Gunpowder was the first explosive – and ushered in a new era of weaponry.
Gunpowder was the first explosive – and ushered in a new era of weaponry.
The English friar and philosopher Roger Bacon was the first in Europe to describe its formula – and within decades the first gun was invented.
Bacon (c.1214–1294), nicknamed Doctor Mirabilis (‘Wonderful Teacher’ in Latin), was a Franciscan friar who championed experimental science.
He followed the teachings of the Western Catholic Church but had an extensive knowledge of other cultures – in particular Islamic physicists, mathematicians and alchemists.
Bacon learned about gunpowder, thought to have been invented by the Chinese some time before the 9th century, from its description in books by Arab scholars.
He detailed how to make it in his 1242 book On the Marvelous Power of Art and Nature.
It is likely the Chinese produced gunpowder by accident.
In their search for ‘elixirs’ to give eternal life or transform ordinary metals into gold, they must have combined its three ingredients, carbon, sulphur and nitrate – also known as saltpetre.
The main feature of explosives is that they burn rapidly, producing copious amounts of waste gases.
Chinese soldiers used gunpowder as early as the 10th century in ‘fire arrows’ similar to today’s firework rockets.
These expand quickly and can propel objects at high speed or break apart rocks.
By the 13th century, they were using it in bronze cannons.
When European military leaders saw cannons in the 14th century, they quickly began using them too.
They also developed battle rockets carrying an explosive over distances of two or three kilometres – though not with great accuracy.
In the 15th century, European soldiers began using muskets – firearms loaded from the open end of the barrel.
They remained the weapon of choice until the invention of the cartridge in the 19th century.
A cartridge consists of the bullet, the gunpowder and a primer charge that ignites when struck, causing the gunpowder to explode.
Cartridges made it possible to use firearms in all weathers and to load them from the other end of the barrel.
Rifles took over from muskets in the 19th century.
Rifles have spiral grooves in the barrel to make the bullet spin, giving better stability.
Two powerful new explosives were invented in the 19th century: nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin.
Both produce much less smoke than gunpowder – they are the main constituents of ‘smokeless powder’ still used in cartridges today.
In the 1860s, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) combined liquid nitroglycerin with clay to form dynamite.
Today, there is a wide range of explosives, with firearms still their main area of application.
But explosives have a peaceful use, too, in quarrying and the building of canals, tunnels and railway cuttings.
