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Explosives have been around since ancient times. They were rarely used at first, but went on to become powerful weapons and tools as the technology behind them advanced.
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Alchemist's fire was the first ever explosive. It was a liquid used by ancient Greeks in naval warfare.
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In the 1200s gunpowder was invented in China. It was used mostly for fireworks until Europeans weaponized it.
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In 1838, William Beckford invented the safety fuse. Before it, using explosives was highly dangerous.
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In 1888, Alfred Nobel invented a densley packed smokeless form of gunpowder. Smokeless powder is used in most modern guns.
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We now use Ammonium Nitrate mixed with 6% oil fuel. This mixture was invented by Russel S. Penniman. It is very stable and powerful.
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References
Bellis, M. (n.d.). The History of Explosives. About.com Inventors. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/explosives.htm
History Of Explosives. (n.d.). Timeline. Retrieved from http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/history-of-explosives
Wagner, R. (2009, September 12). The History of Explosives
Wagner, R. (2009, September 11). The History of Dynamite. EHow. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5407461_history-dynamite.html
