Gunpowder was the first physical explosive and propellant. Prior to the invention of gunpowder, many incendiary and burning devices had been used, including Greek fire.
The invention of gunpowder is usually attributed to Chinese alchemy, and is popularly listed as one of the "Four Great Inventions" of China. The invention was made perhaps as early as during the Tang Dynasty (9th century), but certainly by the Song Dynasty (11th century). Knowledge of gunpowder spread throughout the Old World as a result of theMongol conquests of the 13th century. It was employed in warfare to some effect from at least the 14th century, although the development of effective artillery took place during the 15th century, and firearms came to dominate Early Modern warfare in Europe by the 17th century.
Original development[edit]
The prevailing academic consensus is that gunpowder was formulated in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality.[1] By the time the Song Dynasty treatise, Wujing Zongyao (武经总要), was written by Zeng Gongliang, Ding Du, and Yang Weide in 1044 AD, the various Chinese formulas for gunpowder held levels ofnitrate in the range of 27% to 50%.[2]
