FamedinventorNikolaTesla's proposedtell a forceoftenreferredtoasthedeathRaywas a particlelauncher, which, byTesla's ownestimation, couldbringdown a fleetof 10,000 enemyairplanesat a distanceof 200 miles.
Perhapsthemostoutlandishtheoreticalsuperweaponinhumanhistory, however, wastheNazisongun, a 3.5 squaremile, ninesquarekilometerreflectorlaunchedintospacethatcouldburntheEarthlike a giantmagnifyingglass.
InfourthcenturyBC, theDugacrossbowwasthefirstofitskind a semiautomaticcrossbowthatallowedsoldierstofiremultipleboltsinquicksuccession, theByzantineNavyemployedGreekfireflamethrowerstodevastatetheirenemiesatsea.