Doctoral Dissertation: Ballistics and Military Change in Eighteenth Century Europe

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Brett D. Steele, Dissertation Student; Topic: "Ballistics and Military Change." The incorporation of scientific knowledge into the practice of war has become an increasingly important topic. In the 1960's, laboratories and research centers at universities were bombed by anti-Vietnam protestors. Even now, many universities are chary of having defense-related research programs on their campuses. Yet this wariness of academic science to be actively involved in military research (and its counterpart, the traditional wariness of the military to adopt quickly the fruits of science and engineering) is not new. In Renaissance Europe, it is said that Niccolo Tartaglia called for a moratorium on the study of ballistics research. Shortly after this call, however, the Moors were threatening the gates of Vienna and Western Europe was threatened with being overrun. Tartaglia switched positions and worked to use his scientific acumen to advance the theory of ballistics--he is the one who discovered the law that projectiles fly farthest (in a vacuum) if shot at a 45 degree angle. While much progress was made in the theory of ballistics during the Renaissance, the crudity of the weapons made the theoretical discussions somewhat superfluous. Mr. Steele, in his dissertation, is examining the period when the scientific study of ballistics began to make a real difference. His dissertation has two goals: to provide a more thorough investigation of historical publications on ballistics, and to investigate the relationship between this science and military developments. More specifically, Mr. Steele is documenting the relationship between the revolution in ballistics launched by Benjamin Robins and Leonard Euler and the transformation of artillery shortly thereafter. It was in this period, according to Mr. Steele, that ongoing ballistics research significantly improved gunnery or artillery "software." This research will also shed light on an historically significant yet generally ignored side of classical mechanics, namely the study of motion in resisting media. The resulting dissertation will connect significant scientific and military activities that are currently disconnected in history, integrating experimental and mathematical research into a broad political framework.