[BONUS] Squirrel pox and did tin buttons cause the downfall of Napoleon's army?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #27 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 16, 2025 · 13 MIN

[BONUS] Squirrel pox and did tin buttons cause the downfall of Napoleon's army?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #27

from Tiny Matters

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover squirrel pox — a disease that hasn’t had a huge impact in the United States but has decimated populations of squirrels in the UK. Then we talk about the story that Napoleon's army lost the Battle of Waterloo because the military uniforms used tin buttons that broke apart in cold temperatures, making it harder for the troops to survive. But is there any truth to that story? We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to [email protected] *or fill out this form* with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured.A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 16, 2025

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We cover squirrel pox and assess the possibility that Napoleon's army lost the Battle of Waterloo because of disintegrating tin buttons.

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[BONUS] Squirrel pox and did tin buttons cause the downfall of Napoleon's army?: Tiny Show and Tell Us #27

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