Topic summary
Chemical explosive
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Explosive.
History
Early thermal weapons, such as Greek fire, have existed since ancient times. The history of chemical explosives is closely intertwined with the history of gunpowder. While searching for an elixir of eternal life, Taoist alchemists in China created the earliest form of gunpowder from coal, saltpeter, and sulfur. Gunpowder was the first form of chemical explosives, first seeing use in warfare in 1161. Early forms of explosives in warfare included bamboo firecrackers, which were explosives fired from bamboo or bronze tubes.