China's long history has seen some extremely important inventions emerge, most noticeably gunpowder, paper making, printing and the compass, which, in the words of Roger Bacon, changed the whole ...

We'll begin with arguably the most famous ancient Chinese invention. Legend has it that gunpowder was accidentally discovered by alchemists looking for a concoction that would create immortality ...

In the "De Mirabili Potestate" he imparts the secret of imitating thunder and lightning by means of a mixture of saltpetre, charcoal, and sulphur, whence the legend of his invention of gunpowder.

But you can always reload great grandpa’s musket with some homemade gunpowder. All kidding aside, the invention and proliferation of gunpowder had a profound effect on the world. Here you can ...

The consequences for Guy Fawkes and the other plotters and how the events of 1605 are commemorated in present day Bonfire Night celebrations. Remember remember the 5th of November: gunpowder ...

Upset by the amount of injuries caused by mining, he invented a safety fuse that saved ... winding strands of rope around a central core of gunpowder. The rope was then varnished and when lit ...

Black gunpowder is thought to have been invented in China in or around the eighth century, and is the oldest form of gunpowder. The technology reached Japan along with matchlock guns imported from ...