Gunpowder
Videos
Gunpowder, commonly referred to as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium ni
Gunpowder for muzzleloading firearms in granulation size
American Civil War re-enactors volley firing with black powder
Flash pan starter dispenser
Earliest known written formula for gunpowder, from the Wujing Zongyao of 1044 AD.
The Song dynasty witnessed many substantial scientific and technological advances in Chinese history. Some of these advances and innovations were the products of talented statesmen and scholar-officia
Jiaozi, the world's first paper-printed currency, a Song innovation
The original diagram of the book by Su Song in 1092, showing the inner workings of his clock tower, with the clepsydra tank, a waterwheel with scoops and the escapement, a chain drive, the armillary sphere crowning the top, and the rotating wheel with clock jacks that sounded the hours with bells, gongs, and drums.
The Longxing Monastery, home to the oldest extant Chinese mechanical revolving-repository book case
Revolving book case in Yingzao Fashi