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FIGURE 35 Not Haley's Comet....George Goddard's 
INFERNAL combustion engine 
The magnesium burner proved to be of limited value as a practical 
reconnaissance tool. There were some (the author included) who were 
convinced the thing wasn't worth the powder to blow it to the place 
from which it derived its name.....From a public relations standpoint, 
however, the "Hell Roarer" was sensational. It made a jim dandy torch 
for political rallies, United Fund Drives, 4th of July celebrations, 
reorganizations, etc 
So some dark night, if you see a strange light in the sky, and 
wonder whether it might be Haley's Comet, perish the thought it's 
44 
probably George Goddard's Infernal Combustion Engine (Figure 35). 
So much for the historical (and perhaps somewhat hysterical) past 
Lest we feel inclined to consider it too lightly, however, 
in our rush to meet the challenges of the present, and the unknowns of 
the future, let us remember that we are not the first to face unknowns 
When, on August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from Palos, 
Spain, he thought he was going to India. He was mistaken, but what 
he did discover--that which he had not forseen at all--proved to be 
of far greater significance Indeed, we are led to agree with 
Berthold Laufer, that: