Editing Burning glass (section)

=== War: since the legend of Archimedes ===
The first story akin to that of burning glass is by Archimedes, for the purpose of war, in 212 BC. When Syracuse was besieged by Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the Roman fleet was supposedly incinerated by the use of not glass per se, but a concave mirror made of brass focusing sunlight. Whether or not that actually happened, eventually the city was taken and Archimedes was slain.<ref>Meijer, Fik (1986), A History of Seafaring in the Classical World, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0-7099-3565-0}}</ref>

In 1796, during the [[French Revolution]] and three years after the declaration of war between France and Great Britain, physicist [[Étienne-Gaspard Robert]] met with the French government and proposed the use of mirrors to burn the invading ships of the British [[Royal Navy]].  They decided not to take up his proposal.<ref name="PreCinema">Burns, Paul.  "[http://www.precinemahistory.net/1750.htm The History of The Discovery of Cinematography: Chapter Six, 1750–1799]".  Accessed 29 July 2007.</ref>