CHINESE MILITARY INVENTIONS

GUNPOWDER

• Gunpowder was what sparked the revolution for powerful explosive weapons, such as cannons and rockets.
• Made
• Chinese alchemists made gunpowder (believed to be an accident!) because they were experimenting with a mineral called saltpeter. Alchemists at the time were trying to find something that allowed them to life forever and were using saltpeter in experiments.
• In 850 C.E., during the Tang Dynasty, alchemists recorded and labeled the recipe as extremely dangerous.

THE FLAMETHROWER

• The flamethrower, made in the 10th century, was the first weapon in history to have used gunpowder.
• Used oil and gunpowder mixed together to spray a stream of fire

A picture of the flamethrower

What the flamethrower was believed to have worked like

ARTILLERY SHELLS

• Explosive metal shells filled with gunpowder
• Launched from a catapult
• Used the sounds of the explosions to scare the enemy and their horses.

THE FIRE LANCE

• Believed to be made in the 10th century
• Started as a bamboo tube attached to a spear
• The type was filled with gunpowder and a dart or projectile
• Was a direct ancestor of modern firearms
• The powder was discharged and the projectile was thrown out
• Only had a range of a few feet
• Was very effective at defending walls
• Popular and cheap
• Had many forms by 1250 CE

BOMBS

• Metal balls filled with gunpowder
• Were as explosive as modern bombs
• Were activated by a lit rope fuse

NOW TO THE COOL PART

ROCKETS!!!1!111!!!1

ROCKETS

• Developed during the Song Dynasty
• Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur.
• Were originally used as fireworks, but used as weapons later on.

MORE ABOUT ROCKETS

• The Chinese made a two stage rocket for their armies, one stage is lit and brings the rocket into the air, and the second stage rained arrows down on the enemy.

Untitled Slide

THE END