LasersoftheVictorianEraAnarticleappearinginthe4/1/2018editionofPopularPhotonicsMagazine.ThereignofQueenVictoriasawanumberofadvancementsintechnology:steamengines,thebeginningsoftheelectricalindustry,and,ofcourse,theintroductionoflasersintomainstreamlife.FrenchScientificpioneerssuchasProf.FerméD’ApertureandDr.FlickreGalveauxledthedevelopmentofthefirstcoal-gaslasers,usingbituminousvaporsaslasingmedia.Theword“Laser”isaFrenchacronymfor“LampeAtomiqueSanitaireetRaisonnable”,areferencetoitsuseconfiguredaslumiainFrenchinsaneasylumsofthedayasacalmingagent.

TheUnitedStatesalsohaditsshareofopticalsavants.AboveisararephotooftheLumentairebrothers,WalleyeandLefty,atthecontrolsoftheirbehemothlaser,Ol’Straighty.Thiswasusedtoline-cutlargeswathesofpinesandfirsfortheChristmastreeindustry.Mountedonarailwayflatbedtrailer,thiswashauledtovarioustreefarmsacrosstheMidwest,whereitwassosuccessfulitleadtothetotaldeforestationofOklahomaandthebeginningoftheDustBowl.

Meanwhile,inEngland,Dr.IgnatiusWhatandhissisterMilliinventedtheworld’sfirstscanninglaser,theDreadnewt.Thiswascontrolledbyapneumaticcomputercalled“TheFramingEngine”thatwashauledaroundbehindthelaser’scarriage.Usingultrahigh-pitchscannersmadebytheDogWheestleLtd.Co.of

Brewster-on-the-Reservoir,Leeds,thisdesignwasusedtoentertainthecrewsbuildingthefirstrailwaylinesandstations.Accompaniedbyabrassbandthatwouldmarcharoundthecarriage,Dreadnewtwoulddrawetchingsandsketchingsonthesideofthechalkcliffsthatsurroundedtherailways.Thisdesignwaspoweredby3-phasesteamandwaswater-cooled:notethebucketonthesideoftheprojector.

Manyoldermagiclanternprojectorsofthedaywereupgradedtodisplaylasers.TotheleftisanAcmeWonderWheelwhichhashadaMaraschinogratinginstalledtoprovideamatrixofbeams.ARutherford“ElectroFizz”arclampexcitesascryingmoduleinsidethedevice,providingtheneededcoherency.Afrequency-doublingcrystalmadefromDeoxypreposteraseisalsoinvolved.

HereweseeinventorGyroCrankeratthecontrolstohiselectro/optical/mechanicalBeamerator.Ittookasteadyhandtorunthisdevice,asitcreatedalotofphysicalvibration.Notethethighsupportsystemneededtomaintainaproperstance.Aheavycounterweightwasneededtokeeptheentireprojectorfrombouncingintothewingsofthemusichallswherehisshowswerepresented.Crankerhadanactbasedonsuchmusicalnumbersas:I’veanAnodeinMeGaiters,AndACathodeByTheTailandTheCoherencyCotillionMarch.

WhileAnnieOakleywasmakinganameforherselfasacrackrifleshot,historyseemstohaveforgottenanotherfemaleperformer,Matilda“Popper”Fraunhofer.Withhertrustymechanicallaser,“Hole-Maker”,shetouredtheWesternUnitedStatesgivingpresentationsinvolvingburningtickertapeandpoppingtheobservationballoonsoftheday.

InGermany,OttoGrossenschlepperspentyearstryingtointerestthemilitaryinhisanti-enemyraygun,theAufEnputzerator.Althoughhewasneversuccessfulinactuallyblastinganything,duetothemilliwattpowerofhisdevice,heeventuallyfoundworkasanassistantlecturer,usinghislaserasabulkypointerattheWeisenheimerInstituteforCapacitanceStudies.

InParis,Mlle.DufaywasthehitoftheMoulinPuce,aclubpopularwithravistes.Thesewerelate-nightfansofloudmusicandPitsdeMochewhereearlylasershowswerepopular.Withhersteam-andlung-poweredprojector,Dufaywouldleavescorchmarksonthewallsoftheclubandbrightgreenafterimagesintheeyesofherbeholders,givingherthenicknameof“LaGrandeCinq-Trente-DeuxdesYeux”.

Laserlumiawasalsopopularinthosedays.ThisisanengravingofSirEdgarDerbyofLightshireAbbey,demonstratinghissix-packofLumiators.HewasoneofthefewpeersoftherealmwhowasinvolvedwithLumenticstudies,buildingoneofthefirststeam-poweredlumiaprojectors.Hewaspopularwiththebadger-huntingsetandonceperformedbeforetheQueenatLumenarium,theforemostlasertheaterinLondon.

Thishasbeenmyannualreportonthelatestinlaserarthistory.Tuneinnextyearthistimeformoreupdates....ClickamouseBiographer’sNote:Clickamouseisthealteridandpenname(forobviousreasons)ofRobotJ.VandeGraaffenpaper-BongUndDongle-OymabackHertz-Nano-Neener-KnightNih-VanderWaalmart-RumpleForeskin-GrosserSchwanzstucker-mitBallzäBrassen-ByteWitz-BrewsterTinkerFiddlyBitzen-ScannerTunor-MondoPhoto-Gonzo-Gondor-TapSnapper-RosintinkleSolderBern-Bierspiller-DiödzMaken-Pangopoker-KvantWanter-Lümiater-Kinemantic-Neo-Geo-HanSoloMio-MontyPlagerizen,ILDA,OCD,BMF,ofMichigan.(Forfurtherinsightintothenameabove,see:http://www.montypython.net/scripts/johann.php)©2018,MikeGould