Black powder was the first man-made explosive and was discovered in 220 BC by Chinese alchemists. They mixed potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur in a furnace, and bang – an explosion.

When were explosives first used in war?

Explosives in war

Gunpowder was first developed by the Chinese before 1000 BC. It was used to propel rockets and may have reached Europe via the Mongol invasions of the mid-13th century. The English monk Roger Bacon (among others) is also said to have invented it independently, at much the same time.

When was the explosion invented?

Nitroglycerine is an explosive liquid which was first made by Ascanio Sobrero in 1846 by treating glycerol with a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acid.