Without explosives we couldn't be where we are today. I'm not talking about the type of explosives you use in a was, I'm talking explosives that move mountains and clear passes. The type that take down huge structures that have outlived their usefulness and need to be demolished. Watching one of these explosive demolition experts work is like watching an artist. They can drop a building without even breaking so much as a window on a building across the road.

It is believed that the first explosive was invented by the Chinese somewhere around the 10th century. But others say it was around the time of Christ. They also point to a legend that Marcus Graecus made rockets from it for military use in the 7th century.

Explosive shock wave tests
Photo Source: US Navy

Nitroglycerin was discovered by Ascanio Sobereo in 1846. It was manufactured by Alfred Nobel and his father in 1861 in Sweden. Nitroglycerin is a very dangerous liquid that can explode with tremendous force if shaken or allowed to get too hot. Manufacturing something this dangerous presents many problems. Nobel was a victim of nitro's vicious properties when it exploded killing his brother Emil and many others. But Alfred Nobel got very lucky, and stumbled across a way to make it stable. It was called it dynamite. Dynamite is nitro turned into a paste that can be put into a tubular container and exploded with a fuse. Nobel never intended that his explosives be used for war and when this happened he became very distraught. This may have been the main reason he established the Nobel Peace Prize.

Americans built their first powder mill in Massachusetts in 1675 and first used powder to blast with in 1773.

Blasting for rocks at Hell Gate IN 1885
Picture Source: NOAA

There are four types of explosives:

1. Primary Explosives
2. Low Explosives
3. High Explosives
4. Blasting Agents

Primary Explosives - A primary explosive is the explosive device used to set off the main explosive. They are the detonators. Some of these are Lead azide, lead stiphnate and mercury fulminate.

Low Explosives - These are used as propellants. Some examples are gunpowder and fireworks. Gunpowder really doesn't explode, it burns rapidly forming a high pressure gas that can launch an object.

High Explosives - These are the explosives that are used by demolition companies. If you wanted to blast a pass through the mountains you would use this type of explosive. Unfortunately, they are also used for warfare. Examples of these are Nitroglycerin, RDX which is made from nitric acid and hexamethylene-tetramine, TNT which is trinito-totoluene, pentolite and PETN.

Blasting Agents - These explosives are not the type that is used for war but they can be very powerful. Some of these could also be used for the same tasks as the high explosives. This group contains Dynamite and ANFO. Unfortunately ANFO is a favorite of terrorists. This is the famous Ammonium Nitrate mixed with fuel oil.

Nuclear Explosives - Work on building a nuclear explosive began in 1905 with Einstein's theory about the relationship of mass and energy. In 1925 a cloud chamber shows photographs of nuclear reactions. In 1938 German scientists demonstrate nuclear fission, they were Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman. In 1942 Enrico Fermi demonstrates the first nuclear chain reaction in a lab. The chain reaction is self sustaining. In 1945 the U.S. explodes the first nuclear bomb.

Bombing in WWII
Photo Source: NARA

Explosives can't just be stored anywhere and those who want to use explosives as well as those who sell them must be licensed. The Federal Government dictates what types of structures explosives shall be stored in. A basic requirement for a storage facility for explosives of any type is that it shall be fire-resistant, weather-resistant, and theft-resistant.

Some people believe that ancient civilizations had explosives. They state that Atlantians (existence never proven) had explosives and were very advanced and that their civilization may have lasted 250,000 years. Edgar Cayce, the sleeping prophet, seems to agree with this. Other people say that they see evidence that explosives were used by other ancient races. Could it be that explosives were discovered by ancient races thousands of years ago and the secret was lost again. That is precisely what happed with Greek Fire and Damascus Steel. This is a possibility that this happened, even if it is a remote one.