On this day: March 13

POSTED: 03:42 PM PST Mar 07, 2013    UPDATED: 11:00 PM PDT Mar 12, 2013 

Uncle Sam makes his print debut, Susan B. Anthony dies, the NHL crowns its first champion, Cher's career resurgence breaks a record, and gold prices top $1,000 for the first time, all on this day.

OTD March 13 - Henry Shrapnel
4 / 37
Public domain

1842: Maj. Gen. Henry Shrapnel, a British Army officer and inventor, most famously, of the "shrapnel shell," dies at the age of 80 in Southampton, England. His original shrapnel shell, which he refined during his life of service in the military, was a spherical case designed to explode in midair, spreading its contents of small lead musket balls over a wide area. Today, long after high explosive rounds have replaced shrapnel shells, his name is still used to describe fragments from artillery shells and fragmentation in general.

Advertisement

Most Popular

Advertisement