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The first formula for gunpowder, or 'black powder' as it was more commonly known, was seen in a document from the Song Dynasty, which occured throughout in the 11th century. It was supposedly invented due to Chinese alchemic research, but mostly used for fireworks and signals until the mid-13th century. There are, however, speculations that black powder may have been invented somewhere else in Eurasia.
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European monk Roger Bacon recorded a theory of using black powder as an explosive compound.
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Explosives started being used in peacetime to clear out rocks and closed off areas in European mines. This practice held up for centuries following.
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The safety fuse was invented in 1831 by William Bickford. It conists of waterproof rope encasing a tube-shaped amount of compressed black powder.
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Ascaino Sobrero, an Italian chemist, discoved this chemical. This is a mix of nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and glycerol.
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This is a highly explosive compound formed by nitrating cellulose. It is often used as a propellant or low-grade explosive.
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Alfred Nobel figured out how to package Sobrero's nitroglycerin in a safe, usable way. this involved mixing it with absorbant material that stabalizes the compound, still leaving it highly flammable. This effectively replaced gunpowder as the most commonly used explosive.
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The discovery of the splitting of the atom lead to an initiative to develop a highly destructive nucluear weapon. The first successful prototype of said weapon was conclusivly tested in the USA at this time.
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This is the Hiroshima/Nagasaki incident. The US got fed up with fighting and losing, and just bombed Japan. It was a highly effective approach to warfare, but demonstrated the dangers of the use of extremely powerful weaponry to the world.
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More advanced chemical explosives began development, and cornered the explosives market.
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Developments in poratblility and production speed could lead to highly powerful explosives that are small enough for a single soldier to carry lots of with little discomfort and little cost to his/her superiors that are at least as effective as modern grenades.
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