Overview

Warfare took a deadly step forward with the invention and development of powerful explosives in the nineteenth century. Guncotton and a safer explosive, cordite, supplied a "smokeless" propellant that made the battlefield visible. Big explosions became more practical when Alfred Nobel stabilized nitroglycerin by converting it to dynamite. But while mass destruction was made easier, so was mining, the drilling of oil wells, and reshaping the land for roads, railroads, and construction. The understanding of nitrogen chemistry that came from research into explosives built a basis for creating new fertilizers and medicines. While Nobel's hope that dynamite would end war by making it too horrible to engage in was proven wrong, his prizes have provided the twentieth century's most visible recognition for contributions to peace, as well as to...