The History of Gunpowder

The History of Gunpowder

It could easily be argued that one of the most important inventions or discoveries

in history has been gunpowder. And there are many things that can be argued about

gunpowder itself. Such as where was it originated, when was it originated, and how did it

spread across the world. These are three questions I will be looking at in this paper.

However the purpose of this paper is to prove that gunpowder gave rise to the powerful

western world while it inevitably left the China and the Eastern World behind.

It is generally determined that the discoverers of gunpowder were the Chinese. As

early as in the T'ang dynasty (AD 618-906) there seem to have existed what were called

"fire trees" and "silver flowers." Chinese legend has it that some herdsmen who were

trying to keep warm saw their campfire leap and fizzle around like a torch. They soon

discovered that the fire pit was built on sulfur with a rock containing potassium

perchlorate, the ingredients of gunpowder. This soon became a common mixture to make

fire. To transport the mixture with so much firepower, the herdsman used a hollow

bamboo stick with mud at both ends. The stick, accidentally fell into a fire and exploded

with a bang. Thus the “fire trees” and “silver flowers” were born.

Later on in the year 1161, when the Chinese were suffering invasion from the Chin

Tatars from the north some historical documents state that they successfully used

explosives to defeat their attackers. This seems to be definite proof of a knowledge of

gunpowder among the Chinese at this period. However there has been considerable

argument as to whether these references to explosives indicate that the Chinese knew

about the use of a cannon and also i...

... middle of paper ...

... large iron pots, and as it was

heated, scum consisting of common salt, rose to the top and was skimmed off. After the

maximum amount of salt had been removed, a quantity of vinegar was added to the

mixture and then the mixture was boiled for a further period until it was concentrated

enough to crystallize. It was then poured into shallow pans which, as the liquid evaporated

became filled with saltpetre.

This was all important in history, because it was not possible for an average person

to collect saltpetre and refine it into a usuable source. Therefore gunpowder and it’s

weapons were left to the kings, making the rule even stronger over the commons. Also

adding to the value of gunpowder was the fact that, in the beginning, the total “recipe” for

gunpowder was not common knowledge, and only a few special weapon-makers knew

how to make gunpowder at all.