# Explain the in-joke about the "1920's Style Death Ray" **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 19, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521 "2005-01-19T12:05:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/1 "2005-01-19T12:05:26Z")
I honestly want to know. I realize that a field day will be had with this thread and that’s fine, just please eventually arrive at the point and provide a link if you could. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/2 "2005-01-19T12:43:47Z")
Read this through:[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=202225](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=202225) it’s the thread that spawned it all off I think ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/3 "2005-01-19T13:37:39Z")
We _could_ tell you, but only at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. For 20 minutes. In 1968. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/4 "2005-01-19T13:38:48Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > We _could_ tell you, but only at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. For 20 minutes. In 1968. PS–when come, bring pie. 😃🆒 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/5 "2005-01-19T14:19:24Z")
Wow that is very ordinary. How did it catch on? ---
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/6 "2005-01-19T14:23:43Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > We _could_ tell you, but only at the bottom of the Marianas Trench. For 20 minutes. In 1968. :wally Well you won’t find out straggler. Everyone else was there in 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/7 "2005-01-19T16:44:02Z")
**Dogface** ’s reaction was so memorable a line that it just caught people’s imagination. Tesla’s 1920s style death ray has [a life beyond the SDMB](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553580604/002-7115519-2492012?v=glance) as well. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/8 "2005-01-19T16:57:35Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Tesla’s 1920s style death ray has [a life beyond the SDMB](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553580604/002-7115519-2492012?v=glance) as well. Ooooo! A new _Callahan_ book. I must have it! ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/9 "2005-01-19T17:20:41Z")
I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or proud that I was the first to riff on **Dogface** ’s triple post. 😃 :o ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/10 "2005-01-19T21:49:54Z")
**don’t ask** , this kind of thing has been riffed on numerous times just since I’ve been here. The most recent one was [Rio by Duran Duran](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=296939) (also today’s Threadspotting entry); before that was [Only Once, in 1960. For 20 Minutes.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=283407&highlight=marianas+trench) ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/11 "2005-01-19T23:51:49Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-in-joke-about-the-1920s-style-death-ray/285521/12 "2005-01-20T00:51:19Z")
> [@NattoGuy](#): > > Thank you. Oops…for some reason I thought **don’t ask** was the OP. I should have addressed my post to you, **NattoGuy**.