Before the development of the atomic bomb, gunpowder was one of the deadliest weapons. Gunpowder was accidentally discovered in China. Ironically, though, it was initially developed as an elixir to extend human life with the intention of making people immortal.
Well, as you already know, gunpowder could be deadly when used with the intention to harm someone.
So how is this substance discovered?
Chinese Alchemists Wanted to Make Immortality Elixir
For centuries, Chinese alchemists searched for an elixir of life that would make its person immortal. According to ThoughCo, saltpeter, also known as potassium nitrate, was a key component in many of the unsuccessful elixirs.
This same civilization had been using saltpeter for medicinal purposes since the late centuries BCE.
How Did Alchemists Learn About the Gunpowers We Know Today
Around 850 A.D., an alchemist, whose name has since been lost to history, experimented with various materials and substances to create a life-extending elixir.
He combined 75 parts saltpeter with 15 parts charcoal and 10 parts sulfur. Although this mixture didn't appear to have any life-extension abilities, it did blow up when it came into contact with an open flame.
It was promptly used in warfare after being discovered to be incendiary.
The "flying fire" (fei huo), an arrow with a blazing tube of gunpowder connected to the shaft, was one weapon that used gunpowder.
Gunpowder was also used for primitive hand grenades, gas shells that were poisonous, flamethrowers, and landmines.
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Significant Part of Gunpowders to the Warfare
As soon as the effects of combining saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal were discovered, China began using this technology.
By utilizing this substance, the Mongols were able to invade and conquer different parts of the world. However, this also meant that the word about gunpowder would start to spread all over the world.
The Song Dynasty started to worry that gunpowder technology would spread to other nations in the middle to the late eleventh century. In 1076, the export of saltpeter was prohibited. However, word of the material spread to various regions of the globe.
By the 13th century CE, according to historical records, the technology had made it to the Middle East, where it would have been encountered by both traders and crusaders.
The technology also reached the Silk Road, India, and Europe.
How Did Gunpowder Evolve in Modern Times
Except for muzzleloaders and a few military cannons and artillery pieces, practically all ammunition used in weapons around the world today is loaded with smokeless powder, according to the New World Encyclopedia.
However, it is worth noting that the process of making smokeless powder is time-consuming and expensive.
There are more than 100 different smokeless powders on the market right now, and each one is suitable or optimal for specific loads in specific firearms and has its own burning properties and rate of combustion. Powders are identified by the name of the manufacturer or distributor and a name or number specific to that powder.
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