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Period: to
Modern European History
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Nick: Flintlock Musket Introduced
Diagram of a flintlock musket introduced during the 1650s. The flintlock mechanism is credited to Marin le Bourgeoys and was used for over two centuries. It replaced the matchlock and wheellock methods which took more energy to trigger and were costly. The main distinction in the design was the vertically acting sear, now acting upon the tumbler, making the firing of firearms less costly and more reliable. -
Nick: The Battles of Lexington and Concord, Origins of Guerrilla Tactics
Painting depicting American militia fighting British regulars. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first engagements of the American Revolutionary War. When British regulars attempted to seize and destroy rebel military supplies, American militias surrounded the enemy and eventually forced a tactical withdrawal by the British. Importantly, the American untrained and untested militia defeated trained British regulars and used unconventional tactics which matured into guerilla warfare. -
Period: to
Nick: American Civil War
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Nick: Modern Medical Battlefield Managment, Jonathan Letterman
A drawing of Jonathan Letterman, an American surgeon during the American Civil War. In June of 1862 Letterman was awarded the rank of major as the medical director of the Army of the Potomac. He is credited with the modern methods for medical organization in armies. His battlefild medical management was the first implementation of recovery and treatment methods, on soldiers in active battles during the war. His methods were adopted in Europe and his renown is still acknowledged. -
Nick: Franco-Prussian War, Railroads
A strategic war map of Western Europe including railroad lines. The Franco-Prussian War took place between France and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia from 1870-71. It was centered around the ambitions of Prussia to extend German unification. While railroads were not an advent of war, their usefulness in quickly transporting troops and supplies to different fronts became a huge advantage to Germany's war effort, leading to expansion of railroads across Europe. -
Period: to
Nick: Franco-Prussian War
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Nick: WWI, German Chemical Weapon Attack, The Second Battle of Ypres
Image of German troops wearing masks to defend against poison gas. The Second Battle of Ypres of the First World War was fought from 22 April - 25 May 1915, for the control of the Flemish town. This battle was the first mass use of poison gas by the Germans on the Western Front. There were around 6,000 French casualties due to the chlorine gas. The success of the gas and the difficulty of defending against it led to a new type of warfare, chemical warfare, which still persists today. -
Nick: American Atomic Bomb
A replica of one of two atomic bombs engineered by the Manhattan Project. The "Little Boy" was dropped by the United States on the city of Hiroshima, Japan on 6 August, 1945. It gained its explosive power from the nuclear fission of uranium-235 and is the only time the A-bomb was used in warfare. Its production through the Manhattan Project, World War II, and government funding of research spurred the worlds understanding of nuclear power and the beginning of the civilian nuclear power industry.
