Gunpowder

Period

c. AD 850

Map

Inventions map

Gunpowder, referred to as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels, while the saltpeter is an oxidizer. Gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms, artillery, rocketry, and pyrotechnics, including use as a blasting agent for explosives in quarrying, mining, building pipelines, tunnels, and roads.

Sources: Wikipedia — Gunpowder · CC BY-SA 4.0

Earlier and later events nearby

1. AD 605Sui dynasty establishes the imperial examination
2. AD 618Founding of the Tang dynasty
3. AD 629–645Xuanzang's journey to India
4. c. AD 850GunpowderThis page
5. AD 960Founding of the Song dynasty
6. c. 1040Bi Sheng invents movable type
7. 1127Jingkang incident

Who ruled this land

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