††A laser is a concentrated beam of light with a single wavelength. Laser light has a direct, narrow beam. A working laser was first produced by Theodore Maiman in 1960. Maiman created the laser beam by flashing ordinary light into a special rod of synthetic ruby. The laser has been developed for use in surgery, reading compact discs (shown here), speed up computer operation and cut through steel. It was first used in eye surgery in 1962. The laser is an effective surgical tool because it can make sharp and accurate incisions, and its heat helps to seal the blood vessels through which it cuts. In 1988 Roland Winston created a laser which used mirrors to concentrate sunlight 60,000 times.
