The 'divine flying fire crow' ( shen huo fei ya), an aerodynamic winged rocket bomb from the Huolongjingįurther information: Gunpowder weapons in the Song dynasty Gunpowder formula Depiction of fire arrows known as "divine engine arrows" (shen ji jian 神機箭) from the Wubei Zhi (1621). Chinese beginnings A fire arrow using a bag of gunpowder as incendiary. Gunpowder is often referred to today as " black powder" to distinguish it from the propellant used in contemporary firearms. The use of gunpowder in warfare during the course of the 19th century diminished due to the invention of smokeless powder. The so-called Gunpowder Empires of the early modern period consisted of the Mughal Empire, Safavid Empire, and Ottoman Empire. The use of gunpowder technology also spread throughout the Islamic world and to India, Korea, and Japan. The gradual improvement of cannons firing heavier rounds for a greater impact against fortifications led to the invention of the star fort and the bastion in the Western world, where traditional city walls and castles were no longer suitable for defense. Firearms came to dominate early modern warfare in Europe by the 17th century. The evolution of guns led to the development of large artillery pieces, popularly known as bombards, during the 15th century, pioneered by states such as the Duchy of Burgundy. Gunpowder has also been used for non-military purposes such as fireworks for entertainment, or in explosives for mining and tunneling. Bombs too never ceased to develop and continued to progress into the modern day as grenades, mines, and other explosive implements. While the fire lance was eventually supplanted by the gun, other gunpowder weapons such as rockets and fire arrows continued to see use in China, Korea, India, and this eventually led to its use in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. It was employed in warfare to some effect from at least the 10th century in weapons such as fire arrows, bombs, and the fire lance before the appearance of the gun in the 13th century. Knowledge of gunpowder spread rapidly throughout Asia and Europe, possibly as a result of the Mongol conquests during the 13th century, with written formulas for it appearing in the Middle East between 12 in a treatise by Hasan al-Rammah, and in Europe by 1267 in the Opus Majus by Roger Bacon. Popularly listed as one of the " Four Great Inventions" of China, it was invented during the late Tang dynasty (9th century) while the earliest recorded chemical formula for gunpowder dates to the Song dynasty (11th century). Gunpowder is the first explosive to have been developed. Further information: Timeline of the gunpowder ageĮarliest known written formula for gunpowder, from the Wujing Zongyao of 1044 AD.
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