In 1960, a physicist fired a flash lamp into a synthetic ruby rod: It produced the first working laser and changed how humans control light

On May 16, 1960, Theodore Maiman made history by demonstrating the first functional laser at Hughes Research Laboratories.

In 1960, a physicist fired a ruby crystal and created the first working laser

According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Maiman’s apparatus produced more coherent light ...
insider.si.edu

Ruby Crystal from Maiman Laser

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. This is a ruby crystal from Theodore ...

In 1960, a physicist’s ruby experiment produced the first laser beam

In the summer of 1960, physicist Theodore H. Maiman conducted a laboratory experiment at Hughes Research Laboratories that ...
Physics World

Laser beam casts a shadow in a ruby crystal

Light's shadow: Researchers showed that a laser beam can sometimes act like a solid object and cast a shadow that is visible to the naked eye. In the picture, the shadow appears as the horizontal line ...