The Invention that Changed the World

Book excerpt: In 1940 a team of British Scientists arrived in Washington, bearing Britain s most closely guarded technological secrets, including the cavity magnetron, a revolutionary new source of microwave energy. Its arrival triggered the most dramatic mobilisation of science in history, as America s to scientists enlisted to convert the invention into a potent military weapon. Microwave radars eventually helped destroy Japanese warships, Nazi buzz bombs and enabled Allied bombers to see e through cloud cover After the war the work of radar veterans continues to affect our lives by controlling air traffic, helping to forecast the weather and providing physicians with powerful diagnostic tools. Brimming with telling anecdotes and surprising revelations, this book brings to life the exciting, largely untold story of the scientist who not only created a winning weapon but also changed our world for ever.