Rapatronic Nuclear Photographs

The discussion is over here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4759358

However, accusations were made that that submission was blogs-pam and pointed at this one instead, so I thought I'd submit it.

It's interesting to me that Kerr cells were invented so early. I wonder what they were first used for? I know in the '60's and later they were used in lasers for Q-switching, but I'm trying to think what else they would have been used for in the 1940's...

Also, I wonder if it is more difficult to create a nanosecond pulse using only vacuum tubes...