Fireworks Like the idea of zero, gunpowder developed gradually over time. In 142 AD, during the Han Dynasty, a man named Wei Boyang was the first to write anything about gunpowder. He wrote about a mixture of three powders that would "fly and dance" violently.

When gunpowder was used to create personal handguns and rifles, a new type of soldier was created: infantry. Photo shows a Revolutionary War reenactment at Fort Ward Historic Site in Alexandria, Virginia.CREDIT: Igor Vorobyov, Dreamstime Each Monday, this column turns a page in history to explore the discoveries, events and people that continue to affect the history being made today.

Chinese Taoist alchemists were the major force behind the early invention of gunpowder. Emperor Wu Di (156-87 B.C.) of the Han dynasty financed research done by the alchemists on the secrets of eternal life. The alchemists experimented with the sulphur and saltpeter heating the substances to transform them.

Papermaking, gunpowder, printing and the compass are four ancient inventions by Chinese people that have had a huge impact on the entire world. Paper Making The invention of paper greatly contributed to the spread and development of civilization.

The invention of gunpowder had a close relationship with the advanced ancient workmanship of smelting industry. People began to know a lot of chemistry knowledge about the nature of different mineral materials during the process of smelting operation. With the knowledge, ancient necromancers tried to seek the elixir of immortality from certain kinds of ores and fuel.

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Few substances in history have had as profound an effect on human history as gunpowder... and its discovery was an accident! Ancient alchemists in China spent centuries trying to discover an elixir of life that would render the user immortal. One important ingredient in many of the failed elixirs was saltpeter, also known as potassium nitrate.

Gunpowder is the first explosive substance mankind learnt to use and also one of the four great inventions of ancient China. The invention of gunpowder should in a way be attributed to alchemists of ancient China, who drew inspiration from the fire-ignition of pill-making process during which sulfur, niter and other substances were used.