Talk:Nils Waltersen Aasen

First ?!?

From the article:

accredited to have created the first functioning hand grenade and land mine, among other explosive devices.

This requires some explanation. Both hand grenades and land mines have existed (and functioned) for centuries before Aasen was even born. What exactly was meant? -- Securiger 05:09, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

Regrettably, no further information forthcoming so I have added a {{fact}} tag to widen the search. -- Securiger 06:40, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

I have had a look at the two references just added. The PDF file merely says that he invented a hand grenade, it doesn't claim it was first (it also doesn't mention land mines at all). The Norwegian Wikipedia article does claim the he invented the first "modern" hand grenade and land mine (so far as I can tell; I don't speak Norwegian) but gives no references so we are just using Wikipedia to reference itself, which is not acceptable.

Fact is, land mines -- including devices that anyone today would clearly identify as a land mine -- date back centuries. "Modern" ones in the sense of using HE charges, miniaturised waterproof fuzes and even electrical booby traps, date from the US Civil War. Hand grenades also date back centuries but were basically just the traditonal black powder filled cast iron sphere until the late nineteenth century, when various inventions factories started pumping out modernised designs by the dozens: designs with HE charges, easier throwing mechanisms, and a variety of easy to use, self igniting fuzes (including several impact operated fuzes, mostly later abandoned as being too dangerous.) The siege of Port Arthur, starting in 1904, is often cited as the first major battle where these improved designs were extensively used. Even the British -- who are regarded as late adopters of improved grenade technology by those interested in the history of the field -- had their first modernised design on issue by 1908. So what did Aasen invent "just before WWI"?

So unless we are going to put this down as an unsubstantiated rumour, we need to narrow down exactly what is being claimed here. When did Aasen invent his grenade, and when did he invent his land mine? What features made them improvements on earlier designs? What aspect of them was "first"? -- Securiger 04:33, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

If you notice my additions to the article, you can come to the realisation that I added the word modern beside the invention of the handgrenade and this comes from the Norwegian wikipedia, they have to tell us where the source comes from but it is not the first time I hear that information mentioned, I cannot pinpoint the first source ... I will try to find it though. Like I say, he merely added to the handgrenade model in a way that the handgrenade is more precise and less fawlty from what I have read elsewhere and in that way, created the modern handgrenade. He also helped with the manufacturing of the handgrenade by making large quantities available to the french army if I remember correctly. Lincher 12:43, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

There was a long article about him in the Norwegian Vi Menn, see OTRS ticket 2015030110013576 for a copy of that article. I will try to add references to claims and translate them from this source. This source says that he was the inventor of the first modern hand grenade with references to patents from 1906 or so. It also exist an Encyclopedia article about him in Store Norske Leksikon at Nils Waltersen Aasen from the last printed edition. Nsaa (talk) 09:48, 2 March 2015 (UTC)