10,000 of Napoleon’s men make it out of Russia. In an army that started out with over half a million men, what exactly happened? Was it, as this article proposes, a result of one of the greatest wardrobe malfunctions in history?

Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Image: Bonaparte Crossing the Alps by Hippolyte Delaroche

…The bonding structure of tin atoms starts to change when temperatures drop below 56°F (13.2°C), and this process speeds up as the temperature decreases. Tin was the main metal used to make the buttons of French uniforms. As the temperature approached -30°C, the tin buttons may have turned to dust.

That can’t be a good thing when you’re in the snow.

Read the full story at Big Think.

Share:  
 Newsletter:
Author

Written by .

Some people's wardrobes are about a small selection of pieces that all fit within one aesthetic - Tania Braukamper isn't such a person. With a wardrobe that spans three different rooms, her approach to fashion is a mixture of current-season key pieces mixed with vintage finds she's sourced on innumerous shopping trips around the world's more cultured capitals. Despite a disparate approach to shopping, Tania is adamant that the key to mixing vintage with new season is to stick to key looks and colours that work for oneself. And it's a theory that she works into her writing for Fashionising.com, where she serves as the publication's Editor.