The development of gunpowder and the rocket have related histories, and both are believed to have originated in China by the late Song dynasty (eleventh century CE). Gunpowder was the first explosive and propellant and one of world history's...

Gunpowder, the oldest known explosive, was probably discovered in China during the tenth century, though some sources cite a much earlier date. It consists of a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulphur, and charcoal, in variable proportions....

The mechanized manufacture of gunpowder first began about 1435 near Nuremberg, Germany. Until that time the primary ingredients of gunpowder (charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate) were mixed dry and crushed by hand, often during the midst of war....

Trust God, but keep your gunpowder dry. (American) To buy a gun is not as expensive as to buy the gunpowder [i.e., to use it]....

Gunpowder (also called black powder) is a pyrotechnic composition, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre or saltpeter) that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a...

At least six people were killed Wednesday in an explosion caused by gunpowder in shops selling ammunition for hunting rifles, police said. Nine others were injured, and the blast gouged a huge crater into the neighborhood.Police, soldiers and crying relatives used their hands and shovels...

A suicide bomber struck near a police convoy Wednesday in eastern Afghanistan, killing four people and wounding 35, officials said.The officers were patrolling in the city of Khost when the attacker, who was on foot, detonated his explosives, said deputy provincial police chief Mohammad Zaman....

Archaeologists are using broken pottery, bullets and buttons found over the past 60 years to piece together the history of a 19th century fort along the Columbia River. Some 2 million artifacts have been dug up at Fort Vancouver, which from 1829 to 1866 served...