Once upon a time in World War II, British scientists conceived what may be the cruelest bomb ever developed. Inside the bomb, there were needles like these. Poisonous needles which would have been released in a cloud of death.
The idea was so bad that the head of the British research team sounded ashamed in his letter to sewing machine manufacturer Singer, when he asked for help in manufacturing the hollow needles needed to deliver the toxin:
It is a little difficult to explain what I want sewing machine needles for…
Fortunately, it was never used. The hollow needles—developed with the help of Canadian and American researchers—would have penetrated clothes and kill anyone in thirty seconds, presumably in painful spasms. The bad news: The British want them back. The good news: They want to use a non-lethal agent. [BBC News via Danger Room]