development of the commercial aviation industry.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Ben Crighton.