The book Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules That Changed History follows 17 molecules or groups of molecules that had a significant impact on human history. Each of its seventeen chapters discusses one of these molecules and how they changed history. The first story, however, lies in its introduction, where it is shown that even monumentous events may depend on something as small as a molecule.
In December of 1812 on the long road road of retreat from Moscow, Napoleon Bonaparte's tattered Grande Armee, once 600,000 strong, now only numbered 10,000. The Grande Armee was once a proud and prestigious military unit, but its defeat against the Russians that year marked not only a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars themselves, but also had a major impact on the politics of eastern Europe, which, had Napoleon conquered it, would have embraced the age of enlightenment that was so prevalent in the west.
But what was it exactly that caused Napoleon's most lethal fighting force, who had been victorious in so many battles before, to be defeated by their Russian adversaries? Some believe that the buttons that the soldiers wore, which were made out of tin, were the cause of this major upset. "Tin Disease" as it was called, was the problem in which tin will turn into a crumbly, nonmetallic, gray powder in low temperatures, such as those experienced by the French in Russia during the winter of 1812.
The tin buttons became obsolete in such conditions, causing the uniforms of Napoleon's men to merely drape loosely over them, exposing them to the cold and reducing their capability to fight. Many attribute the defeat of the Grand Armee to this small, technical failure, but there are still many problems regarding the theory. One is that Napoleon knew about "Tin Disease," so it would contradict his genius to send his men into the harsh Russian winter with these buttons. It is also unlikely that the tin deteriorated that quickly, since such a process has been shown to take some time.
Never-the-less it is an amusing story that demonstrates how the chemical propety of a molecule or element has the potential to completely change the course of human history.
Some people also say that Robert Scott's expedition to the South Pole was crippled by tin disease. Apparently the bottles of fuel they had with them were soldered with tin, and in the cold temperatures they broke down and released the fuel.
ReplyDeleteSince the book is called "Napoleon's Buttons...", does that mean that the whole book is about 17 different molecules that were in the buttons, one being tin? Or just because the first one is about his troops' tin buttons...? Anyway, do you personally believe that the soldiers being exposed to the cold is why the army was defeated or because of the problems of that theory such as Napoleon knowing about the "Tin Disease"?
ReplyDeleteOnly the first story is about Napoleon's buttons. The book is filled with other stories about how big, world-changing events were or at least may have been caused by much smaller things, even at the molecular level. I personally do not believe that the tin buttons were the cause of the French defeat in Russia, though I think it is an intersesting idea. As for why Napoleon was defeated there, it has been repeated throughout history that marching on Moscow is futile even without tin buttons. Besides, even the best can't always win. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteOkay, thank you! It sounds like an interesting book! It would be strange if the small buttons were the reason why they were defeated! ...and that is very true.
DeleteWow, this seems kind of interesting! It is cool how something so little and simple had an impact like that. It kind of makes you wonder what other small things like that, can have a large impact.Can't wait to read more!!
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