Henry Shrapnel (June 3, 1761 - March 13, 1842) was a British Army officer and inventor, most famously of the "shrapnel shell". Henry Shrapnel was born in Wiltshire, England. In 1784, while a lieutenant in the Royal 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. Wikipedia
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