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Thank you. It's 1942 at a glass manufacturer in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

33-year-old Edwin Land walks into a high-ceilinged room.

Normally, this is a research and development lab,

but its workbenchers and scientific equipment have all been cleared away. In their place, mounted on a pedestal in the center of the room,

is a machine gun. A few months ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and the United States

was dragged into World War II. Edwin immediately informed the U.S. government that the resources of his high-tech

company were at their disposal. Five years ago, he set up his Polaroid Corporation to produce a special

kind of glass with cutting-edge light-filtering properties. Today, he's testing a new type of military

training apparatus built using that technology a 3D combat simulator.

Edwin takes hold of the machine gun, just like the ones fitted to American bombers.

He points its barrel at a giant screen covering the wall at the far end of the lab.

Then he pulls a pair of goggles over his head.

These goggles have been fitted with the special lenses and make his surroundings look a little

blurry. But Edwin knows that's about to change. Speakers pipe in the low drone of the bomber's

engines into the room. Then the giant screen flickers to life, showing sharply focused clouds

slowly drifting through the sky. Edwin stares at the screen and grips the gun tightly.

Suddenly, a fighter plane dives across the picture. And thanks to Edwin's special 3D goggles,

the plane looks like it's about to fly right out of the screen. Edwin can't help flinching,

...