Henry Shrapnel

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Henry Shrapnel

Henry Shrapnel , 1761-1842, British general, inventor of the shrapnel shell. The shell, consisting of a steel case filled with bullets and an explosive charge, is fired in midair by a time fuse and scatters shot and shell fragments with great and deadly force over a wide area. Adopted by the British army in 1803, this antipersonnel weapon became important in modern warfare. An artillery officer, Henry Shrapnel also improved the construction of howitzers, mortars, and small arms.

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Shrapnel, Henry

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Â© The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Shrapnel, Henry (1761–1842) the English artillery officer who invented the antipersonnel projectile named for him. Small shot or spherical bullets (usually lead) are loaded into a projectile, along with an explosive charge. When the charge explodes, it sends the metal fragments flying into enemy troops at extremely high speeds. It was first used in 1804. In World War I, shrapnel caused most of the wounds inflicted by artillery.

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"Shrapnel, Henry." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Shrapnel, Henry." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-ShrapnelHenry.html

"Shrapnel, Henry." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-ShrapnelHenry.html

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	Henry comes to town. Newspaper article from: Bexhill Observer (Bexhill, England); 6/28/2007
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	Catching flak on `shrapnel' Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times; 5/11/1986; ; 700+ words ; ...of words, I had something to say about "shrapnel." A letter had come from retired Army Gen...his complaint along. It appears that the shrapnel shell was invented by British Gen. Henry Shrapnel in 1803 (I had the date wrong) and first...
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	The lead-meisters Magazine article from: The Village Voice; 9/3/2003; ; 700+ words ; ...September/October issue of Mother Jones: "Before shrapnel was shrapnel, it was a man. The murderously efficient exploding...reference to its inventor, British artillery officer Henry Shrapnel. Like Colt, Luger, and Kalashnikov, the name...
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