Napalm

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/napalm

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key developers?Louis Fieser and his team at Harvard University
2. What is the combustion temperature?Can exceed 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit)
3. How was napalm made?Scientists at Harvard mixed gasoline with special acids and later added materials like polystyrene to create a thick, heat‑burning gel.
4. Where and when was napalm first used?Napalm was first used in bombs against Japanese cities during World II and later in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Incendiary: A substance or device designed to ignite and burn, causing destruction by fire.
Viscous: Having a thick, sticky consistency that resists flowing.
Naphthenic Acid: A cyclic organic acid, one of the primary components in early napalm formulations.
Palmitic Acid: A saturated fatty acid, the other primary component in early napalm formulations.