Thermal Intimidation!

He's been called many things including "The Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat," but, after this photograph surfaced this week Babe Ruth could also be dubbed, "The Detonator"! The photograph shows Ruth signing his autograph on, what is unmistakably, a thermal detonator! The unknown woman in the photograph is holding two more of them.

The thermal detonator was designed to be thrown by a soldier, planted in a specific location or on a specific vessel, or dropped by a vehicle. It would then adhere to any metallic object until it detonated. The reasons for using a thermal detonator varied widely, and despite the legal restrictions of many governments, the thermal detonator saw widespread use across the galaxy.

The name was descriptive of the process by which the device explodes. Inside the shell, which was generally made of thermite or axidite, was a sample of baradium, a highly volatile substance. A trigger emitted a short burst of energy that forced the baradium into a state of fusion reaction. This trigger could simply be a button. Some had a fail-deadly trigger, meaning that if it was released, it would set off the grenade. The result was an expanding particle field that could atomize any material that did not conduct heat or thermal energy within the fixed blast radius; typically five meters, though some had an even greater radius. Custom grenades could have a blast up to 100 meters. Unlike other grenades, a thermal detonator's blast would only go as far as its blast radius. After that, the blast field would collapse, and anything even slightly beyond the blast radius would be left unharmed.

Ruth lived most of his life in the public eye and so far we have found no evidence of Ruth's involvement in galactic affairs. Ruth may simply have been oblivious to what it was he was signing, probably, having never seen a thermal detonator before. Some have speculated that the woman in the photograph to be the bounty hunter Mahwi Lihnn, but, this has yet to be confirmed.

Little is known of Mahwi Lynn except for her employment to Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. Whether Ruth provided the Trade Federation a threat or an opportunity is uncertain. We do know, however, that in January 1929 Ruth's wife was killed in a house fire (the two were separated at the time). With this new information of bounty hunters and thermal detonators we are led to believe that this was no accident, however, the motives are uncertain.

If Ruth and, possibly, the Yankees were aware of the power of thermal detonators this could bring new light to the 1927 Yankees' Murderer's Row. The nickname was thought to describe the strength of the Yankees hitting lineup and it's effect on opposing pitchers, which was certainly true, but a threat of thermal detonation would have had quite an effect on opposing teams as well!

Evidence #: ISWWR0000049

Submitted by: J. Lamb