Orsini bomb
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The Orsini bomb was a terrorist improvised explosive device built by and named after Felice Orsini and used as a hand grenade on 14 January 1858 in an unsuccessful attack on Napoleon III.[1] The weapons were somewhat commonly used during a wave of militant anarchist violence in the latter half of the 19th century in Europe, and surplus bombs were also used by the Confederacy during the American Civil War. The design is reminiscent of modern impact fused grenades, such as the Soviet RGO hand grenades. Orsini bombs were designed to remove "the uncertainty of slow burning fused weapons".[2]
The bomb had a unique design for its time, and instead of having a fuse or timer, the bomb had numerous pins around it. The pins were filled with mercury fulminate and when the pins sensed contact on any angle with an object, it would immediately trigger the detonation. The bomb was designed by Felice Orsini,[3] an Italian exile living in England,[4] while the casing of the bomb was made by English gunmaker Joseph Taylor.[5] The bomb was designed and created in Birmingham, England[6] but was tested by Taylor in Sheffield and Devon.[citation needed]
