Who invented the first gun

They've existed for more than 1, years and have affected warfare — and society in general — in ways perhaps no other invention can match. We're talking about guns.

A gun is a device designed to propel a projectile using pressure or explosive force. Solid projectiles may be free-flying as with bullets and artillery shells or tethered as with Tasers , spearguns and harpoon guns. A large- caliber gun is also called a cannon. The means of projectile propulsion vary according to designs, but are traditionally effected pneumatically by a high gas pressure contained within a barrel tube gun barrel , produced either through the rapid exothermic combustion of propellants as with firearms , or by mechanical compression as with air guns. The high-pressure gas is introduced behind the projectile, pushing and accelerating it down the length of the tube, imparting sufficient launch velocity to sustain its further travel towards the target once the propelling gas ceases acting upon it after it exits the muzzle.

Who invented the first gun

The Renaissance era saw the rise of the first guns in Western Europe, and they changed the face of warfare forever. This is their story of fire and steel. Although gunpowder first emerged in ancient China as an alchemical health treatment, its application in warfare shattered the medieval world. In many ways, it was the quintessential substance of the rapidly approaching modern era, with cultural exchange, scientific experimentation, and mass warfare all bound up with its history. Here, we shall examine the development of the first guns, personal firearms that created altogether different conventions from the sword and the horse. The critical ingredient for the rise of the first guns in the Renaissance era was gunpowder. The other three were the compass, paper, and printmaking, which were all also key components of the technological revolution which characterized Renaissance Western Europe. Gunpowder was, therefore, the archetypical technology of its time. Chemically, gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, carbon, and potassium nitrate usually known as niter or saltpeter. It is a low explosive, as distinct from a high explosive, that burns comparatively slowly by modern standards. But to medieval people, this must have been the very crux of alchemy itself — the creation of fire, smoke, and violent force from the application of a small flame to some inert powders.

Huo Yao was an ancient Chinese invention that was actually used historically as a cure for indigestion. One theory of how gunpowder came to Europe is via the Silk Road ; another holds that it arrived during the Mongol invasion in the first half of who invented the first gun 13th 690 saatleri. Notable Gun Improvements of the 19th Century The guns had been heavily revolutionized over the early and late 19th century with the introduction of rapid-fire weaponry like the Maxim Gun and the high-power and semi-automatic Colt revolver.

Historical timeline of the development of modern weapons starting at with the first recorded use of a firearm and ending in with the introduction of automatic handguns. Before the matchlock, guns were fired by holding a burning wick to a "touch hole" in the barrel igniting the powder inside. A shooter uses one hand for firing, and a prop to steady the gun. The first device, or "lock," for mechanically firing a gun is the matchlock. Powder is held in a "flash pan," and ignited by a wick, or match, in a movable clamp. Both hands remain on the gun, vastly improving aim.

The American Revolution was fought—and won—with guns, and the weapons have become ingrained in U. The origin of firearms began with gunpowder and its invention, mostly likely in China, more than 1, years ago. Historians estimate that as early as A. Initially black powder, as it was known, was used for fireworks, but the substance soon found its way into weaponry. Cannons and grenades were among the earliest weapons to incorporate gunpowder, followed by primitive handheld firearms, which consisted of a hollow bamboo tubes, packed with gunpowder and small projectiles. The devices had limited range and were likely used only in hand-to-hand combat. Thanks in part to the Silk Road and adventurous traders like Marco Polo , by the 13th century ancestors of the modern firearm had spread from Asia to Europe, where they were further developed as weapons in the form of matchlock, wheel lock and flintlock firearms. By the time early colonists arrived in America in the 15th century, firearm design had advanced significantly and the weapons were routinely included in journeys to the New World.

Who invented the first gun

A gun is a device designed to propel a projectile using pressure or explosive force. Solid projectiles may be free-flying as with bullets and artillery shells or tethered as with Tasers , spearguns and harpoon guns. A large- caliber gun is also called a cannon.

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Becoming a highly skilled and highly paid swordsman or archer required lifelong devotion, but a few weeks or months of training could turn a lower-class soldier into a capable gunner. It was used as an impact weapon, like a single-use short-range flamethrower-shotgun. Advances in Wound Care: Volume 1. In an account from the time period called History of Yuan , a commander named Li Ting led a group of soldiers who were equipped with hand cannons, as part of an anti-rebellion campaign for the Yuan dynasty. Emerging from a milieu of experimental gunpowder weaponry like the fire lance, grenades, and bombards, the Chinese hand-cannon was a simple tube with bulbous base, made from cast bronze and later iron , often around a 1-inch bore and with a characteristic bulbous ignition chamber at the base to withstand the expansion of the powder explosion. The first was a matchlock , followed by a series of enhancements until we get something more akin to the guns we know today. Military historian, Boston University. Known as the tufang , Mughal emperor Akbar introduced many improvements in the matchlock. A gun projectile may be a simple, single-piece item like a bullet, a casing containing a payload like a shotshell or explosive shell, or complex projectile like a sub-caliber projectile and sabot. It originally described a hand cannon with a lug or hook on the underside for stabilizing the weapon, usually on defensive fortifications. But the Borchardt pistol of was the first automatic with a separate magazine in the grip, and this remains the defining feature of the breed. Artillery: The Battle-Winning Arm. Early cartridge firearms had to be cocked and caught by the " sear ", which holds the hammer back, before each shot. In practice, the powerful cartridge of the battle rifle proved to be difficult to control during fully automatic fire.

Guns have had played both an indirect yet also tangible role in the rise and progression of global powers and industrial development over the course of history.

Firearms list , glossary , and topics. It was later used in the Spanish-American War with some improvements that included removing the carriage and putting it on a swivel to adapt to the enemy changing positions more quickly. The classic gun differed from older generations of firearms through an assortment of improvements. The Colt depicted is a Third Model Dragoon percussion revolver ca. But before the 15th century, these early guns were tricky to fire — they required both hands and a burning wick to ignite the powder. JSTOR Although the Gatling Gun was the beginning of trench warfare, the Maxim Gun in World War I forced militaries to change their tactics fully to trench warfare simply to avoid being slaughtered. This pair of flintlock pistols was made with ivory stocks and unusually elaborate decorative details. Likewise, the Castilians used arquebuses as well in Chemically, gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, carbon, and potassium nitrate usually known as niter or saltpeter. The cannon became quite popular as it annihilated troops regardless of their fast horses and heavy, steel armor. Some guns—such as shotguns —report the weapon's gauge which is the number of shot pellets having the same diameter as the bore produced from one English pound g of lead or—as in some British ordnance—the weight of the weapon's usual projectile. Firearms appeared in the Middle East between the late 13th [11] [12] [13] and early 14th century. Archaeologists have even unearthed several iron balls of matching caliber from the battlefield.