- Henry Shrapnel
Infobox Person
name = Henry Shrapnel
birth_name =
birth_date =June 3 ,1761
birth_place =Bradford on Avon ,Wiltshire, England
death_date =March 13 ,1842
death_place =
death_cause =
resting_place =
resting_place_coordinates =
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nationality =United Kingdom Henry Shrapnel (
June 3 ,1761 -March 13 ,1842 ) was aBritish Army officer and inventor, most famously, of the "shrapnel shell".Henry Shrapnel was born in
Bradford on Avon ,Wiltshire, England . In 1784, while a lieutenant in theRoyal Artillery , he perfected, at his own expense, an invention of what he called "spherical case" ammunition: a hollow cannon ball filled with shot which burst in mid-air.This device was for use as an anti-personnel weapon. When it was finally adopted by the British Army in 1803, it immediately acquired the inventor's name: theshrapnel shell. (It has lent the term "shrapnel" to fragmentation from artillery shells ever since, long after it was replaced byhigh explosive rounds.)Shrapnel served in Flanders where he was wounded in 1793 and was promoted to major on
November 1 ,1803 after eight years as a captain. After his invention's success in battle onApril 30 ,1804 , Shrapnel was promoted to lieutenant colonel onJuly 20 ,1804 , less than nine weeks later.In recognition of Shrapnel's contribution, the British Government in 1814 awarded him £1200 (about $128,000 USD in today's money) [ [http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/03/dayintech_0313 March 13, 1842: Henry Shrapnel Dies, But His Name Lives On ] ] a year for life. He was appointed to the office of Colonel-Commandant, Royal Artillery, on
March 6 ,1827 . He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general onJanuary 10 ,1837 .Until the end of
World War I the shells were still being manufactured according to his original principles.The Star-Spangled Banner refers to Shrapnel shells (attached to rockets produced by William Congreve):
:"And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,"
:"Gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there."References
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