Wed, 06 May 2026 00:01:33 +0000

This Changed Everything: Unhinging the Meaning of Napalm Through Time Napalm has long occupied a dark and shifting place in history—simultaneously a literal weapon of war and a symbol of profound moral and cultural transformation. This Changed Everything: Unhinging the Meaning of Napalm Through Time invites readers to examine how this incendiary substance evolved from a military innovation to a potent emblem of the consequences of modern warfare, environmental devastation, and ethical reckoning. ### From Military Necessity to Moral Outcry Originally developed in World War II as a thickening gel designed to adhere to surfaces and burn fiercely, napalm was celebrated in military circles for its strategic effectiveness. Described as “unspeakably terrible” yet incredibly destructive, it reshaped battlefield tactics—most notoriously in the firebombing raids over Japan and later during Vietnam. Its ability to engulf entire forests, villages, and lives cast a long shadow over the human cost of war.