Hello, it's Tim Halford here. Before we get started on the invention of radar,

I wanted to let you know that at the end of this episode, I'll be telling you how you can help me

choose a 51st thing. That is, if you're listening to this in August or early September 2017,

details coming up in approximately 9 minutes.

50 Things That Made The Modern Economy With Tim Halford

In Kenya's Rift Valley, Samson Kamau sat at home,

wondering when he'd be able to get back to work. He should have been in a greenhouse on the shores

of Lake Nyvasha as usual, packing roses for exports to Europe. But the outbound cargo flights

were grounded. Because the Icelandic volcano, A. Affiattler-Yurkuk, had, without sparing the slightest

thought for Samson, spewed a cloud of dangerous ash into Europe's airspace. Nobody knew how long

the disruption might last. Workers like Samson feared for their jobs. Business owners had to throw

away tons of flowers that were wilting in crates at Nairobi Airport.

As it happened, flights was yomed within a few days. But the interruption dramatically

illustrated just how much of the modern economy relies on flying, beyond the 10 million

passengers who get on flights every day. A. Affiattler-Yurkuk reduced global output by nearly

five billion dollars. You could trace the extent of our reliance on air travel to many inventions,

the jet engine perhaps, or the aeroplane itself. But sometimes one invention needs another to unlock

its full potential. For the aviation industry, that story starts with the development of the death

ray. Now wait, it starts with an attempt to develop the death ray. This was back in 1935.

Officials in the British Air Ministry were worried about falling behind Nazi Germany in the technological

arms race. The death ray idea intrigued them. They had been offering a thousand pound prize for

anyone who could zap a sheep at a hundred paces. So far, nobody had claimed it. But should they

...