| Francis Scott Key coined the phrase the "rocket's red glare"
after the British fired Congreve rockets against the United States in the
War of 1812. Congreve had used a 16-foot guidestick to help stabilize his
rocket. William Hale, another British inventor, invented the stickless rocket
in 1846. The U.S. army used the Hale rocket more than 100 years ago in the
war with Mexico. Rockets were also used to a limited extent in the Civil
War. (Reproduced from a painting by Charles Hubbell and presented here courtesy
of TRW Inc. and Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio). |
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