Who invented gunpowder in history?

Gunpowder is one of the four great inventions in China.

During the Western Han Dynasty in China, there was an emperor named Emperor Wu, who wanted to live a long life. One day, he called all the civil and military ministers and let them find their own way.

An alchemist named Li kowtowed to the emperor and said, "If your majesty eats refined Dan medicine, he can live forever and surpass old gods."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy and immediately believed Li's words. He ordered the alchemists all over the country to take action to refine the elixir for him.

At that time, the main raw materials of an alchemist were sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. The alchemists who stayed by the blast furnace all day were thinking about the elixir of life. Who knows that an alchemist can't be refined in an alchemist's furnace, but it often explodes, and some alchemists even hurt themselves.

What caused the explosion? It turned out that alchemists inadvertently made explosives by mixing saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal in a certain proportion. Some military strategists heard about the explosion and became interested in it. They imitated the alchemist's practice and controlled the proportion of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal at about 75%, 10% and 15% respectively, making the world's earliest black powder.

After gunpowder appeared, it was first used in the military. Later, it was widely used in mining, mountain cutting and road construction.

Source: Science and Technology Center.