ABSTRACT
From the earliest days of prehistory, man has used his ingenuity to devise weapons capable of killing at a distance. All of the early primitive weapons utilized his muscular power to achieve this end. The stone or spear could be released instantly so as to be thrown a short distance. The bow stored this energy inside a tensioned structure to allow its instantaneous release. However, to achieve greater range and power it was necessary to devise a completely new energy source. Crude chemical mixtures resembling gunpowder are known to have been used in fireworks over 1000 years ago in China and India. However, in Europe it is generally accepted that Roger Bacon was the first person to mention and record the formulation of true gunpowder, an intimate mixture of saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal, in the year 1242. However, there is evidence that the Arabs invented black powder. It is said that at about 1300 they had developed the first real gun made from a bamboo tube reinforced with iron. This primitive gun used a charge of black powder to discharge an arrow. As Bacon was able to read Arabic, it is possible that his knowledge came from Arabic sources. Initially the ingredients for making gunpowder were ground up together by hand with a mortar and pestle. Later on, crushing devices using wooden stamps inside stone bowls were used for this process, followed by further mechanisation. The first water-powered powder mill was erected near Nuremberg in Germany around the year 1435. The regular manufacture of gunpowder commenced about 1412 in England, and the Government powder works at Waltham Abbey dates back to the year 1561.
