How the Invention of Gunpowder Evolved into Many Other Things

Technological developments in the late 19th century had made artillery and machine guns extraordinarily effective defensive weapons, creating a deadly zone of fire in front of the defenders' positions. Soldiers and laborers were required to dig trenches and machine gun placements, which would protect men from enemy

gunpowder itself. Such as where was it originated, when was it originated, and how did it

Gunpowder single handedly changed the world. What once started as fireworks, would eventually become the greatest aspect of warfare known to man. It was first used by the Chinese, as colorful displays of fire in the sky, but under the rule of the Ming and Ching it became a feared machine of war. Although the effects of gunpowder were mainly positive, there are still some major disadvantages.

In 1848, a French army officer named Claude Minié invented a cone-shaped lead bullet with a diameter smaller than that of the rifle barrel. Soldiers could load these “Minié balls” quickly, without the aid of ramrods or mallets. Rifles with Minié bullets were more accurate, and therefore deadlier, than muskets were, which forced infantries to change the way they fought: Even troops who were far from the line of fire had to protect themselves by building elaborate trenches and other fortifications.

Since the majority of the Great War accounts for a vast network of resources on what the trenches ultimately provided this research will explore within and above trench lines. The failed plans of leaders halted what is known to be the most strategic play in physical versus intellectual attributes of warfare altogether. If it weren’t for the salient of trench warfare throughout the years of 1914-1918, indulged the importance of communication and its

The first world war was one of the most brutal and remorseless events in history; ‘the global conflict that defined a century’. Over nine million soldiers and a large amount of innocent civilians lost their lives. Empires crumbled, revolution engulfed Russia and America rose to become a dominant world power. Huge armies deployed new weapons of devastating effect from rifles and pistols to torpedoes and flame throwers. These weapons were used not only in the trenches but by tanks too. This was an advantage to those who were able to access such machinery as they could easily launch bullets and missiles at nearby enemy bases. The downfall of the tank was the fact it was unable to cross the trenches. Tanks were not the only pieces of equipment that could access this machinery but U boats and planes too. The British carried ‘bolt action rifles’ in which fired 15 rounds per minute at a minimum range of 1,400 metres away. This allowed the British to take out foes at a far greater range. By using machinery in which rules out the need for getting up close to the enemy was a great advantage during world war one. Soldiers ran from trench to trench attacking with all that they had. This resulted in a massacre as the soldiers running toward the trenches were shot down. Machinery such as machine guns and heavy artillery were the weapons used in the trenches. In modern day society, machine guns are the main weapons used by soldiers. This wasn’t the case around the 1914s. They took four

The American Civil War was a turning point in American history. Not only for the United States government and shifts into more progressive values, but also the advancement of military weaponry used in the armed forces. Perhaps the most progressed branch during this time was the field artillery. The field artillery of the well-funded Union army was not accomplishing the extensive damage that was expected of it but under the faith of Union Captain Quincy A. Gillmore (Lane, 2001), the 30 pound Parrot Rifled Cannon was deployed specifically for use against the impenetrable walls of Fort Pulaski. For the Union army, the capture of Fort Pulaski was an important battle that utilized the technological advancements of rifling of field artillery cannons in order to render the stone walls of the fort indefensible.

During the Civil War, great advancements in technology and weaponry were happening. Both the Union and Confederate side of the war used what were considered typical weapons. For example, they both used knives, swords, pistols, rifles, and muskets. Artillery such as cannons were also very popular. Though all these weapons were used in wars before the Civil war, such as the Mexican War, advancements were made to better the pre-existing weapons. Better bullets were made for rifles. Rifle barrels were advanced to make them more precise and shoot farther distances. Advancements were also made in the naval department. Before the Civil war, battleships were made out of wood, but around the civil war, iron started to be added to battleships. This newly

Gunpowder was used in the 11th century Song Dynasty by, Wujing Zongyao. This was a discovery led to the invention of fire work’s. Gunpowder consists of potassium nitrate, some common charcoal, and sulfur. The potassium nitrate became from a decaying animal manure, and later it becomes from mines in china.

Soon the machine gun became a defensive weapon rather than an offensive weapon, as it was used to stop offensive enemy troops across this no man’s land. Gas was used infinitely by both sides in an effort to triumph over the trenches. If any trench was taken by an opposing force, a succeeding trench was dug just meters behind the one taken, making advancements longstanding and difficult. In this process many troops lost their lives, more so than any other war.

The Civil War of America has been discussed as the first modern war of the new industrial age. Army’s of such a large size had yet to meet head on, face to face in the battle field with weapons of such mass destruction and deadly force. America had not yet seen casualties of this magnitude to

The other war fought was the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War was fought using the technology used in the beginning of the Civil War. The Revolutionary war used the traditional smooth-barrel muskets. These guns were quite efficient for there own time period. These muskets had a max range of two hundred and fifty yard but they could only shoot up to eighty yards somewhat accurately. The older muskets also could only fire one shot at a time and even the best of soldiers could only shoot a couple of shots a minutes. The Revolutionary War lasted eight long years battling for our freedom and it had roughly twenty-five thousand casualties. Civilwar.org tells us that, “ A casualty is a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, interment, capture, or missing in action.” The Civil War was another war fought on American soil for freedom. The Civil War used the new technology of rifling and minié ball and it was revolutionary. The Civil War was fought over a four year span and accumulated right around six hundred and twenty thousand casualties. This was devastating; the new technology was important to the advancement of firearm technology yet it had brothers killing

The discovery of gunpowder changed war from being fought with medieval weaponry and battle tactics to more modern day weapons and tactics because the gunpowder powered weapons are more deadly. Weapons that use gunpowder to launch projectiles have a greater range than melee weapons and are more powerful than bow and arrows. Also, cannons are more powerful and have a greater range and accuracy than catapults and they also can be reloaded faster than catapults. Gunpowder weapons changed war because they are stronger, more accurate, have a greater range and are able to be reloaded faster than medieval weaponry.

The discovery of gunpowder was discovered in 850 A.D. by accident. Gunpowder also called black powder is considered the earliest explosive invented. The Chinese alchemists of the ninth century were considered to be a major force behind the early development of gunpowder. They first used the substance to treat skin diseases and to kill insects before people realized it would be

The next major improvement in weapons technology came from the Chinese civilization, the inventers of gun powder. Initially used for the purpose of demolition