Arthro-Pod EP 110: The Spongy Moth and Trouvelot's Bad Idea

 

Last episode, we dove into the reasons why the ESA chose to select a new common name for Lymantria dispar and why we'll be using spongy moth going forward. Today's episode looks further into this species by covering the introduction of spongy moth to North America. This historic event was the result of an idea by entomologist Etienne Leopold Trouvelot. In an attempt to establish an American silk industry, Trouvelot imported this invasive species and sadly lost control of them, ultimately imposing a mighty pest on North America. Join us to hear about what he was thinking, what exactly happened in Medford, MA, and what fate befell Trouvelot and the situation he created. 

Here we can see Trouvelot on the left, in the only known photo of him. Next to him, the spongy moth caterpillar which he unfortunately helped bring to North America. 

Show Notes:

Much of the research for today's episode comes from a book by Robert Spear, "The Great Gypsy Moth War"

Trouvelot may have had a bad idea for his entomology research, but he did garner some renown in the world of astronomy in the second half of his academic life. As we detail in the episode, he was able to command a premium price for his services and artwork and his celestial art still captures attention today. Here's just a few examples: 

Trouvelot's lunar craters

Trouvelot's Jupiter

The Jupiter drawing as it appears in an episode of Star Trek

Trouvelot's Saturn

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This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 95: Napoleon vs Insects Part 6- An interview with Everett Rummage of Age of Napoleon

Welcome back bug lovers (and Napoleon enthusiasts)! On today's show, we put a cherry on top of our Napoleon vs Insects mini-series by meeting up with Everett Rummage. Everett is the host of "The Age of Napoleon" podcast and and expert that we were keen to chat with. Mike has been eagerly anticipating this day where we get to ask alternate history questions about Napoleon's career and see "what if..." some of the issues the great general had with insects, hadn't occurred. Join us won't you?!

Image created using Imageflip.com.

pm_your_dnd_stories. "No but seriously guys, keep working". Reddit, 9 July 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/nzxqcp/napoleon_noir/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

 https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/noe9f0/with_the_new_oversimplified_video_i_can_unleash/. Accessed 26 August 2021

'---V----. "Napoleon be like". Reddit, 10 June 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/nwwwwr/napoleon_be_like/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

Visible_Astronaut605. Napoleon be like". Reddit, 5 July 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/oe2lvp/napoleon_be_like/. Accessed 26 August 2021

HackedAccount069. "“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake”- Napoleon Bonaparte". Reddit, 14 March 2018, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/84digp/never_interrupt_your_enemy_when_he_is_making_a/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

Christian3322. "Good ol' Napoleon. Reddit, 15 May 2020, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/fj2arm/good_ol_napoleon/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

Treacks. "Napoleon in 1815". Reddit, 12 April 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/mpby8w/napoleon_in_1815/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

r/historymemes. "Napoleon in 1815". Twitter, 3 February 2020, https://twitter.com/r_historymemes/status/1224221705410879491. Accessed 26 August 2021.

Non37. "Ah yes, the six days campaign, that one time Napoleon inflicted more casualties than he had men." Reddit, 27 June 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/o8und3/ah_yes_the_six_days_campaign_that_one_time/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

Endm3. "Poor due". Memedroid, 12 December 2020, https://pt.memedroid.com/memes/detail/3169347/Poor-due. Accessed 26 August 2021.

Smorp_a_Dorp. "Seriously, Napoleon was actually 5’7. Robespierre was ~5’1". Reddit, 9 April 2020, https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/comments/fy421y/seriously_napoleon_was_actually_57_robespierre/. Accessed 26 August 2021.

You can find Everett and "The Age of Napoleon" at his website, https://ageofnapoleon.com/ or wherever you catch your pods.  

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 93: Insects vs. Napoleon Pt. 5 RUSSIA

In this penultimate episode of Arthro-Pod's 6 part series on the history of insects defeating Napoleon, we travel to Russia! Over the last four episodes, we’ve discussed the French Revolution and Napoleon’s rise to power, the French invasion of Egypt and their encounter with plague, and the Haitian Revolution and crushing defeats the British and French faced due in large part to yellow fever. 

Now, hear this one on the effects of typhus on Emperor Napoleon's campaigns near Russia and how he was thwarted by bugs and perhaps a little hubris!

 

Napoleon leads his troops during the Battle of Austerlitz, which is often regarded as the finest military victory of his career. "The Battle of Austerlitz, 2nd December 1805", 1810, by François Gérard. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Napoleon reviews his troops before the Battle of Jena. "Bataille d'Iéna. 14 octobre 1806", 1836, by Jorace Vernet. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Execution of Spanish resistance by French forces during the Peninsular War. "The Third of May 1808", 1810, by Francisco Goya. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Napoleon as he appeared in 1812 before his defeat in Russia. "The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries ", 1812, by Jacques-Louis David. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Heavy 12 pound cannon being serviced by two French Guard Foot. Artist unknown, 1808. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

The French Empire  at it's greatest extent in 1812. Dark green areas were under direct control of France while light green areas were client states. By TRAJAN 117, via wikimedia, used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

"Napoleon's retreat from Moscow", 1851, by Adolph Northen. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Retreat of the French Grand Army from Moscow, intercepted by Russian Cossack, 1812. 1813, by Edwd Orm. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Marshal Michel Ney, who begged Napoleon to commit the Imperial Guard during the Battle of Borodino and saved the western bridgehead, and so Napoleon and what remained of the French army, during the Battle of Berezina. "Marshal Michel Ney, duc d'Elchingen, prince de la Moskova", circa 1805, by François Gérard. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

Attrition in the French Grande Armeé during the 1812 invasion of Russia. While the popular focus is often on the death and privation during the winter retreat, the chart clearly shows how the army was severely weakened even before reaching Moscow. Width of the colored areas the chart correspond to troop strength (1 mm = 10,000 troops). Geographic distance is shown by the scale in the center right ("lieues communes de France" = common French league) =  4444 m  or 2.75 miles). Temperatures (in Réaumur scale) on the bottom of the chart correspond to the black line of retreat. (multiply Réaumur temperatures by 1¼ to get Celsius, e.g. -19 °R at Smolensk = -23.75 °C = -10.75 °F). By Charles Minard, 1869. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Human louse, the vector of epidemic typhus and trench fever. Photo by Gilles San Martin. Via wikimedia, used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Macular rash caused by epidemic typhus. Illustration by George Jochmann, 1914. Via wikimedia, used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Arthro-Pod EP 91: The Haitian Revolution and Insects Pt. 2

In this episode, we wrap up the story of the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint Louverture consolidated power in the colony and drafted a new Constitution, in response to which Napoleon sent a massive French to bring Saint-Domingue back under French control. Much like the British before them, the French troops were decimated by yellow fever and so were not strong enough to put down the revolt that broke out when it was discovered that Napoleon planned to reimpose slavery in the colony. 

We also discuss yellow fever virus, including the disease it causes, how it came to the Americas, and the mosquito that vectors it.

Engraving of Toussaint Louverture by J. Barry, published by James Cundee, after M. Rainsford line engraving, published circa 1800-1825. Via  the National Portrait Gallery (NPG D15719), used under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license.

 

Portrait of General Gabriel-Marie-Théodore-Joseph, comte d'Hédouville by Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin (1835). Via wikimedia, in the public domain. 

Sketch of General Hédouville by an unknown artist. Via wikimedia, in the public domain

Sketch of André Rigaud by an unknown artist. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

The Constitution of Year VIII, which stated that the colonies would be ruled by "special laws". Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

The Constitution of Saint-Domingue (1801), which installed Toussaint Louverture as governor for life. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Engraving of General Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc by Jean-Baptiste Réville in "France militaire: histoire des armées françaises de terre et de mer de 1792 à 1837" (1838) by A. Hugo. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Painting of General Leclerc by François Kinson (1804). Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Polish legionaries in Saint Domingue, by January Suchodolski (1854). Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Public mural of Jean Jaques Dessalines in Port-au-Prince. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

Engraving of Jean Jaques Dessalines in "Dictionnaire géographique et administratif universel d'Haïti" (1892) by S. Rouzier. Original held and digitized by the British Library. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

 Portrait of Henry I, King of Haiti (Henri Chrisophe), probably by Johann Gottfried Eiffe (1817). Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

 Engraving of Henri Christophe in "Dictionnaire géographique et administratif universel d'Haïti" (1892) by S. Rouzier. Original held and digitized by the British Library. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), the vector of yellow fever virus. Photograph by Muhammad Mahdi Karim, via wikimedia, used under a GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2.

Yellow fever mosquito feeding on a human. Photograph by James Gathany, CDC. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

Transmission cycles of yellow fever. Graphic via the CDC, in the public domain.

 

Illustration of a man sick with yellow fever, from the broadside "'Death of Aurelio Caballero due to yellow fever in Veracruz" (1892) by José Guadalupe Posada. Via wikimedia, in the public domain.

 

 

The Louisiana Territory, which Napoleon sold to the United States after he lost the colony of Saint-Domingue and abandoned his plans of a Caribbean-based empire. Graphic by William Morris via Wikimedia, used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

 

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

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We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Arthro-Pod EP 89: The Haitian Revolution (Part 3 of the Napoleon vs Insects Series)

 

In this episode we discuss the stress factors in the French sugar colony of Saint-Domingue that led to the Haitian revolution, including slavery and the racial apartheid system; how the Haitian revolution was intertwined with and influenced by the French Revolution; the decimation of British troops by yellow fever and the failed British invasion of Saint-Domingue; and the rise of Toussaint Louverture, whose actions would provoke Napoleon into invading Saint-Domingue.

The island of Hispaniola is dominated by tall, east-west running mountains.

Map of the provinces of French Saint-Dominuge, showing the relative locations of the North, West, and South.

"Napoleon Bonaparte in the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud" by François Bouchot

"Mortals are equal, it is not birth, but virtue alone that makes the difference". There was an abolotionist movement among the French aristocracy prior to the French and Haitian Revolutions, as illustrated by this illustration.

"Burning of the Plaine du Cap - Massacre of whites by the blacks". Most of the contemporary illustrations of the Haitian Revolution were produced by  Europeans and show Black slaves murdering White planters. While such atrocaties happened, such skewed presentations that did not include the brutality the former slaves faced, helped skew public opinion outside of Saint Domingue against the slaves. 

Illustration of jungle fighting between French troops and Black former slaves. "Saint Domingue: Capture of Ravine-à-Couleuvres"

"Portrait of Léger-Félicité Sonthonax (1763-1813)" by an unknown painter. 

"Toussaint Louverture" by Alexandre-François-Louis, comte de Girardin, painted posthumously.

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36

Get the show through Apple Podcasts!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

We're also on Stitcher!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0