5 November: Gunpowder

Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. 10 things you never knew about gunpowder:

1. Gunpowder was invented in China by Taoist alchemists in the eighth-century.
2. It's said they were actually looking for the elixir of life, the mythical potion that causes whoever drinks it to become immortal, and accidentally discovered a flammable powder which they dubbed "Fire medicine."
3. Early uses of the substance were as signal flares or Fireworks used to frighten evil spirits away. One source I found suggested it was used to treat skin diseases, but just the one, so I'm including that one with caution.
4. The composition of gunpowder hasn't changed much since those days. It's 75 percent saltpetre, 15 percent charcoal, and 10 percent sulphur.
5. How does gunpowder work? It works because it burns rapidly and the chemical reaction produces gases approximately 1500 times the original volume of the powder. The pent up gas in a confined space acts as a propellant, to push out a bullet or artillery shell, or it could be packed into a metal container to make a simple grenade.
6. In the early days, gunpowder had to be made by hand, grinding up the ingredients in a pestle and mortar to make a powder called "serpentine". Needless to say this was dangerous work, because just one spark and the whole lot could go up. Adding a liquid, like Water or Wine to the mixture would reduce the risk of sparks.
7. By the 12th century, the Chinese had invented an early type of gun called a fire lance, using gunpowder and Bamboo tubes. A century later they were making guns from metal. By the 14th century, these weapons were used in the Middle East and Europe. It wasn't until the late 17th century, however, that gunpowder was used for anything other than killing people, ie for mining and building roads. The earliest surviving record for the use of gunpowder in mines comes from Hungary in 1627. Until the 19th century, gunpowder was the only explosive substance available.
8. There was still a factory in the UK making gunpowder until the 1970s. Most gunpowder manufacturers merged into one company (‘Explosives Trades Limited’) after the first World War. After 1954 there was just one factory left: ICI Nobel’s Ardeer factory in Scotland, which closed in October 1976.
9. Shakespeare mentions gunpowder in Henry IV Part 1: Falstaff says: ‘Zounds, I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy’. It's mentioned in some of his other plays, too, and there's a theory that Macbeth is a comment about The Gunpowder Plot.
10. Soldiers would often use gunpowder as a substitute for other things that weren't available in times of war. After the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809, the surgeon of the Napoleonic Army seasoned a horse meat bouillon with gunpowder because they'd run out of Salt; it could also be used for sterilising things when there was no alcohol, and to create tattoos when there was no ink. British sailors were known to use gunpowder instead of ink and it was known as traumatic tattooing. In 1673, Christiaan Huygens tried to make an internal combustion engine with it, but was unsuccessful. in 1967, the American artist Ed Ruscha began using gunpowder as an artistic medium for a series of works on Paper.

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