Machines that “Destroy” the Earth (Nov, 1946) Machines that
“Destroy” the Earth Intricate mechanisms at New York Planetarium
show how celestial forces could burn, blast or freeze the world.
By HARRY SAMUELS THREE times a day in five spectacular ways the
earth “dies” in the Hayden Planetarium in New York. First
performed in 1939, the Planetarium’s sky drama was shut down by
the war in 1941 and was not resumed until recently. The new “End
of the World” show is considerably more vivid than its prewar
predecessor because of added startling effects and more
authentic background material worked out by the Planetarium
technical and scientific staffs. The pictures and captions on
the accompanying pages explain how these effects are obtained.
Scientists and othersâ€”mostly others-have predicted a possible
end to the world in the near future as a result of chain
reactions set off by the use of atomic energy. The varieties of
cosmic destruction depicted in the Planetarium show are,
however, many millions of years distan