Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards & Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World

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Our Price: $25.00

Year: 2004
Pages: 261
Binding Hardcover
ISBN 465037186

Product Code: 756797667

Description

Jack Kelly (au). When Chinese alchemists fashioned the first man-made explosion sometime during the 10th cent., no one could have foreseen its revolutionary potential. The simple mixture of saltpeter, sulfur & charcoal that came to be known as gunpowder went on to make the modern world possible. Its explosive properties paved the way for Western exploration, hastened the end of feudalism & the rise of the nation-state, & greased the wheels of the industrial revolution. Kelly brings to life the characters that played a role in gunpowder’s epic story, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vasco de Gama, Alfred Nobel, Samuel Colt, & E.I. Du Pont. Explores a rich terrain of cultures & technological innovations with authoritative research & style. Illustrations.

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