Like many great inventions, the discovery of gunpowder was an accident. Around 2,000 years ago in Han China, the Chinese would throw hollow bamboo tubes onto a fire to produce a loud popping noise. Around a thousand years later, Chinese alchemists mixed together saltpeter, charcoal, sulfur and other ingredients which when heated, produced a loud bang. By packing the gunpowder into bamboo sticks, the first firecrackers were fashioned. The Chinese used firecrackers for religious rituals...
Like many great inventions, the discovery of gunpowder was an accident. Around 2,000 years ago in Han China, the Chinese would throw hollow bamboo tubes onto a fire to produce a loud popping noise. Around a thousand years later, Chinese alchemists mixed together saltpeter, charcoal, sulfur and other ingredients which when heated, produced a loud bang. By packing the gunpowder into bamboo sticks, the first firecrackers were fashioned. The Chinese used firecrackers for religious rituals as it was believed that the loud bang would scare off evil spirits. Firecrackers were also used in festivities like weddings, festivities and many other celebrations. It did not take very long for the Chinese to develop gunpowder for military uses.
The Europeans were introduced to gunpowder when Marco Polo visited China. The material was brought back to England by the Crusaders.
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