How The Chinese Accidentally Invented Gunpowder

These Chinese alchemists had no interest in creating explosives, and saltpeter, known more commonly today as potassium nitrate (KNO3), was used for medicinal practices well into the late centuries B.C.E., though its effectiveness is open to debate. As the Mongols began their rise in the 13th century, gunpowder spread across Asia, and at the time, the ratio was one part sulfur, three parts charcoal, and nine parts saltpeter. Because of the Mongols, a recipe for the elixir of life was transformed into an instrument of war, and history was forever changed as a result.

Author: Jonathan H. Kantor

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