Origins of Black powder

Black powder or gun powder (there is a slight difference but that’s for another time).  This is the first man made explosive ever.  It originates from 19^th century china.  It was first made by accident by alchemists looking for an elixir of immortality.  They me not have made immortality possible but those alchemists did make one of the most important discoveries ever the first explosive.   Black powder was first used for fireworks and early cannons and basic missiles in china.  This new found technology rapidly spread across Asia through the Middle East and into Europe.

This is ottoman heavy cannon, possibly the biggest black powder weapon ever. This mussel loading behemoth is over 5 meters long and weighs 16.6 tons.